Ruth Willis

I work out of The Red Shed in Blackhall Mill on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

And out of my Ouseburn space in Newcastle on Fridays. 

I am currently taking on new clients.

Women-centred • Relational • Trauma-informed

Imagine, for a moment, that you are on Island A and you want to cross the water to get to Island B, what kind of boat do you need to help you make that crossing?

I see my therapeutic practise as a sailing boat, moving forward at a pace that feels natural, not pushy, and with the sturdy boundaries of a solid hull to cut through the high waves and keep you held and safe. 

For over 20 years, I have supported women through some of life’s most significant transitions.

My lengthy career as a women’s health practitioner and birth doula has taught me the importance of having  safe spaces where we can explore our experiences, make sense of our stories and reconnect with ourselves. This work has given me a solid foundation for my work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.

I have a deep appreciation of the complexity of women’s lives and the importance of feeling truly heard, supported and understood.

Women's empowerment has always been at the heart of my work. Empowerment is not about being told to be stronger, more confident or more resilient. It is about having the space to understand yourself, recognise your own needs and develop the confidence to make choices that feel right for you. It's about creating the time and space to listen to yourself, perhaps in ways that haven't always been possible before.

My hope is that, through our work together, you will feel heard, understood and able to develop a deeper understanding of yourself and what you want from your life.

If something here resonates, please get in touch. We can arrange a short, informal phone call to talk about what has brought you to therapy and whether you feel I might be the right person to support you.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

As a psychotherapeutic counsellor, I work relationally, with warmth and curiosity. I believe that the relationship we build together is central to the therapeutic process, and I will work with you to create a space where you feel safe enough to explore whatever brings you to therapy.

My main training is in Transactional Analysis (TA) and my approach is integrative, which means I draw on different therapeutic ideas and ways of working according to what feels right to you. TA provides a frame of understanding for our work, and I use it, along with other modalities, for example attachment theory and creative practices, to explore the issues and make meaning and, where appropriate, changes.

I am particularly interested in understanding how our early experiences, relationships and life events can shape the ways we understand ourselves and relate to the world around us. I also bring a trauma-informed awareness to my work, recognising that difficult experiences can affect us in ways that are not always immediately apparent.

I am drawn to working with women during times of significant change: becoming a mother or when a child leaves home, relationship separation or bereavement, menopause and other experiences that can challenge our sense of identity and direction. I also welcome working with women who have been through difficult or painful times and who would like to explore and understand their experiences more deeply.

Generally, the first session looks a little different from the following sessions. We will go through some backround questions, and it will also be a chance for you to ask me some questions about how I work, too.

Sessions last for 50 minutes, and are in person. They will be at the same time and place each week. This is an important part of building a safe space for exploration. However, if you need flexibility due to life / work commitments, this is something that we can discuss. Research shows that the most effective therapy happens when sessions on a regular weekly basis.

You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what you want from therapy. We can take time to explore what has brought you here, and at a pace that feels right for you.

I work out of The Red Shed in Blackhall Mill on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

And out of my Ouseburn space in Newcastle on Fridays.

I am currently taking on new clients.

Women-centred • Relational • Trauma-informed

Imagine, for a moment, that you are on Island A and you want to cross the water to get to island B, what kind of boat do you need to help you make that crossing?

I see my therapeutic practise as a sailing boat, moving forward at a pace that feels natural, not pushy, and with the sturdy boundaries of a solid hull to cut through the high waves and keep you held and safe.

For over 20 years, I have supported women through some of life’s most significant transitions.

My lengthy career as a women’s health practitioner and birth doula has taught me the importance of having safe spaces where we can explore our experiences, make sense of our stories and reconnect with ourselves. This work has given me a solid foundation for my work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.

I have a deep appreciation of the complexity of women’s lives and the importance of feeling truly heard, supported and understood.

Women's empowerment has always been at the heart of my work. Empowerment is not about being told to be stronger, more confident or more resilient. It is about having the space to understand yourself, recognise your own needs and develop the confidence to make choices that feel right for you. It's about creating the time and space to listen to yourself, perhaps in ways that haven't always been possible before.

My hope is that, through our work together, you will feel heard, understood and able to develop a deeper understanding of yourself and what you want from your life.

If something here resonates, please get in touch. We can arrange a short, informal phone call to talk about what has brought you to therapy and whether you feel I might be the right person to support you.

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

As a psychotherapeutic counsellor, I work relationally, with warmth and curiosity. I believe that the relationship we build together is central to the therapeutic process, and I will work with you to create a space where you feel safe enough to explore whatever brings you to therapy.

My main training is in Transactional Analysis (TA) and my approach is integrative, which means I draw on different therapeutic ideas and ways of working according to what feels right to you. TA provides a frame of understanding for our work, and I use it, along with other modalities, for example attachment theory and creative practices, to explore the issues and make meaning and, where appropriate, changes.

I am particularly interested in understanding how our early experiences, relationships and life events can shape the ways we understand ourselves and relate to the world around us. I also bring a trauma-informed awareness to my work, recognising that difficult experiences can affect us in ways that are not always immediately apparent.

I am drawn to working with women during times of significant change: becoming a mother or when a child leaves home, relationship separation or bereavement, menopause and other experiences that can challenge our sense of identity and direction. I also welcome working with women who have been through difficult or painful times and who would like to explore and understand their experiences more deeply.

Generally, the first session looks a little different from the following sessions. We will go through some backround questions, and it will also be a chance for you to ask me some questions about how I work, too.

Sessions last for 50 minutes, and are in person. They will be at the same time and place each week. This is an important part of building a safe space for exploration. However, if you need flexibility due to life / work commitments, this is something that we can discuss. Research shows that the most effective therapy happens when sessions on a regular weekly basis.

You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what you want from therapy. We can take time to explore what has brought you here, and at a pace that feels right for you.