Anne-Marie Alger

Currently taking on new clients 

I work with adults, couples, children and young people, and I am an experienced school counsellor in a high school setting. I offer individual and couples counselling through face-to-face sessions from my office in Bolton, alongside online and telephone counselling or walk and talk sessions.

Relationship Issues, Anxiety, Depression, Grief and Loss are just some of the key themes I work with.

One in four of us experience mental health problems at some time in our lives. If you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, low in mood, having difficulty coping, having relationship issues, not knowing who you are anymore, then help is available. Anxiety and depression are common, but talking about it, building coping strategies and dealing with the underlying problems will make a huge difference to the way that you feel. I can help with health anxiety which may be heightened in response to the coronavirus. If your confidence and self-esteem is shattered, it takes time to rebuild them, make changes, accept the things you cannot change and become the person that you want to be for a more positive future.

I work in a way that is empathic, respectful, genuine and ethical. By building trust, I use our relationship within the therapy session to create the possibility of positive, long-term change. 

Using an integrative approach means I can be flexible in how I work with you. Integrative Psychotherapy incorporates a range of therapeutic approaches and interventions. These may vary depending on whether we are working together on current issues and the present ‘here and now’ feelings and emotions, or looking at past experiences, and will help to create a sense of who you are, how you function and how you feel in different circumstances.

I use approaches used in CBT, Person-Centred Counselling, Transactional Analysis, Psychodynamic Counselling and Creative-Expressive Therapy amongst others, so that I have a range of skills and tools that I can draw upon to help you in all aspects of your emotional well-being.

The number of sessions you may require varies from individual to individual. This may range from an average of 6-10 counselling sessions, to some clients needing only 2-4 sessions, and yet other clients may require a longer term approach. This will always be your decision and remains in your control, and I will always discuss your requirements in depth with you as flexibility may be important. Honesty and integrity is essential in the way that I work.

Our first session together is a full session, giving you the opportunity to see if I am the right therapist for you. We use the first session to explore what it is going on, reflect on what has led to this point and plan the best way forward together. 

Online supervision & online supervision  available. I am an integrative psychotherapist, working privately from my office on Chorley New Road Heaton. I offer supervision to both qualified and trainee counsellors and psychotherapists undertaking diploma, degree or masters programmes. Please see my therapist profile for further information, or my webpages on www.amtalktherapy.co.uk where my background and qualifications are listed.