Registered Member of BACP. Counsellors are not trained to give a medical diagnosis, but counselling may help clients to cope with and come to terms with their issues following a diagnosis of mental or physical health conditions. How and Why this business was set up - After a life time in office work, which ended with the choice of redundancy or a demotion and less pay; I decided to attempt to train as a mental health counsellor. I had thought about it for a few years, following some amazing personal therapy of my own. However, I never seriously considered leaving my (at that time safe) job. The enforced loss of my job, gave me the opportunity to start afresh and to be honest, it was uncharacteristic of me to jump at it! I had planned to start at the first stage of training, but was prevented from doing so, due to the lack of available local training. Instead, I was accepted on to the level 3 counsellor training and was fascinated from the beginning; learning about psychology, human development etc. At the end of the course, someone mentioned going to university to do a degree. I laughed at this idea; at my stage of life and after a less than positive experience of education in the past; I didn't believe I was clever enough to undertake such a thing. However, the more I thought about it, the more appealing it became. I enrolled and spent the next two years studying. It was hard work, soul destroying at times and very challenging in all sorts of ways. It was also a time of personal growth for me. I became self reflective about my upbringing; my attitudes towards events, people and what is important to me in life and how to deal with it. I began volunteering for a local charity and was extremely nervous when meeting my first client, but I felt great afterwards; because I realised how much knowledge I had acquired and how helpful it was going to be to me - to help others. I began Serene Talking Therapy in 2017, with little idea about starting a business, but a desire to help other people. The feeling you get when someone's life has started to change and they can see meaning and purpose for the future, is simply wonderful. When they have released their grief, guilt, shame, negative thought processes - whatever it might be and start to feel happier and more confident, it makes me feel that I have truly made a difference to them. All of my practice is supported by the BACP (British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists) Ethical Framework and a private Supervisor, who helps me to be a better counsellor and person. I hope this account gives some insight into my personality and encourages you to think about reaching out for the help you may need.
