At the core of our counselling and psychotherapy business in Derby and Derbyshire, we aim to help individuals regain power over their lives, facilitate growth and build resilience. We do this by providing a professional, yet realistic, down to earth service.
Our passion lies with working alongside individuals to access their potential and help them build tools to become the best version of themselves. As such, we think our name speaks for itself.
About Virginia Brailsford MSc MBACP (Accred)
Virginia has a Master’s Degree in Integrative Counselling & Psychotherapy and is a registered, accredited member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP). She specialises in working with individuals who have experienced trauma, in particular sexual and domestic abuse and the complexities these issues may bring. Additionally Virginia works with individuals that have experienced single event traumas or life change events such as a road traffic accidents, medical operations. Virginia also offers couples and relationship therapy. Her passion is helping individuals recognise their strength and build their confidence.
She has in-depth experience and knowledge with working within prison settings and alongside emergency services. Virginia has extensive knowledge on stress, anxiety, low self-esteem and confidence and how to work with somatic symptoms (how difficulties manifest in physical symptoms).
The core approaches Virginia uses are:
- Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT)
- Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- Person-centred (PCA)
- Attachment Theory
By using these theories, she aims to tailor appropriate interventions collaboratively with individuals in a compassionate yet professional manner.
About Alice Yendle-Parsons MA MBACP (Accred)
Alice is an experienced and qualified integrative psychotherapist/counsellor, clinical supervisor and lecturer with a Master’s Degree in her field. She is also a registered accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
She is qualified to work with clients of all ages in individual, couple and family therapy.
Alice uses an integrative approach to therapy; drawing on her training and qualifications in theories including Psychodynamic, Systemic, Person Centred, Solution Focussed Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. She has extensive experience of working with clients with issues of abuse, relational difficulties, affairs, betrayals, suicidal thoughts and feelings, self-harm, religion, culture, anxiety, stress, depression, loss and bereavement, life stages, sexuality/gender identity and substance misuse.
Alice specialises in relational issues, relational trauma and recovery from high control relationships/groups/individuals and cults.
Hazel
Hazel’s job is to help you understand the cause of your distress and work with you to make things better. She does this by exploring your experiences and feelings, together looking at what has been happening to figure out what will help. This is different for each person so, as well as looking at what hurts, she can help you build on what you’ve been doing well. Hazel helps you to recognise the resources you already have.
Hazel works with:
Compassion Focused Therapy which is really helpful if you’re highly self-critical.
Person Centred Therapy which helps improve our relationship with ourselves and others.
Somatic experiencing is how we experience emotions physically, and how we can use our body (breath, posture, sensations) to recover from distress and low mood, and to engage more fully with the things we love.
Kassy
Kassy is a qualified Psychodynamic counsellor and is currently working towards a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. She is a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Kassy has experience of working with trauma, depression, anxiety and eating disorders.
Liz
Liz has worked as a counsellor for over 30yrs. She is a registered member of BACP and an accredited registrant of The National Counselling Society. Liz has years of varied counselling experience in many different settings and has regularly worked with both children and adults. She has developed and implemented two counselling services, one in a busy inner city college and the other in a hospice. In addition to this Liz has a lot of experience working with trauma. She worked for several years with survivors of childhood sexual abuse, engaging in 1-1 therapy as well as group therapy.
During the pandemic Liz also facilitated therapeutic groups for NHS staff as well as developing a 1-1 Counselling Service within a hospital.
Liz trained initially in the Person-Centred approach, but then went on to undertake an MA in Integrative Counselling. She is passionate about finding the right approach for the individual and currently will often work from a creative perspective. This can be so helpful when words are hard to find.
Working creatively led her to co-author a Level 5 Diploma in Creative Therapeutic Interventions and at a later date she delivered the course for counsellors in Derbyshire.
She enjoys teaching and has until recently taught Counselling from Level 1 to Diploma. As well as this she has regularly delivered various seminars and workshops, e.g. Bereavement, Personal Development, Inner Child workshop.
Liz is passionate about counselling and is happy to approach therapy in varying ways to suit the individual/group. She can offer face-to-face, online, phone and walk-and-talk counselling. She is also a trained Couples Counsellor and qualified Counselling Supervisor.
Mandy
Mandy Wright is a BACP registered and accredited counsellor with 20 years’ experience, supporting children, young people, and families. Mandy has trained to support those experiencing difficulties with anxiety, attachment, behaviour, bereavement and loss, depression, domestic violence, drug and alcohol use and self-harm. Mandy has worked in areas such as education, health, youth offending, social care, residential care, multi-agency teams, community, and charity projects.
Mandy is a qualified counsellor and has a Postgraduate Diploma in counselling and a Diploma in counselling children and young people, alongside a Postgraduate Diploma in systemic thinking and practice. She is passionate to support children, young people and families to explore relationship concerns together, improve communication and decrease conflict.
Mandy works in an integrative way to provide an individualised approach to therapy, utilising her training in both Psychodynamic and Person-Centred counselling combined with the tools of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Solution Focused Brief Therapy, Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy, Mindfulness and Creative therapies.
Molly
Molly is in her 2nd Academic year, working towards her MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy. She is a registered student member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). She works in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework to ensure clients wellbeing and safety at all times.
Through integrating Person-centred Approach, Attachment Theory and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Molly understands the importance of tailoring her therapeutic practice to best suit each clients unique experiences, preferences, needs and goals for therapy. She is extremely passionate about supporting and encouraging clients in their process of self-discovery and seeks to provide a safe, non-judgemental space for this process to flourish.
Nicki
Nicki is a registered student member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), adhering to their framework to ensure ethical practice. She is currently working towards her MSc in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy and integrates Person Centred Therapy, Attachment Theory and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in her sessions. She offers a calm, compassionate, non-judgemental space where clients can share and explore the issues and challenges that life brings.
Sarah
Sarah has worked as a counsellor since 1998 and is a registered, accredited member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and a registered BAPAM practitioner (British Association for Performing Arts Medicine). She has many years’ experience working in Higher Education counselling university staff and students and has worked in secondary schools, health care, domestic abuse and eating disorders services. She also has specific experience of counselling trainee nurses and medics and practicing creatives, performers and musicians.
Sarah works from an integrative humanistic perspective and is also trained in the Sesame approach (drama, movement and sound in therapy). She has specialist training in working with menstrual cycle awareness, including supporting women through the psychological changes of menopause. She also offers therapy specifically related to climate issues and is a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance.
Approaches to therapy are based on the needs of the client and can range from a short-term practical focus to a creative and expressive exploration. Therapy can be online, by phone or at The Garden, an outdoor therapy centre just outside Derby, where there is the opportunity to work outdoors or ‘walk and talk.’
