Francesca Clark

I’m a qualified Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP). I work relationally and integratively, with Transactional Analysis at the heart of my approach.

There isn’t one particular way that therapy with me has to look. Some people come with a specific difficulty they want support with and prefer our work to remain focused on what is happening in their life now. Others want to understand themselves more deeply - perhaps exploring experiences, relationships or patterns that seem to keep repeating. We can work at a depth and pace that feels appropriate for you.

Rather than assuming what you need, I’m interested in understanding what has brought you to therapy and what you would like to get from it. Depending on this, our work might include talking through current difficulties, developing new perspectives or ways of responding, understanding emotions and coping strategies, or exploring how earlier experiences may be influencing life now.

I offer a warm, genuine and non-judgemental relationship where you have space to think, feel and be curious about yourself. I bring honesty, curiosity and my humanity into the room, alongside clear professional boundaries and consistency.

I don’t believe therapy is about telling you how you should think, feel or behave, or pushing you towards a particular version of who you “should” be. My role is to work alongside you, bringing my psychological knowledge and experience while recognising that you are the expert on your own life.

Our work is collaborative and tailored to you. Whether you are looking for support with something happening now or want to understand yourself at greater depth, we can think together about what would be most useful to you.

I work with adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, low self-esteem and self-confidence, perfectionism, people-pleasing, relationship difficulties, trauma, grief, burnout, ADHD and neurodivergence. You don’t need to have a diagnosis, or even be completely sure what is wrong, to come to therapy.

Sometimes people arrive knowing exactly what they want help with. Others simply know that something doesn’t feel right - perhaps you feel stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected from yourself, or notice that the same difficulties seem to keep appearing despite your best efforts to change them.

I offer both shorter-term, focused work and longer-term therapy. We can agree together what feels appropriate for you and regularly review how the work is meeting your needs. There is no expectation that you commit to exploring areas of your life that you do not want to explore.

I offer individual therapy online and face-to-face in Northumberland. Sessions are 50 minutes.

I am a Registered Member of the BACP (MBACP) and hold a BACP-accredited qualification. I also hold an Enhanced DBS check and professional insurance, attend regular clinical supervision and undertake continuing professional development. I practise in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework.

If you’re considering therapy but aren’t sure whether I’m the right therapist for you, you’re welcome to get in touch. We can have an initial conversation before deciding whether to work together.

Before beginning regular therapy, I offer an initial assessment session. This gives us an opportunity to meet, talk about what has brought you to therapy and begin to understand what you might like from our work together.

I know that meeting a therapist for the first time can feel daunting, and there is no expectation that you arrive knowing exactly what to say or that you tell me everything straight away. We will go at a pace that feels manageable for you.

I’ll ask some questions about what is happening for you now, relevant experiences and history, any previous therapy or support, and what you hope might be different as a result of coming to therapy. You may also ask me questions and get a sense of what it feels like to talk with me.

We will discuss how we might work together, including what you would like to focus on, whether you are looking for shorter-term or longer-term support, and the practical aspects of therapy such as confidentiality, sessions, cancellations and contact between appointments.

The assessment is also an opportunity for both of us to consider whether working together feels like a good fit. There is no obligation to continue with regular sessions afterwards.

If we decide to work together, we can agree an initial focus for therapy. This isn’t fixed: what you need from therapy may change as our work develops, and we can review this together.

My aim for the first session is not for you to tell me your whole life story. It is simply for us to begin getting to know one another and establish whether I can offer the kind of support you are looking for.