Felicity Spinks

I am currently opening up my diary to new clients for face to face and remote video sessions.

I can offer sessions on Monday's, Tuesday's Wednesday's and Thursday's.

The hours I can offer for face to face sessions are from 8am on the days above and the last session I can offer at the moment is 7pm

I do have regular self-care breaks every 6-8 weeks which are 1 or 2 weeks in length. I do always give good notice of this when this is due to happen.

Any referrals I receive, I will always try and reply to you via email and/or text. Sometimes my emails may go into your 'spam' folder and unfortunately I have no control over this. So I will always try and send a text message as well over a telephone call as it may not be a suitable time for you to talk to me over the phone. If for privacy reasons, you don't want me to make that initial contact via text then please don't add your telephone number and I will know to just contact you through email.

I endeavour to contact you back within 24 hours unless referrals are received over the weekend or after 7pm. I will then either contact you on the Monday or the following day. If I am away on leave I do put an away message on my Whatsapp and any emails I receive while I am away. This contains dates that I am unavailable.

​I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and National Counselling Society. I have valid therapeutic counselling insurance and have regular supervision to support my private practice and adhere to the BACP and NCS ethical framework. 

My qualifications include:

​

Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills - CPCAB Accredited

Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies - CPCAB Accredited

Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - CPCAB Accredited

Online and Telephone Counselling - The Counselling Tutor

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent

Certificate in Trauma-Informed Practice - Counselling Tutor 

Solution – Focused Therapy - I.C.T Therapy

I have also completed my BBE Teacher Training and have begun tutoring CPCAB counselling students on the journey to becoming a qualified counsellor. ​

I have worked as a volunteer counsellor at Kenward House, which is a residential rehabilitation programme for people struggling with addiction and substance misuse. I have also worked alongside Kenward House with The Lodge residents who are also struggling with addiction. I have recently been offered the opportunity to support other counsellors in training with their skills practice.

The Bigg Project - My role has been a volunteer counsellor on placement and have stayed until March 2023 as I really enjoy supporting my clients with their recovery. I have worked with many different clients working mainly with addiction, substance misuse and childhood trauma. I have worked face to face, via zoom and over the telephone. Clients were offered open ended sessions and could end their sessions when they feel ready and explore their own autonomy.

Meeting a stranger can be very challenging and finding a suitable counsellor even more so. My main objective is for you to feel safe and listened to without judgement. I have been told that I am easy to talk to, approachable and genuine.

I offer a free 30-minute video session for me to find out a bit about you, life's challenges, a brief overview of your medical history that I may need to be aware of and your expectations of counselling.

It is a good time for us to connect and see if I'm the right counsellor for you. If you decide you would like to continue, we would book a time that suits you for your first session. If I don't feel I can support you I will offer some alternative options for you to look into.

There is no obligation to give me an answer as to whether you want to start your counselling journey with me during our initial session. I will always encourage you to go away and have a think about it and then get back to me.

If you do want to book in a further session, we can then look at booking in your first 50 minute session at a time that works for us both. 

I am currently opening up my diary to new clients for face to face and remote video sessions. 

I have annual leave from the 18th August 2023 until 4th September 2023 inclusive, so any contact made will be replied to after the above date.

I can offer sessions on Monday's, Tuesday's Wednesday's and Thursday's. 

The hours I can offer for face to face sessions are from 9am on the days above and the last session I can offer at the moment is 3pm. 

I do have another room in Strood that is available later on in the day.

I do have regular self-care breaks every 6-8 weeks which are 1 or 2 weeks in length. I do always give good notice of this when this is due to happen.  

Any referrals I receive, I will always try and reply to you via email and/or text. Sometimes my emails may go into your 'spam' folder and unfortunately I have no control over this. So I will always try and send a text message as well over a telephone call as it may not be a suitable time for you to talk to me over the phone. If for privacy reasons, you don't want me to make that initial contact via text then please don't add your telephone number and I will know to just contact you through email. 

I endeavour to contact you back within 24 hours unless referrals are received over the weekend or after 7pm.  I will then either contact you on the Monday or the following day. If I am away on leave I do put an away message on my Whatsapp and any emails I receive while I am away. This contains dates that I am unavailable and contact will be made as soon as I return. 

I have been on my own journey with a counsellor so, I can understand how daunting that first step is to reach out for support and look for a counsellor. 

In our community, there is still a stigma around a person's mental health but I feel our emotional wellbeing is as important as breathing. Just because we can't see a person's mental health struggles, it doesn't mean that they aren't real. 

I began my counselling training in 2018 and it started off a journey of discovering myself and understanding the impacts that life has had on me. 

​I am a member of the National Counselling Society and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. I have valid therapeutic counselling insurance and have regular supervision to support my private practice. 

My qualifications include:

Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills - CPCAB Accredited

Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies - CPCAB Accredited

Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - CPCAB Accredited

Online and Telephone Counselling Certificate

Certificate in Trauma-Informed Practice

NCFE Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Safeguarding and Prevent

I have since supported my clients with drug and alcohol addiction, bereavement, abuse, childhood trauma, depression, anxiety and many other struggles they have faced.

I have offered my time as a volunteer counsellor at Kenward House, which is a residential rehabilitation programme for people struggling with addiction and substance misuse. 

I feel very passionate about supporting clients that maybe struggling with addiction or substance misuse in our community. 

I also have recently been approved by the CPCAB to teach students to become counsellors. 

I am a qualified person-centred counsellor which means I offer a safe, non-judgmental space for my clients to explore any difficult things that has come up for them and may not have ever shared before. I don't give advice to my clients as I don't feel this can be helpful. I am not here to push you to go to uncomfortable, painful places. That isn't my job. I am here to hold you and the safe space to allow you to share and explore when you feel ready to do so.

I have completed further training to support clients through a trauma-informed 'lens'. This has given me the knowledge and understanding of how trauma affects us and our bodies. I can offer support through psycho-education if I feel it may benefit you.

I am beginning my Level 5 training course in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (C.B.T) in September 2023 so will soon be able to offer this to my clients alongside my person-centred approach. 

I can also offer creative therapy through sand trays, shells, stones, crystals, pens/crayons. It can be helpful alongside talking therapy and if this is something you would like to experience, please let me know. 

Sessions are confidential. This means that everything you share with me, stays with me unless I felt you was at serious risk of harm to yourself or someone around you. I would then need to access further support with you. This would be discussed further during our first session together and what that looks like, if it is required.

Sessions are 50 minutes long and I can offer sessions face to face or remotely via video call. 

I do have a 24 hour cancellation policy. If a session isn't cancelled or rebooked outside of this window then the session fee will still be charged for. 

I manage lateness by holding the session for 15 minutes. After 10 minutes of when the session started, I will attempt to make contact and check in with you. If you arrive late to the session, I won't always be able to offer you the full 50 minutes as I will have clients booked in afterwards.  

Meeting a stranger can be very challenging and finding a suitable counsellor even more so. My main objective is for you to feel safe and listened to without judgement. I have been told that I am easy to talk to, approachable and genuine.

I offer a free 30-minute video session for me to find out a bit about you, life's challenges, a brief overview of your medical history that I may need to be aware of and your expectations of counselling. 

It is a good time for us to connect and see if I'm the right counsellor for you. If you decide you would like to continue, we would book a time that suits you for your first session. If I don't feel I can support you I will offer some alternative options for you to look into.

There is no obligation to give me an answer as to whether you want to start your counselling journey with me during our initial session. I will always encourage you to go away and have a think about it and then get back to me. 

If you do want to book in a further session, we can then look at booking in your first 50 minute session at a time that works for us both.