Gayle Brown

I am a fully qualified person-centred therapist and member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy) and have over 15 years of experience in working therapeutically with children from the age of 3yrs old and beyond.  Over the past 5 years I have extended my work to include adults and couples. 

It's my priority to be able to offer a safe space in which to build a trusting therapeutic relationship, supporting the client to share their story and helping them to bring a focus to the areas in which they wish to see change and to work alongside the client to enable them to reach their goals.

Although I am trained in the person-centred approach, I offer an integrative way of working and what this means for the client is that this is a tailored approach, based on an initial assessment to establish the needs and issues of the client.  I will then work in whatever way, within my knowledge, experience and skills to support the client in the best way for them. This can sometimes include elements of CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), Solution-Focussed Therapy, Psychodynamic Approach and Transactional Analysis. 

I have considerable experience supporting children and young people who have experienced trauma through sudden and traumatic grief and loss and have worked for many years with clients who have experienced both recent and historical abuse. Being able to offer a space that incorporates play and creativity as well as a talking therapy is often the best way to support younger clients.   This is a gentle way of supporting children and young people to explore often very tricky and uncomfortable issues.

Having worked predominantly in private practice for the last 4 years I have had the opportunity to support teens and adults experiencing a myriad of issues, such as stress and anxiety, relationship issues, low confidence/self esteem, childhood trauma, neuro-diversity (Autism/ADHD etc) and the journey of diagnosis, self-harm, suicide ideation, disordered eating, exam/school stress, friendships and bullying.

I have also had the opportunity to train in Couples Counselling and have been able to support many couples to work through difficult issues.  In this area of work, I strive to support couples to become better communicators, creating opportunities to get back on the same page, talking and listening to one another and feeling heard and understood. 

I believe that in creating a safe and neutral space, this can enable couples to identify and work through their challenges whilst being supported throughout the process.  This can lead to a better understanding of themselves and each other, develop some insights about they’re relationship, acquire some useful strategies for dealing with difficulties, like conflict resolution for example and to learn ways to move forward in whatever direction that may be – whether that’s together or apart.

As a therapist, my aim is to support clients to work towards they’re goals, whether that be to make some changes; gain a better understanding of thoughts and emotions; learn about the effects of trauma and how to cope better with this; feel more resilient, make clearer decisions and to ultimately feel happier in oneself.

“You’re mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive” – Maya Angelou

Best wishes

Gayle