Judith O'Brien

I am an experienced Psychotherapist and Counsellor who believes passionately in the transformative potential of working together with you in the safety of a therapeutic relationship.

I offer Relationship Counselling for Couples and I also work with Adult Individuals in a 1:1 confidential setting.

Availability 
I am available Monday to Thursday including 2 evenings.

Pricing Structure
50 minute Couple session - £85
90 minute Couple session - £110.
1:1 50 minute session - £65

For Couples I recommend 90 minutes once a fortnight, but I am happy to work with your budget and time frame.

Feedback from a couple recently worked with….

“Thank you for providing such a safe space for us to voice our feelings, and for making us feel truly listened to and understood. I felt immediately at ease and you gave me the confidence to approach a distressing and painful situation with positivity, hope and trust. We have both learnt a lot about each other during our sessions, and they have given us tools to communicate, an understanding of our own personalities and how we can develop our relationship to a deeper level."

My approaches: As an integrative counsellor, I embrace various therapeutic approaches but the central theory of my practice is Person-Centred, which embraces the belief that you are the best people to bring about the change, growth and awareness you are looking for if provided the right support.

How do I work? Remaining impartial, I will listen to both of you and in turn you will be able to hear each other in a calm, neutral space. You will each be able to express difficult feelings and identify what is needed to seek a more fulfilling relationship and deepen your ability to trust and communicate more effectively.

We will explore deeper unexpressed emotions, look at the patterns and cycles you may find yourselves in, learn how to handle conflicts better, recapture that loving feeling, or indeed, if wanted, I can support you both in navigating a healthy separation.

Putting you at ease:  I am very mindful engaging in Couples' Therapy can feel daunting and one, or both of you may even have reservations about how the therapy could help. My aim is to put you both at ease, and begin by exploring any uncertainties you may have about the process, so that you can feel safe to talk and express feelings. Sometimes we may even bring humour, which can be a powerful tool to ease any discomfort.

What can you expect? Relationship counselling begins with an assessment process which is vital to understand what is happening and identify the focus for the work. This consultation alone can bring you both clarity, enable you to be heard in a safe place and talk about what is happening in your relationship.

I will listen carefully to your unique story within a non-biased, neutral atmosphere of calmness, acceptance with no judgement, bringing a deep sense of empathy and intuition. 

All close relationships have their ups and downs. Today there are so many pressures on our time and on our lives. Finances, time constraints, work pressure, wider family issues, children and difficulties communicating can all impact. It is in times like these that reaching out for help can make that longed for difference.

That tricky first session - Facing any problems in your relationship can feel daunting and lead to feelings of isolation, fear, vulnerability and shame.   However, most relationships experience challenges and difficulties at some point and seeking therapy is a positive step towards getting the relationship you truly want.

In the first session, I will focus on putting each of you at ease.  I will take some information from you both, answer questions and clarify aspects of the Therapeutic Agreement you will have received from me. 

I will provide the opportunity for each of you to voice what you feel is happening in the relationship and what is a priority for you. From there we will decide how we might best plan the therapy. 

Availability

Monday to Thursday - daytime  & evening session available in my Counselling Studio in Wilmslow, or on line.

All sessions are 50 minutes and may take place weekly or bi-weekly, depending on your budget, availability and needs.

What do I offer?  I offer 1:1 sessions with adult individuals, as well as for Couples or those struggling in relationships.

I am an experienced Psychotherapeutic Counsellor who believes passionately in the transformative potential of working with you in therapy.  

How can I help you change?  With a warm, calm and intuitive manner I create a space for exploration.  My therapeutic philosophy is rooted in dialogue, offering you a place where your inner world can be spoken without judgement, fear or shame.

As a Humanistic Counsellor, I believe Counselling works best in the warmth of a meaningful, therapeutic relationship.  Working together in a trusting, confidential  therapeutic relationship we will identify what might be going on for you and help you in making sense of difficult emotions.

What might your best hopes from the work be? Working together in a collaborative, steady, curious conversation you will be guided to understand reasons behind unwanted behaviours, stuck patterns, suppressed feelings or identify what you might be carrying alone.  With the aim of increased clarity, better self acceptance and greater self compassion I will work to support you to feel safe enough to implement real change

Approaches:  I embrace various therapeutic approaches but the central theme of my practice is Humanistic and Person-Centred.  I see you as a unique individual with unique needs.  My professional belief being that with the right support, you are the best person to bring about change, growth and awareness, thus leaving you feeling empowered and more in control of your life. 

We will always take things at your pace - My experience is extensive covering issues including anxiety, health anxiety, relationship problems, low mood, stress, self esteem, low self worth, grief, loss, and unhelpful patterns of behaviour.  I also bring to the work a deeper sense of "known empathy" having personal experience of many issues that life can throw at us.

How often should I come?  Although short treatments can give fantastic results, I think therapy is perhaps at its best when you can give it time and go deeper, if you are ready to. However, I am flexible and always mindful of balancing your budget, individual  psychotherapeutic needs and time frame. 

“Thank you for providing such a safe space for us to voice our feelings, and for making us feel truly listened to and understood. I felt immediately at ease and you gave me the confidence to approach a distressing and painful situation with positivity, hope and trust. We have both learnt a lot about each other during our sessions, and they have given us tools to communicate, an understanding of our own personalities and how we can develop our relationship to a deeper level."

So, what happens next?  I understand that reaching out for counselling support can feel pretty daunting. To help with that first step, we can arrange a brief telephone call where you can ask me any questions as well as confidentially share a little bit about what has brought you to therapy.

On your first session, which I appreciate can be anxiety provoking, I will do my best to help you feel at ease in my beautiful studio in Wilmslow.   If you are ready to, you can tell me more about what has brought you here. You may wish to set some therapeutic goals or prioritise areas you wish to work on.  We will always go at your pace.

So, if it helps to discuss whether I am the right therapist for you, do get in touch via email judyobrien@btinternet.com for a no-fee 15 minute chat before booking.

Please get in touch for most current availability.

Face to Face, or online Monday - Thursday - daytime & evening sessions available.  

I work face to face for Couples and in Relationship work as I feel this works best. However if for any reason you would prefer online, or this is better for you practically, for instance if you have small children,  we can discuss this. 

50 minute Individual sessions-  £65
50 minute Relationship sessions -£85
90 minute Relationship session £110

My suggestion would be 90 minutes once a fortnight. but I am mindful to work within your budget and time frame. 

I am an experienced psychotherapist and counsellor who believes  believe passionately in the transformative potential of working together  with you in the safety of a therapeutic relationship.

I offer Relationship Counselling for Couples and I also work with adult individuals in a 1:1 confidential setting. 

Feedback from a couple recently worked with….

“Thank you for providing such a safe space for us to voice our feelings, and for making us feel truly listened to and understood. I felt immediately at ease and you gave me the confidence to approach a distressing and painful situation with positivity, hope and trust. We have both learnt a lot in our Relationship work with you about each other during our sessions, and they have given us tools to communicate, an understanding of our own personalities and how we can develop our relationship to a deeper level."

As an integrative counsellor, I embrace various approaches but the central theory of my practice is person-centred which is the belief that you are the best people to bring about the change in your relationship, growth and awareness you are looking for if provided the right support.

I bring a deep sense of empathy and intuition and will listen carefully to your unique story within an atmosphere of  calmness, acceptance and with no judgement. Sometimes we may even bring humour, which can be a powerful tool to ease any discomfort.

All close relationships have their ups and downs. Today there are so many pressures on our time and on our lives. Finances, time constraints, work pressure, wider family issues, children and difficulties communicating can all impact. It is in times like these that reaching out for help can make that longed for difference. 

Relationship counselling begins with an assessment process which is vital to understand what is happening and identify the focus for the work. This consultation alone can bring you both clarity in terms of what is happening in your relationship.

Facing any problems in your relationship can feel daunting and lead to feelings of isolation, fear, vulnerability and shame. However, most relationships experience challenges and difficulties at some point and seeking therapy is a positive step towards getting the relationship you truly want.
 
Remaining impartial, I will listen to both of you and in turn you will be able to hear each other in a calm, neutral space.  You will each be able to express difficult feelings and identify what is needed to  seek a more fulfilling relationship and deepen your ability to trust and communicate more effectively.  

We will explore the patterns and  cycles you may find yourselves in, learn how to handle conflicts better, recapture that loving feeling, or indeed, if wanted, I can support you both in navigating a healthy separation.  

I understand that engaging in Couples' Therapy can feel daunting and one, or both of you  may even have reservations about how the therapy could help.  My aim is to put you both at ease and explore any uncertainties, so that you can feel safe to talk and express feelings.

In the first session, I will take some information from you both and listen to what you feel is happening in the relationship. From there you can decide if you would like us to work together and how we might best plan the therapy. 

 I offer face to face and on line sessions for adult individuals  working Monday to Thursday including some evening availability.

Although short treatments can give fantastic results, I think therapy is perhaps at its best when you can give it time. 

 I am flexible however, remaining mindful of balancing your budget, psychotherapeutic needs and time frame. 

 Sessions may be taken weekly or fortnightly, at agreed intervals. There is no obligation to commit to a set number of sessions. 

What can I offer you? I offer Relationship Counselling for Couples and I also work with adult individuals.   

I am an experienced Psychotherapeutic Counsellor who believes passionately in the transformative potential of working with you in therapy.

What can you expect?  With a calm and intuitive manner I create a space for exploration. My therapeutic philosophy is rooted in dialogue, offering you a place where your inner world can be spoken without judgement, fear or shame.

As a Humanistic Counsellor, I believe Counselling works best in the warmth of a meaningful, therapeutic relationship. Working together in a trusting, confidential therapeutic relationship we can identify what might be going on for you and help you in making sense of difficult emotions.

What might your best hopes from the work be? Working together in a collaborative, steady, curious conversation you can be guided to understand reasons behind unwanted behaviours, stuck patterns, suppressed feelings or identify what you might be carrying alone. With the aim of increased clarity, better self acceptance and greater self compassion I can support you to feel safe enough to implement real change

Approaches:   I embrace various therapeutic approaches but the central theme of my practice is Humanistic and Person-Centred. I see you as a unique individual with unique needs. My professional belief being that with the right support, you are the best person to bring about change, growth and awareness, thus leaving you feeling empowered and more in control of your life. 

We will always take things at your pace - My experience is extensive covering issues including anxiety, health anxiety, relationship problems, low mood, stress, self esteem, low self worth, grief, loss, and unhelpful patterns of behaviour. I also bring to the work a deeper sense of "known empathy" having personal experience of many issues that life can throw at us.

How often should I come? Although short treatments can give fantastic results, I think therapy is perhaps at its best when you can give it time and go deeper, if you are ready to. However, I am flexible and always mindful of balancing your budget, individual psychotherapeutic needs and time frame.

Sessions may be taken weekly or fortnightly, at agreed intervals. There is no obligation to commit to a set number of sessions

So, what happens next? I understand that reaching out for counselling support can feel pretty daunting.  To help with that first step, we can arrange a brief telephone call where you can ask questions and confidentially share a little bit about what has brought you to therapy. If you are in a relationship or a couple we can arrange a joint call.

You will then receive some paperwork with further information and we can book in your first session.

Sessions may be taken weekly or fortnightly, at agreed intervals. There is no obligation to commit to a set number of sessions.