Frances Waterhouse

I offer in-person and online therapy Tuesday - Friday, 8am - 6pm. 

I offer some therapy on weekday evenings, please contact me for availability.

I am a BACP-registered integrative counsellor, offering individual therapy for adults. I meet in person and online and offer both short- or long-term work. Sessions are 50 minutes, taking place weekly at the same time and place for consistency. I have experience working with charities and private services, supporting adults of all ages and backgrounds navigating grief, substance dependency, anxiety, abuse, neurodivergent experience, depression, self-harm, relationships, sexuality, systemic injustice, and a search for meaning.

I hold a Level 7 Diploma in Integrative Counselling from The Minster Centre. To extend my qualifications, I am also studying for an MA and Advanced Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapy & Counselling, also at the Minster Centre.

Before training as a counsellor and psychotherapist, I worked in operational roles within the corporate sector, as well as charities supporting marginalised job seekers.

As a registered member of the BACP my practice follows its code of ethics, more details of which can be found on the BACP website.

I bring warmth and a down-to-earth, genuine presence to my work. The way I work is informed by different ways of understanding people and their experiences across psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, attachment and embodiment theories and perspectives. What does that mean? In practice, that means we will pay attention to how your past shapes your present and reflect about the big questions of meaning and choice. It means going at a pace that is right for you, considering the way early relationships influence how you connect with others, and listening to what your body is telling you.

I hold these theories loosely in the therapy room and instead focus on the quality of the relationship I build with each of my clients. To share the most painful, shameful, scary or darkest parts of yourself, you need to feel safe enough to let your guard down. So I aim to create a space that feels warm, safe and non-judgemental to support this.

Together, we might consider different ways of looking at something that feels stuck, or we could look more closely at ways you have been keeping yourself safe that come with a cost, reflecting on your past and considering what might be possible now.

I work in a way that stays attentive to the relationship we build throughout our work. Patterns in the wider relationships in your life can sometimes emerge between us, and this can give you a chance to reflect on them, find clarity and new meaning, and begin to make different choices in your life.

I welcome people from all backgrounds, and I pay attention to how social, economic and cultural factors shape your experience. The therapeutic journey can feel confronting, but it can also open up real possibilities for growth and change.

Creativity and connection to nature have always sustained and inspired me. If they resonate with you, I’m glad to make space for them in our sessions.

Before arranging a first session, I offer a free 20-minute phone or video call where we can discuss the possibility of working together. You can briefly tell me what brings you to therapy and what you hope to get out of it and ask me any questions you may have. This call is where we can both get a sense of whether I’m the right person to support you. If you would like to arrange an initial meeting, please get in touch.

In a first session, I will listen attentively to what has brought you to therapy, giving you lots of space to share your story. Then, we can start to explore what is going on for you and how therapy might help. It's okay if you aren’t sure where to start, I will be there asking questions but not forcing anything - sometimes it can take time to build up to talking about something. We will talk about the practicalities of our working agreement, confidentiality, fees, cancellations and anything else necessary.

After this session, if we decide to work together, we can then talk through how many sessions might suit you. We can work for an agreed period of time or on an open-ended basis, depending on what feels right for you and the work we will do together. Throughout therapy, we can review what feels helpful and what might need to change as our work progresses.