Cliona Snow

I work the following days and hours:

Monday 9am to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm

Tuesdays 9am to 3pm

Wednesdays 9am to 3pm and 5pm to 8pm

Thursdays 9am to 1pm 

I currently have adult and CYP availability 

Hello and welcome to little bit about me and my practice. I’m a person centred trained adult, child and young person’s counsellor, working with a wide variety of presenting issues, including anxiety, depression, low self esteem, relationship difficulties, grief and loss and identity struggles. If you’re reading this, you may be experiencing similar and trying to find how best to support yourself.

I understand it’s a big move to reach out to a counsellor. Therefore I place a high value on building a trusting, respectful and non-judgmental relationship early on. If life feels like a treadmill that you just can’t step off, then accessing talking therapy can really help to slow things down. Within the therapy space we can talk through your goals- if you don’t know these immediately, don’t worry, we’ll figure it out as we go along. The important thing for me is creating a sense of comfort and safety, so that you can explore what you need to. Those needs may change as we go through the counselling journey. This is why I complete regular reviews to ensure you are receiving the most optimal service.

With young people, I tend to work creatively, offering them an engaging, relaxed space to hopefully figure things out. These creative techniques include drawing/painting, collaging, crafting, sandtray work, use of puppets/figures/lego, play and more. I also use Minecraft as a therapeutic tool. You may be wondering how gaming helps therapeutically. The short answer is it can and it does! For a start, it creates a familiar space for a young person, which helps to build a relationship early on. You can build, destroy, fly, swim, go on adventures, all of which can symbolise what life is like and facilitate exploration of emotions and experiences. If this is something that interests you or your young person, I have more information on my website: www.clionasnowcounselling.com

My focus in therapy is on you and what you bring. Person-centred therapy means that you decide the agenda and we go where you need to go. I see counselling as a journey and there are many paths. Each client brings their individuality to a session, so I tailor the sessions to what you need it to be. Talking and expressing things in words may be a struggle. That is why I will often suggest working creatively. It facilitates a depth of expression that simple words sometimes just can’t.

I also integrate mindfulness into sessions, if that is something you are open to trying. It helps to slow things down and bring a sense of calm into the room. Emotions are ‘stored’ within the body and noticing these and where we store them, can help link the body and mind and make therapy more holistic. I see mental and physical health as intertwined, with one very often having a knock on effect on the other. 

Young people also really benefit from this kind of work, as well as learning about themselves and how they deal/cope with emotions. 

I see CYP as part of a family unit and will liaise with parents/guardians throughout counselling, in order to offer the correct support for that young client. Please see my website for more information on this. My previous background is in paediatric nursing, working in high intensity environments, so I am experienced in working with families who are in significant levels of distress. Since becoming a counsellor, I have worked in voluntary organisations, schools and as a volunteer mental health first aider, all of which has added to my ‘toolkit’ of resources for supporting people. 

I offer a free 20 minute call to an interested client or their parent/guardian to talk through what is bringing them to seek support.  During this call we will talk over what’s happening, you can ask any questions you have and I will share how I work and what counselling might look like for you or your young person. Hopefully it will help you to decide if we are a ‘good fit’

If the call relates to a child/young person (referred to as a CYP), then I will pre-assess in this call to record your perspective on what is happening for them. 

I complete an assessment then in session 1, should you wish to go ahead with counselling.