Luisa Savidge

A dynamic, challenging and yet compassionate practitioner.  My work encompasses providing therapeutic support for employees in the NHS, along with running my private practice in which I have a special interest in working with clients from the world of sport.  Working with the 'Person-Centred' approach, I will be working with you to achieve your goals.  Working with me will involve going at your pace to work through problems or issues that may be holding you back in life or causing you worry, stress or unhappiness.  Being able to share problems and concerns with an impartial listener can be hugely beneficial.  A fresh perspective from a person who will not judge you and has your best interests at heart can be helpful  in learning more about ourselves and what we need from life.

I also provide EMDR therapy, which is particularly helpful (but not exclusive) for clients that have experienced trauma.

My practice is conducted through one-to-one counselling sessions.  Sessions can take place either by telephone or via video conferencing such as Microsoft Teams.   I am also flexible around meeting clients face-to-face.  The work I do varies in duration, from short to long-term.  I review the work at regular intervals (usually every six weeks), but I don't believe that there should ever be a sense of obligation to continue and clients have the autonomy to end work or take breaks as and when they feel it is needed.  I also provide counselling and supervision at a frequency that is agreeable to both parties.

During our initial session together, I will seek to gain a clear understanding of what you are hoping to achieve from therapy.  It can often be difficult for clients to articulate exactly what they are hoping for and I understand this.  Often therapy evolves greatly as the sessions get underway.  What I am really seeking to clarify is the level of support required and to ensure that I am the best person to offer this.  On occasions where this doesn't appear to be the case, I can often make referrals or suggestions of other agencies that may provide an alternative.  It can also be the case that a client decides therapy might not be for them after all and there is of course no obligation to continue after this first session.  

My belief is that supervision should be a warm and welcoming space for both parties.

Supervisees should feel able to reflect on their work without feeling judged. My role is not to direct or tell a counsellor how to do their job. It is to listen, to offer perspective and to provide an outlet for work which often cannot be discussed safely elsewhere.

I feel that supervision should feel safe enough for honesty and to discuss opportunities for improvement, but also to celebrate success and accomplishments.

My own experience of supervision is that it can be tremendously uplifting, helping the supervisee to know that they are not alone in their work and enabling them to thrive.

It is this experience that I aim to provide. As a person-centred therapist, I extend this model of work to my supervision.

I currently work via the medium of Zoom and plan to do this for the forseeable future.

I am flexible and accommodating with appointments and always available for phone calls if anything comes up for the supervisee between appointments. However, the onus to keep booked appointments or rearrange them, if necessary is on the supervisee.  

I also work as a counsellor/psychotherapist myself, working with adults aged 18 and over.  My work includes private clients, NHS staff and clients who I work with from other counselling agencies.

When beginning work with a supervisee for the first time, I offer a half-hour session (for no charge) for us to discuss hopes and expectations for the work. As this is such a pivotal professional relationship, I believe it’s important for both parties to feel comfortable. I would then encourage supervisees to reflect on it, before deciding to commit.

Of course, if the relationship is not working at any point, there is no obligation to continue, providing fair notice is given to all relevant parties.