Nicki Wakefield

When I work

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, with daytime appointments and a limited number of evening sessions.

Where I work

Face-to-face from my private practice in Eastbourne Old Town, as well as online.

Session length and fees

50 minutes - £65

80 minute sessions - £95 

If you're interested in working together, please feel free to visit my website www.perspectivepractice.co.uk for more information or get in touch and we can look at current availability and what might work for you.

I'm an integrative counsellor offering a warm, active and collaborative approach for people who want more than just a space to talk. I combine counselling and coaching to help you understand what's happening, explore what you want and find ways forward.

More than just a space to talk

Being listened to and genuinely heard matters, but I won't necessarily sit silently while you do all the talking. I'll ask questions, offer observations and different perspectives, help you make connections and, where useful, gently challenge you. There will also be times when the most helpful thing I can do is give you space to think, feel or explore something at your own pace.

An integrative approach

I draw on different therapeutic approaches depending on you, what you're experiencing and what seems most useful. You don't need to know what type of therapy you need before you arrive. I can draw on person-centred, psychodynamic, transactional analysis and Gestalt approaches, alongside CBT, ACT, solution-focused work and coaching techniques.

Past, present and future

We might explore experiences and relationships that have shaped you, what's happening in your life now, and what you would like to be different. Sometimes understanding why we think, feel or behave as we do can be important; sometimes the question becomes what we want to do with that understanding.

Counselling & coaching

My postgraduate training specifically combined counselling and coaching. This means we can move between deeper therapeutic exploration and more practical, future-focused work where appropriate. You don't have to decide whether you need counselling or coaching before we begin, and the balance can change as our work develops.

There isn't a fixed formula. Some sessions may involve quite a lot of reflection and emotion; others may be more practical. We can work with thoughts, feelings, relationships, patterns and actions, adapting the work to you rather than expecting you to fit a particular model of therapy.

You might be struggling with something specific, such as anxiety, low mood, a relationship or a significant change in your life. Perhaps you're questioning what you want in midlife, adjusting to retirement, dealing with separation or redundancy, or wondering what comes next.

Or perhaps nothing is obviously "wrong". Things may look fine from the outside, but something doesn't feel right. You may understand quite a lot about yourself already but still find yourself caught in the same patterns, or know that something needs to change without being sure what.

Anxiety, relationships, identity and change

I have particular interests in anxiety, relationships, identity and times of change. These areas often overlap. A change in a relationship, career, family or stage of life can raise questions about who we are; changes in ourselves can affect our relationships; and sometimes what once fitted no longer does. I work with people navigating life transitions including midlife and retirement, as well as questions around self-esteem, purpose, belonging and what they want from the next stage of their life.

LGBTQ+ counselling

LGBTQ+ counselling is one of my specialist areas. I welcome people across the spectrum of sexual orientation and gender identity. Sometimes sexuality or identity may be central to what brings you to counselling; sometimes it may simply be part of who you are and not the reason you're coming at all. I also offer a neurodiversity-affirming approach.

A little about me

This is my third career. Before becoming a counsellor I spent many years working in business and consultancy, and I have an MBA as well as my postgraduate qualification in counselling and coaching. I'm therefore comfortable when personal difficulties overlap with work, responsibility, decision-making, career change or professional identity.

My style is thoughtful, curious and down-to-earth, and there's room for humour too. I work with individual adults, face-to-face in Eastbourne and online.

Taking the first step can feel surprisingly difficult, particularly if you've never had counselling before. You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what you want to talk about, why you feel as you do, or what you want to change.

Free introductory call

I offer a free introductory call of up to 30 minutes before you decide whether to book. You can tell me a little about what's bringing you to counselling, ask questions and get a sense of me and how I work. I'll also ask you some questions so that we can begin to consider whether I am likely to be able to offer the support you need. There's no obligation to book afterwards.

If we decide to go ahead, our first session gives us more time to explore what's happening in your life, what has brought you to counselling now and what you might want from our work together. I won't expect you to tell me your whole life story in one session, and you don't need to arrive with a perfectly formed goal. Part of our early work can be making sense of what's happening and working out where it might be most useful to focus.

It's important to me that you receive appropriate support. If during the first session I identify that what you need is outside my competence or would be better supported by another practitioner or service, I won't charge you for that session. Where I can, I'll also help you consider appropriate alternatives.

If you simply decide that I'm not the right counsellor for you, that's absolutely fine too, but the usual session fee would apply.

If we continue, we'll agree how we'd like to work together and review this as the counselling develops.