Lucy Mpandawana

I work on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday during the day, with evening sessions available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Reaching out for emotional support can feel like stepping into the unknown and opening yourself to vulnerability. I offer a calm, understanding space where you can be met just as you are.

Have you experienced a loss, perhaps through bereavement, the end of a relationship, changes in your health, or an experience that has affected your sense of safety or self? Loss can take many forms, and each can leave you feeling disconnected, unsettled, stuck or unsure of who you are now. I am here to truly listen to you, to hear your thoughts, to understand your experiences. The space I offer will also allow you to hear yourself more clearly, so that you can navigate your thoughts and feelings and find a way forward.

I volunteer for Cruse Bereavement Support and am experienced working with the loss of loved ones. However, I have also supported clients with loss in other forms, for example:

estrangement from family

miscarriage/abortion

the end of a relationship

redundancy

health challenges

Every one of us is multi-layered and often many tangled themes may surface in our conversations. Life's losses can provoke anxiety and low mood, which can subside by being shared and given the space to be processed.

Having worked as a secondary teacher for 15 years, I was drawn towards a second career in counselling as a way to engage more deeply with individuals and provide a space for emotional exploration and support. I have worked as a School Counsellor in a London primary school for Place2Be.

In-person & Online

I offer counselling in person in Shoreham-by-Sea and Hove, and online. My therapy studio in Shoreham is a private, calm, cosy room in my garden and is located in a peaceful, residential area of town. On Tuesdays I work from professional therapy rooms in central Hove.

Approach

I am an integrative therapist and I draw primarily on person-centred and psychodynamic approaches. This means that I as well offering a safe and empathic space to work through current difficulties, at times we may explore at how earlier experiences and your unconscious patterns of behaviour are influencing the present. This can lead to greater freedom to make different choices as you grow.

Introductory meeting

Please do get in contact if you’d like to explore working with me. We can arrange a free 30-minute call (online or by phone), where I’ll listen to what’s going on in your life and you can decide if taking the next step with sessions feels right for you.

Next steps

If you wish to proceed, we can schedule a regular weekly 50-minute session. After our conversation, I would email you information about logistics and the counselling agreement so we share a clear understanding of how therapy will work. 

First session

In our first session, we’ll review the agreement, answer any questions, and then  begin focusing on exploring your experiences in depth.