Integrative Counselling with Frances Walker
Frances Walker BA.Hons, Dip. C . Member of the NCS
I have over 20 years experience offering therapeutic support to adults in private practice. and in working with teenagers experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties in mainstream secondary schools.
My focus in schools was on teaching emotional intelligence, anxiety and anger management and skills for behaviour change. This took me to inner-city, multi-cultural London and Bristol, so I am alive to the pressures and richness of urban life. Working with so many different people has given me huge respect and appreciation for how differently we all approach our lives and define ourselves.
Although I now prefer to offer counselling, I have trained in acupuncture and craniosacral therapy. Mindfulness is central to clarity in my work.
I am privileged to live in rural Devon, and enjoy the moors and swimming in its rivers and sea. It is a great joy to share my life with friends and an extended and blended family.
My approach to life incorporates an holistic regard for the mental, physical and spiritual aspects of experience. I have a committed personal practice in both spiritual enquiry and qigong and bring my appreciation of life and the human spirit to my work.
I hold a Diploma in Integrative Counselling which includes training in CBT, Gestalt and Person Centred approaches to counselling.I am a member of the National Counselling Society and abide by their code of ethics and professional standards.
I also offer Human Givens Therapy. You can learn more by clicking the link below.
Counselling
For me, counselling is about connecting people with their own unique and amazing selves with all their faults, frailties, strengths and inner beauty. It is about helping people find out how to bring their innate talents and qualities to the task of creating a life that works for them,
We are all conditioned by childhood and life experiences into behaviours and feelings that do not serve us well. Sometimes, lack of emotional awareness or skill creates barriers to successful, balanced, creative lives, however we choose to define that,
As we begin to realise a disconnect between inner and outer realities, life can get tricky. Stress or poor ability to cope with life's challenges and form healthy relationships can result but happily, we now understand a lot more about how to achieve mental and emotional resilience and helpful life skills.
Counselling works, because feeling heard and being asked non-judgemental, respectful questions,supports people to relax and gain a deeper perspective. In that space of acceptance and calm, new ideas, skills and ways of thinking and feeling can be explored.
My Approach
My approach aims to help you access your rational and emotional awareness in balance. Working together these equally valuable aspects of your intelligence can be brough to bear on your situation. Unconscious patterns can be recognised and let go or reclaimed; conscious patterns can be evaluated and refined to support your success.
When we let go of ideas like shame, or powerlessness, and start to take responsibility for how we manage our thinking and emotional responses, a more life enhancing sense of who we are and our potential for positive change can emerge.
Contact me to book a session or an informal chat about what you are hoping for from counselling
fra.walker385@gmail.com - 01364 644 608 - 07546 063844