Alison McSorley

I offer face to face supervision between 8.30am - 6.45pm on a Monday and Thursday, I can meet with supervisee's online Monday, Thursday, Friday. There is always very limited availability after 5.

Please let me know if you would like me visit your place of work as I may be able to arrange this for charities, educational establishments, organisations and groups. 

My aim is to offer a safe and developmental environment in which to grow a supervisory relationship that supports you to feel safe enough to bring all of yourself; your practice including your uncertainties, your vulnerabilities and your successes. My workstyle is affirming, educative, encouraging, celebratory, empathic and appropriately challenging.

Our work will be informed and guided by our professional and ethical frameworks in all aspects of practice to work as effectively, safely and ethically as possible in the best interest of your clients. 

My therapeutic private practice is informed by Humanistic Existential theory alongside a Trauma Informed approach, however I bring a wide range of knowledge from various therapeutic approaches of counselling to supervision developed from my role as a counselling tutor over many years and from integrating elements of different approaches into my own counselling practice.

In my supervision practice I have worked with experienced counsellors, counsellors in training as well as newly qualified counsellors; additionally I have worked in a supervisory capacity for professionals in support roles within housing, building, education, health, and the death care industry. In all of my supervisory roles I aim to create an atmosphere of mutual learning and respectful enquiry that is aimed at enabling and supporting supervisees in their skills and development whilst supporting individuals personally in their challenging work with people.

I am happy to have an initial chat with you to see if we would be a 'good fit' together. This can be either online or mobile. Please send me an email to arrange this. 

In our first session together we can decide how often we meet, taking into account caseload, level of training and guidelines outlined by your ethical framework.

I have appointments in person and online on a Monday and a Thursday between 8.30am - 6.30pm

Other daytime online appointment availability may be available on request.

I provide one to one counselling in a safe and confidential environment where the counselling focuses on you and what you need, exploring your thoughts and feelings. Some people come to counselling with a very clear idea of what they believe is the cause of their distress, and others know only that their lives feel weighty and painful. The counselling will provide you with a warm, safe, and confidential environment in which to talk. I will help and support you, I won’t give advice or pass judgement.

In my as a Humanistic Existential Counsellor I understand that every individual is both unique and valuable; the issues that are brought are always important; through self awareness, working collaboratively insight and change happens.​

 My vocational training specialised with issues around domestic abuse and associated trauma, I continue to work with local agencies focusing on this area. I also work with clients experiencing a variety of concerns including - depression, loss, anxiety, bereavement, lack of motivation, relationship issues, and work-related issues. 

Additionally I work as a lecturer in Counselling at a local college, I have provided CPD for local community groups and national organisations providing training in trauma, stress management, confidence building and assertiveness. I also have experience of providing counselling for individual workplaces and am happy to discuss this as required.

I am happy to have a brief informal chat with you before starting counselling to answer any queries you may have and can arrange for sessions to be face to face or online. I work with adults who are over 18 years old. 

Each session will last approx. 50 minutes and is normally weekly or fortnightly. The counselling ca be online or in person, It is entirely up to you how long you come to counselling, some people find the support they need in a few sessions and other people like to come for longer. Short term work can help with a specific issue or simply offer some support in a time of crisis. Longer term work can lead to more profound changes.

Generally, we will have chatted on the telephone before we meet face to face. In the first session we will be talking through the personal details form, confidentiality policy and your own reasons and aspirations for therapy. We will make a contract and working agreement for meeting times and expectations. We will start to explore what has brought you to counselling. There will be time to ask questions to ensure you fully understand what counselling offers and how it could be helpful to you.

In addition, if your first session is online we will have spoken on the telephone before our first session and arranged an initial online appointment. Prior to this session you will have received an initial details form, a contract and in a separate email a link to our first appointment via a Zoom link. In the first session we will talk through these forms and how we will manage online working, specifically we will look at what happens if we lose internet connection and keeping you safe online.