Nicola Bloom

I offer 50 minute face-to-face & online sessions

You may have reached a point where things feel difficult to manage on your own. Perhaps you feel overwhelmed, anxious, stuck or emotionally exhausted. You may be coping with grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, separation, addiction, low self-esteem, or a sense you are no longer quite yourself. 

Therapy can offer a space where you do not have to hold everything together. You do not need to arrive knowing exactly what is wrong or what you want to say.

I am a BACP Registered Integrative Humanistic Counsellor with experience working within the NHS and specialist bereavement services, supporting people through trauma, grief, relationship difficulties, anxiety, emotional overwhelm and significant life changes.

What It Is Like to Work With Me

I offer a warm, calm & non-judgemental space where you can talk openly and begin to make sense of what you are experiencing. I believe therapy works best when you feel heard and understood, but also when you feel your therapist is actively interested in helping you make sense of what is happening.

I will not tell you how you should feel or what decisions you should make. Instead, we work collaboratively, with curiosity and compassion, to understand your experiences, relationships and the patterns that may be affecting you.

At times this may involve exploring experiences from the past; at others we may focus on what is happening in your life now. Where helpful, I may gently challenge you to consider things from a different perspective, while always working at a pace that feels manageable for you.

Over time, therapy can help you feel less overwhelmed, understand why certain situations affect you so strongly and recognise patterns that may have been keeping you stuck. This can create more space between a feeling and your response to it, helping you communicate your needs more confidently, develop healthier relationships and feel more able to make choices that are right for you.

My Therapeutic Approach

My work is grounded in Person-Centred therapy, alongside Transactional Analysis and Gestalt therapy.

• Transactional Analysis can help recognise recurring patterns in relationships, communication & behaviour that may have stemmed from your past. Becoming aware of these patterns will equip you to make changes in your life
  
• Gestalt therapy focuses on increasing awareness of what is happening in the present moment, including thoughts, emotions & bodily responses. This can be particularly helpful when past experiences still feel very present
  

I adapt the way I work to each individual rather than expecting every client to fit one particular approach.

Experience 

I have worked within the NHS and charity sector with clients experiencing a wide range of emotional and psychological difficulties:

• St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust – supporting hospital staff experiencing stress, burnout, trauma, grief and the pressures of working in a demanding healthcare environment
  
• Grief Encounter & JBCS (specialist bereavement charities) – supporting children, families and adults through grief and loss
  
• Neurodiversity – experience supporting neurodivergent clients, including people with ADHD & autism. For some clients, understanding themselves through a neurodivergent rather than self-critical lens can be an important part of therapy
  

Qualifications and Professional Membership

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Humanistic Counselling from the Metanoia Institute, accredited by Middlesex University.

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and work in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework.

Who I Work With

Your First Step

If something you have read here resonates with you, please feel welcome to get in touch. I offer a free 15-minute introductory telephone or Zoom call, with no obligation to continue. 

This gives you an opportunity to tell me a little about what has brought you to therapy, ask any questions you may have and get a sense of whether working together feels right for you.

Sessions and How We Work Together

If you decide you would like to continue, we can arrange an initial 50-minute session. During that first session we can explore what has brought you to counselling, what you would like help with and what you hope to gain from therapy. There is no expectation that you need to tell your whole story at once.

Therapy can be short-term or longer-term depending on what feels most helpful for you. We can review our work together as therapy progresses rather than deciding everything at the outset.

Sessions are collaborative rather than rigidly structured. You can bring whatever feels most important that week, while we also keep in mind the reasons you came to therapy and what you hope may change.

Locations

I offer counselling to adults from practices in Golders Green, Finchley and Barnet.