Frances Garland

I am mainly available for private work on Wednesdays and Thursdays, mostly in the daytime.

I became a counsellor because I believe deeply and passionately in the importance of being with people, and hearing them, when they are struggling.  I know from personal experience how powerful that can be.

I accept and value each client just as they are.

I will try to understand how your life feels from the inside - and will regularly check whether I am understanding right.  No feeling or experience is unhearable.

I identify as humanistic integrative. This means that I believe profoundly in your ability to find your own answers – even though it may not feel like that to you.

I work with whatever you bring; I've had experience among other issues of working with relationships, stress, anxiety and panic, depression, bereavement, sexual abuse, domestic violence, past trauma, 

I have had experience over the past 20+ years in working with a wide range of issues in a number of different settings. My work training counsellors has encouraged me to think deeply about what works best. Mostly that is listening deeply and try to understand how their life feels from the inside but I am also happy to work with structured thinking exercises and creative activities, as suits you.

I offer individual and couple counselling, short-term and long-term.

My first session is free, to allow you to get a sense of what it might feel like to work with me.  In that session we have a chance to find out if working together seems a good idea.  I will tell you a bit about how I work, about confidentiality and the very few exceptions to what this covers.  You can ask any questions you have, and we will discuss and negotiate how we might work together.

As well as talking/listening, I often work with creative activities and cognitive (thinking) exercises - as suits the individual client.

I have experience working in: school, college, community mental health team, medical centres, voluntary agencies, with Relate (couples and relationships), Cruse (bereavement by death),   with employee assistance programmes.  I also trained counsellors for 15 years - and they offered plenty of challenges to think about what I was doing and why!

Please note: there are steps up to my work space, and I regret that I don't have wheelchair access.

My first session is free, to allow you to get a sense of what it might feel like to work with me. In that session we have a chance to find out if working together seems a good idea. I will tell you a bit about how I work, about confidentiality and the very few exceptions to what this covers. You can ask any questions you have, and we will discuss and negotiate how we might work together.