Gillian Bruce

I work Monday to Thursday depending on availability.

Hello there - my name is Gilli Bruce. I work in a warm and informal way to enable us to create a collaborative working alliance. I see my role as your accomplice who will walk beside you as we explore the issues, difficulties and challenges you want to bring to sessions.

I will share with you the underpinning knowledge I am drawing on as we go along to help you to make sense of the issues you want to work with. The working models used will be explained and explored to help you understand difficult feelings or experiences - so that you can come to a new place.

As a qualified counsellor and coach we might choose to work with either skillset and there is an option to use a blended approach of counselling to start with that moves towards coaching as you start thinking about the way ahead.

I have worked with adults on family difficulties, things that feel stuck, relationship challenges, work-based problems and current issues that are rooted in the past for many years.  I also work with anxiety and depression, bereavement, facing death, behaviour and habit change and handling conflict. I really enjoy working one-to-one to support others in their journey towards personal growth, freedom and expansion.

Areas of special interest: 

The Adoption Triad - adopted adults, birth parents who have had to relinquish their child or adopting parents

Supporting people who are working through a 12 step fellowship programme

Shadow work

Relationship difficulties

Developing self-esteem, confidence and assertiveness

Inner child work and Attachment work

Nervous System regulation 

As well as being a qualified counsellor and coach, I am also an NLP Master Practitioner which is helpful for effective communication, state management and mindset change. 

I practice meditation and listen to a wide range of spiritual teachers and philosophers in order to study the human condition which I find fascinating.

I work as an Integrative Counsellor which means that I work across several modalities. This is rather like having a range of tools in a toolbox so that we can use an approach that will be a good fit for the work we need to do. I usually start in a Person-centred way and may then move through to working with other approaches such as Transactional Analysis or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. 

I work in a trauma-informed way and understand the impacts past trauma can have on our present - in our bodies, hearts and minds. I regularly undertake continuous professional development study both privately and as part of my team at the Mind Mental Health Centre where I volunteer. 

My sessions are up to an hour long and can be conducted in person if possible, over the telephone or a video medium.

In order for sessions to be useful, I will listen to you without judgement and may also propose gentle challenge to help you stretch current thinking and consider alternatives. We can all get stuck in a rut with our thought patterns and behaviours and I see it as part of my job to support you in the ways you'd like to expand. 

In our first session we will create a working agreement and I will carry out a Wellbeing Assessment to help you to identify your priorities for our work together.

 I also carry out a short risk assessment as standard in order to ensure you stay safe.

I will help you to identify the ways in which you would like us to work together so that the work fits your needs.