Susan Mallinson

My normal working days are Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and I am available from 08:00 to 18:00

As a counsellor I offer care, compassion and the capacity to hold complex thoughts and feelings whilst they are being investigated and untangled; all without negative judgement but with honesty about my understanding of what has been disclosed.

My training was in the person-centred approach but over the past ten years I have adapted to the needs of my clients and the services within which I have been employed, so, I also add solution-focussed questions to my techniques and include elements of other modalities in order to broaden the scope of the work.

Essentially for therapy to be successful the client needs to be heard properly and supported carefully as they navigate the obstacles that prevent them from being the best version of themselves. Nobody comes to therapy because they want everything to stay the same, but making change is challenging and the timescale for this process is unique to each individual and set of circumstances. I provide the setting for growth to take place. 

Opening up about difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences can be scary so initially my role is to create a safe place for exploring the reasons for seeking support. Sometimes feelings have been buried deeply so they seem to be inaccessible and sometimes feelings are overwhelming and unending. Some clients talk non-stop, others struggle to get started.

My hope for every client is that they can make progress and that they can ultimately heal from difficult experiences. I will support anyone who is trying to improve their life and we will focus on how they build their autonomy and resilience. First and foremost the client is in charge of the pace and content of the sessions; I am responsible for reflecting back their thoughts and feelings in a way that adds clarity to the discussion.

I can provide short-term interventions or long-term support so there are no rules about how many sessions are "normal" - the important thing is for the client to decide what is right for them and to feel that this is being honoured by me.

The first session is normally a half hour telephone conversation for which there is no charge. In this session I will establish the initial reasons for seeking counselling and also I will find out the client's hopes for the sessions. There will be some safeguarding questions in order to establish the risk to life of the client and others and there will be some boundaries established around alcohol and drug use. But mostly this session is a chance for the client to gauge whether they feel comfortable talking to me so by the end of the call we should know whether I could be a good match for them.

I'm available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 08:00 to 18:00 and I currently offer remote sessions through Google Meet.

As a Supervisor I was trained in the Seven Eyed Model which was developed by Hawkins and Shoet. This model allows me to move between the different relationships that are presented in Supervision sessions and it is my view that the Supervisor's role is to work alongside the therapist and jointly explore the issues that are presented and emerge in the session. For less experienced therapists there will also be the necessary support for building confidence in self and if required, assistance can be given with accreditation. Sessions are normally monthly and last 1.5 hours but for trainees, or those with a heavy workload, shorter and more frequent sessions can be arranged.

As a Counsellor my training was in the person-centred approach and this is still at the heart of what I do however my practice has evolved over the past ten years and I now incorporate solution-focussed elements to my work. I also blend ideas from other modalities into sessions but essentially I believe that my core strength is in being an active listener and in offering care to my clients. Developing autonomy and resilience are the focus for my work.

I initially offer a phone call of up to 30 minutes, at no cost, in order to identify the hopes for the relationship and to establish the parameters within which we will work together.