Sue Akehurst

As a counsellor and trauma therapist (EMDR) I work with people whose lives have been affected by distressing events which are causing distress and difficulties in the present.   

Sometimes the simple process of speaking aloud, being truly heard and accepted as you are can be profoundly healing and can support you to begin to accept yourself. 

I aim to offer you a space to explore honestly, without judgement, where you can begin to heal from the experiences of the past and the stresses of the present day. I work collaboratively, ensuring that there are always opportunities for us to review and refocus our work so that it feels helpful, supportive and right for you.  

I have trained in Attachment Informed EMDR which harnesses our own internal resources of imagination to offer a powerful yet also gentle and empowering way of resolving childhood trauma.

I'm currently working online (and had been for some time prior to the pandemic). 

I qualified as a counsellor in 1998 and since then have continued to read, attend training and develop as a therapist. Much of my work is now focused on traumatic events such as abuse, bullying, miscarriage, car accidents, traumatic bereavements. These sort of  events can end up being held in the memory and the body as painful confusing fragments which intrude into everyday life, sometimes as flashbacks, as underlying beliefs or persistent and confusing anxiety.

I aim to work in a way which is supportive and inclusive of difference, whether that be sexual, gender, ethnicity, class or disability.

I offer a free half hour initial session which is a chance for us to meet to get a sense of whether we feel we can work well together. We'll explore what you can expect from sessions with me and whether my approach will suit you. In this initial session we may begin to draw up a plan of what we will work on and how. We will continue to talk about how the work is going and whether we are focusing on what feels right for you all the way through the process of therapy.