Catriona Standingford

I primarily work online Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during the day, but have some availability for in-person sessions in Chepstow, Wales (right on the border of England and Wales, close to Newport, Bristol and South Gloucestershire). Each session is 50 minutes.

It’s important that you meet me and get to know me a little so that you can decide if I am the right counsellor for you. So do get in touch and we can have a 15 minute chat online or by phone (free of charge) so that you can get a feel for me. No pressure – just a chat and then you can decide where you go from there.

Hi, I’m Catriona.

Are you going through difficult times?

I too have been through difficult times in the past, and found myself looking for someone to help work through difficult thoughts, feelings and events. Now I am here as the person offering help and support to you. I will sit alongside you as you begin to explore your feelings, thoughts and experiences, working together to find a way forward whilst providing the time, space and support that you need.

Helping you through this may involve me listening while you talk, or perhaps you need to sit in silence for a while, or perhaps you need someone to help you navigate your forward. Or maybe you are struggling to find where to begin. We’ll work together in safety, at the speed you want to go. Whether you’re coping with past experiences or current challenges, let’s make sense of what’s happening for you, find ways to cope, work through feelings and thoughts, and make life look better than it does today.

Whatever is going on for you, it’s important that you know I don’t judge – we are all unique individuals with unique life experiences that have shaped who we are.

I work with adults living with trauma, survivors of abuse and violence, those experiencing family issues including family estrangement, individuals who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community or are questioning of their identity, family members of the LGBTQIA+ community who need support, issues around life and death, and with those who just don’t “feel right” and want to work out why.

There are many counsellors and therapists to choose from, and it is important that you feel I am the right person for you in terms of how we connect and work together. So it may help you to know a bit more about me, as every counsellor and therapist is different. I’ve lived on this planet for half a century which has brought with it my own personal challenges and experiences from depression and menopause symptoms through to trauma of various varieties. Whilst my previous working background is very different - in IT and then financial services – later in life I realised that I wanted to help others in the same way that counsellors and therapists had helped me, supporting me through some very difficult times in my life and helping me to understand why things had happened to me, and how to process and work through them. I know that without their help I would not be the person I am today, and helping others in the same way is something I am passionate about. That is why I am here today, offering my help to you.

If you like a bit of jargon, I work in an integrative manner with the person-centred approach at the core. Where needed I use relevant skills, tools and various approaches, including (and here comes the jargon again) Gestalt, Psychodynamic, CBT and other approaches for which I am trained. I also have specific training including working with trauma, working with the LGBTQIA+ community and family estrangement.

Let’s have a chat so you can get to know me a little and decide if I am the right counsellor for you. Do get in touch and we can setup a 15 minute chat (free of charge). No pressure – just a chat and then you can decide where you go from there.

If you want to continue working with me, I offer online and also in-person sessions in Chepstow, Wales (not far from Bristol, Newport, South Gloucestershire) with each session being 50 minutes.

You may wonder what a session looks like....

A counselling / therapy session with me provides a calm, warm, confidential and safe space where you can talk openly about whatever is on your mind. You set the speed, and there’s no expectation to arrive with answers or a clear story. We begin by exploring what feels most important for you that day. If you’re struggling to begin, I will help you. I’ll listen closely, ask questions where needed, and help you make sense of what you’re experiencing. Together we can explore whatever you need to help you move forward.