For many people, the idea of counselling can be an intimidating process. Mindful You Counselling aims to make the introduction to therapy as warm and welcoming as possible. We work with many different individuals of all ages and backgrounds, enjoying seeing clients overcome their challenges and gain confidence in themselves and their life choices.
We aim to empower our clients to be the best version of themselves or find the person they truly want to be, enabling them to overcome any challenges they may have while being gently supported along the journey.
At Mindful You Counselling we never judge our clients. We see all our clients as individuals and recognise life can be challenging. We aim to facilitate our client’s self-awareness and personal growth helping them to overcome their challenges whilst feeling safe, seen and heard.
Many of our clients seek counselling for:
Couples counselling aims to guide couples to improve communication and strengthen the bond in their relationship. Mindful You Counselling offers a warm and safe place where couples can express their emotions safely and identify areas of their relationship they would like to change or issues they would like to overcome without fear of blame or judgement.
Some couples do not seek help until there is considerable emotion attached to the situation which may include blame, resentment or anger which can be seen through recurrent arguments, emotional distance, lack of intimacy or infidelity. Many of our clients find that the sooner they start working with us the better the outcome. Starting therapy can be hard as clients acknowledge the difficulties in their relationship but the sooner help is sought, the sooner repairing the relationship can begin.
There are many reasons why couples sometimes need couple or relationship counselling. The stresses of day-to-day life, career demands, and health concerns including infertility or pre / post-natal challenges, financial problems or infidelity. Together we can explore these challenges and develop tools to help you flourish in your relationship.
Sam herself is a type one diabetic and understands only too well the pressures and burnout that come with living with a condition such as diabetes. Sam says “When I was diagnosed with Type One diabetes at eighteen months old, nearly forty years ago, the need for mental health support in specific relation to diabetes was barely recognised let alone addressed other than being told to ‘speak to the nurse or dietician’ or through family and friends who meant well but did not fully understand.
I understand the daily struggles and emotional impact this condition can have and my aim is to support others who have the condition from a therapeutic point of view to offer a safe environment where emotions and challenges can be discussed with a trained therapist who also lives with and understands the impacts that this condition has on wellbeing, relationships, eating and food issues, self-image and more”.
My goal is to be with you on your journey and provide empathic therapy to those suffering from diabetes, from one who has and understands the challenges associated with this condition to another. I cannot give medical advice and our work cannot be a replacement for medical advice, but I aim to support you in the journey of your diabetes care and help you to overcome the effects that it can have on your mental well-being and the challenges that can affect you.
Equine assisted counselling is a holistic, experiential and highly specialised form of counselling therapy that involves working in collaboration with a horse and your therapist. If you are nervous about horses or have not handled them before, don’t worry, your therapist is fully trained and experienced and will guide you along the way, handling the horse with you. The initial session will be slightly longer to allow your therapist to introduce you to the horse and go over basic safety or need-to-know information.
During sessions, you won’t ride the horse. Instead, you may go into the tranquil fields or into the private riding arena. You might groom, lead, hug or stroke the horse discussing emotions and challenges as you do so with your therapist who is also handling the horse for you. The presence of a naturally kind and gentle animal that sees you and accepts you for who you are can be therapeutic and sometimes be the first time a client has felt able to be themselves or voice the challenges that are affecting them.
The aim of equine assisted counselling is to help you discover more about yourself, develop new ways of thinking and change negative behaviours.
Many of the benefits of equine assisted counselling are likely due to the nature of the horses themselves. Horses are naturally gentle and calm creatures and can mirror and respond to human behaviour, meaning they’re highly effective at interacting and working with others in a patient and non-judgemental manner.
People who struggle to articulate how they’re feeling often find equine therapy useful as they’re able to express their emotions and feelings with the therapist and horse they are working with. In addition, people who find it hard to trust others can often achieve a strong bond and a level of closeness with their horse experiencing affection, acceptance and mutual respect.
Equine assisted counselling also has physical benefits and has been found to reduce people’s blood pressure, and heart rate and to help calm physical symptoms such as anxiety and stress.
Outdoor counselling refers to talking therapy sessions that take place outside either while sitting or while walking. Whichever the client prefers.
Outdoor therapy can be an especially helpful method of working for people who don’t have the opportunity to get out into nature very often and for those who feel as if they thrive better when they do. Having therapeutic conversations in the great outdoors, either while walking, sitting, or a mixture of both, can add a different and positive dynamic to the experience.
Sessions are available in different areas around Tunbridge Wells, Hartfield and Sevenoaks including the countryside or town as preferred by the client.