Anne Benbow

I am available for sessions at the following times: 

Weekday evenings

Tuesday: All day 

Saturday mornings

I feel that the starting point for effective therapy is developing a therapeutic relationship. This involves establishing a relationship with trust, empathy and professional boundaries so that you, as the client, feels safe enough to explore the aspects that have brought you to counselling. 

I work in a collaborative way as I believe that you need to be an active part of therapy to make it effective. I will work with you, to find ways of making the changes that you want to make. This may be that you want to feel a different way, or make changes to certain behaviour patterns or to develop your self-awareness. 

I trained as an Integrative Counsellor which means I have a range of 'tools' grounded in different theories that can be adapted to suit your needs as the client. The process of determining what will be the most effective way of working will be done through communication and collaboration. We will work it out together. 

I can work creatively and feel that this method can provide emotional distance that allows you to explore difficult feelings and thoughts in a manner that feels safer and more manageable. An example of a creative way of working is using a sand tray. 

I can also work in a more cognitive way and use techniques from different forms of therapy such as Dialectical Behaviour Therapy or using Solution Focused Therapy techniques. 

I have experience of working with survivors of domestic abuse both children and adults. I have supported individuals with complex relational trauma and have done training to underpin this. 

I also have experience of working with neurodivergent clients and have done training to further my skills in supporting people who experience the world through their neurodiverse lens. 

The initial session I offer will be for us to find out more about the reasons why you are seeking therapy. It will also allow you to decide whether you feel that we could work together. 

I can offer short term targeted work where a goal is mutually agreed and worked towards in a set number of sessions. 

I can also work in a more open ended way which can follow you to take the therapy where you feel it needs to go. 

I offer sessions in blocks of 8 and around the 7th session we will do a review together. This involves talking about how you feel the sessions are going and whether you are getting what you need from them. 

I ask that initially the sessions are weekly, for an agreed length of time. When the therapeutic relationship is established, I am open to discussion about different ways or patterns of workings as I understand that sometimes life needs flexibility. 

The ethical framework that is provided by the BACP underpins my work. An example of this is that I am committed to making you, the client, my "primary concern while we are working together".

In the first session I will ask various questions as part of an informal assessment which involves finding out more about the reasons that have brought you to therapy and aspects like your support networks. 

It will also involve going through the logistics of the sessions. I will explain how the confidentiality of the sessions work and other aspects such as how I store any information/records that I any keep. 

This session will be the chance for you to ask me any questions that you may have.