Sarah Comerford BSc (Hons), QCG, AdvDip, MBACP
It is essential that your counsellor is someone with whom you feel safe and able to share important parts of your life with, without fear or judgement. I understand that this can be an incredibly difficult and daunting process.
I am passionate about providing an open and safe environment for you so that you can get the best out of our time together: in order to facilitate this, our initial meeting will be for you to get to know me and for us both to gain a sense of whether you feel comfortable with us working together to help achieve your desired outcomes.
As an integrative therapist, I can work with a number of issues or concerns. You may have something specific you would like to work on in counselling or you may feel unsure of where to start. We can explore this further in your initial session and agree on how we could work together in the future. There is no commitment on your part to arrange further sessions after our initial meeting.
I have several years experience of working with with, but not limited to, issues around depression, anxiety, relationships, low self esteem, family issues, loneliness, stress, panic attacks, career and employment, bereavement, self harm, abuse, trauma, homophobia, bullying, gender and sexual identity. I am an LGBTQ+ affirmative counsellor and have experience in working with individuals who would like to explore relationships, gender and sexual identity.
There may not be one specific thing you are experiencing or that you can pinpoint. Some examples of feelings and experiences that I often work and support people with, include:
Low self esteem and self worth Feeling unworthy, not good enough, unlovable, ugly, need to prove yourself, need to please others. These may be some of the beliefs and feelings you hold about yourself.
Depression You may be experiencing a persistent low mood, feelings of apathy, lethargy, noticing a lack of enjoyment in things that would normally lift you.
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Anxiety You may feel on edge regularly, experience heightened senses, experience panic attacks, feeling a persistent or regular sense of unease, fear and/or dread and racing thoughts.
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Loss, grief and bereavement Loss can come in many different forms, such as: loss of a loved person or animal, loss of a job, loss of hope, loss of a possibility or imagined future or outcome, loss of an unborn child, loss of faith, loss of a relationship. We can feel understandable grief for these losses which at times may feel overwhelming, isolating and difficult to manage.
Relationships - Relationships are key, this includes the relationship we have with our self, as well as our family, friends, partners, colleagues and the wider world. How we relate to ourselves can often impact and reflect the way we relate and experience relationships with others. I can work with you to gain clarity and understanding about the relationship you have with yourself as well as other relationships within your life.* Please note I do not provide couple counselling, I see clients on an individual basis.