SERVICES TESTIMONIALS CONTACT
ALLISON BROWN COUNSELLING

ABOUT ME

Counselling, Supervision and Consultancy

My name is Allison Brown and I offer a range of therapeutic services in West Yorkshire. The service covers individual counselling for adults and young people as well as supervision and service consultancy work.

Photo of Me

I have extensive experience including working with bereavement, suicide and self harm as well issues surrounding self development and relationships. I have worked within staff support in large organisations and my MA is in managing change within organisations. I have counselling experience within student services at Universities, hospices and the voluntary sector including the Samaritans.

I adopt an integrative approach to therapy that can be tailored to individual needs ranging from understanding past experiences through to a coaching approach that may help with current issues and planning for future change.

I have experience working as a school counsellor, managing services for children and young people, and as a clinical lead.

I am a fully qualified counsellor, and am a senior accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and work to their code of ethics. My senior accreditation is for my work with children and young people and indicates a level of experience that is recognised by this professional body. I also have Enhanced criminal records bureau disclosures that are required for any person working with children and young people and I hold a full level of insurance to cover my work.

NB: Please contact your provider to check eligibility.

SERVICES

THE SERVICES I OFFER

Adult counselling

I am a senior accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and this gives you confidence that my work is ethical and offered within safe clinical boundaries. Therapy may be requested to consider the past, as well as current challenges in life and is about empowering and supporting people to understand experiences and to consider choices and make changes in their lives if appropriate.

Therapists do not possess magic wands and good therapy is by no means a passive process. In many cases therapy can be challenging, but challenging in a safe and supportive way where the direction is always taken from you.

If you are interested in arranging therapy sessions please contact me for an initial discussion.

Trauma Focussed Therapy

I offer both trauma informed and trauma focussed therapy - Trauma focussed work may be helpful for people who have experienced or witnessed specific traumatic events. I have a certificate in Trauma focussed therapy that includes specific training and assessment in all of the key competencies for effective trauma therapy. I work in a way that utilises these competencies within a three phase model of trauma work that links to the way the body and mind process memories and events, and how Trauma affects this.

Although there are significant similarities in how the brain and nervous system work with Traumatic experiences, there is always a need to tailor therapy options to individual people and I aim to work with you to create a therapy plan that is appropriate. I work with adults who have experienced trauma at any point in their lives, including during childhood.

Counselling for young people

I offer counselling for young people aged 14 and over, normally with parental consent. I have experience working with young people in school, college and University who have experienced a wide range of difficulties in their lives. I have experience of managing and supervising in different therapeutic services for children and young people for over 15 years. I understand the needs of young people in therapy and am able to offer tailor-made therapeutic solutions that are based around individual needs.

Parents or carers may attend the initial session. Subsequent sessions are usually with the young person alone and remain confidential. Young people are able to request parental involvement and information sharing if required.

Individual supervision

My supervision training is based around a Transactional analysis view of supervision that builds on the Hawkins and Shohet model. I also uncorporate an integrative approach that incorporates the cyclical supervision model of Page and Wosket. I believe that as with good therapy, good supervision demands a quality of relationship where the real challenges of client work can be explored in their full depth.

Additionally, BACP have put in place a set of core compentencies in specific relation to supervising therapeutic work with children and young people. They recommend that supervisors hold their own experience of working with this client group. I have over 8 years experience of supervising therapists who work with adults, couples, children and young people in a wide range of counselling settings. I am senior accredited by BACP both for therapeutic work with Children and Young people as well as for the supervision of individuals.

My experience includes many years working as a school therapist in both primary and secondary education. I have built up thousands of hours working therapeutically with children, young people and adults. I have manage a school counselling service, and work privately with children and young people if requested. I have been a clinical lead for young peoples services, and am experienced in managing risk and complexity within therapeutic work.

Additional services

Group supervision

I offer group supervision on a tailor-made basis dependent on specific service and organisational requirements. Supervision within a group setting can bring together the benefits of strong reflective practice as well as peer discussion and collaborative thinking.

For services, a group supervision approach in conjunction with individual supervision can enhance a service approach to the therapeutic work as well as providing space for peer support around casework. Similar processes can be helpful for groups of therapists who want a facilitated approach to enhance their overall supervision provision. Groups can have a specific client group in mind, for example adolescents, or can be structured around specific group requirements.

Group supervision and reflective practice sessions can also be established in schools or within your own organisations and are not restricted to therapists. Anyone working with mental health presentations and emotional health can request group facilitation which can be provided on site if appropriate.

Consultancy

I offer therapy service setup and development consultancy. I have specific experience setting up counselling services in schools and for children and young people. Consultation can include policy development, service delivery and advice around new services and existing services undergoing change.

Current Charges
Service Charge
Individual therapy (appointments before 5pm) £50/session
Individual therapy (appointments 5pm or after) £55/session
Individual supervision £60/hour (£90/1.5 hours)
Individual supervision for trainee therapists £50/hour (£75/1.5 hours)
Group supervision and consultancy Contact me for pricing
TESTIMONIALS

TESTIMONIALS

The following comments are just some that have been kindly given by clients and supervisees for use on this website and I appreciate that people have allowed me to use them in this way - Thank you to you all, Allison.

Testimonials from adult clients

From the first session you put me at ease and had a warm and comforting presence. You helped me connect to what is important to me which I use to find my purpose and value. I have developed a more flexible way of thinking which has eased my anxiety in the way I approach things. I learnt from your reflections and grounding presence helping me to calmly consider the steps I take.

I have found working with Allison invaluable in helping me develop a greater awareness about myself allowing me to become more comfortable in my day to day life.

Allison’s support, warmth and curiosity was the key to helping me free myself from old ideas about myself.

I really appreciated how you navigated my need to explore both myself and my growing knowledge of therapeutic theory. I learnt a huge amount thanks to your skill and really feel that I have grown as a person, as a consequence. Thank you.

Allison is really helpful; she listens attentively and remembers the small details. She has helped me with my aniexty by teaching techniques on how to better manage it.

Allison was very kind, gentle and constructive in her approach and enabled me to work in the way that I chose. Her knowledge and experience are self-evident and gave me a lot of confidence in the work we were doing. I felt genuinely heard and understood in the sessions and that my experiences and feelings had value.

I started seeing Allison for anxiety. Throughout our sessions I was able to explore the roots of this anxiety, why it impacts on my daily life the way it does and how I can challenge these feelings. With Allison's help, I uncovered the significance of various experiences which helped me to accept the feelings I have as "real" and "OK" (my words). I found it very helpful to discover more information about how memories are stored, or not, which has helped me to look at my life experiences in a more objective fashion and be more accepting of the feelings those have generated.

I really appreciated it when you helped verbalise thoughts when i couldn't articulate them. I found that very helpful. You always checked it was needed and was clear it wasn't intended to "put words in my mouth". I can struggle to get thoughts out so this helped me very much.

I have come so far thanks in no small part to our sessions and the tools you have given me. I feel I am in a much better place. The changes I have made make life so much easier to navigate. It truly has changed my life. I would like to say a huge thank you to you. I found you in a time where I think I had lost myself totally, now I feel like a version of me I am happy to be. Thank you again Allison, I will never be able to ever repay you for what you helped me achieve.

I am more than happy with the services Allison provided and she helped me along my way to a 100% recovery.

I would recommend Allison to anyone looking to examine their life, thoughts and decisions. All aspects of my life have changed in the nine months I have been working with her. Her careful, thoughtful challenges have helped me to unpick my thoughts. I leave the therapy feeling ready and excited for the future. I cannot recommend Allison highly enough.

Counselling gave me a place to discuss my thoughts and helped me when I was at my darkest place.

Really appreciate how non-judgemental Allison was throughout all of our sessions. I honestly feel I couldn't have got through the last few months without her even though I know she will say I did all the hard work.

It is hard to convey how Allison has helped me, without writing an essay! She is incredibly understanding and insightful and has gently guided me through very painful experiences, helping me to face them, understand them and put them into perspective. I feel as though I have been on a life changing journey. It hasn't been easy, but it's been worth it. I could not have done this without Allison's help.

Allison's patient listening and insightful questions gave me the space I needed to sort out some 'old history' and find healing.

Allison provided a safe but gently challenging environment which allowed me to be honest with myself about my feelings.

Allison is a very warm person who puts you at ease immediately. I felt comfortable with her and had no hesitation in bringing issues forward which she helped me to explore and gain a deeper understanding of me as a person and what I wanted from life. She is very empowering. As a counsellor in training, I found her to be an excellent role model and I learned a great deal from her. I hope to be as good as her one day. Thank you.

I'd like to thank you for your help & have really appreciated your support over the last few months

Allison's counselling skills have supported me through some very difficult times in my life. She has helped me address painful issues and move forward and I would recommend counselling to anyone out there who feels they need a helping hand with life. I can't thank you enough, Allison.

I wasn't sure what to expect at first but Allison was very understanding. I found it very worthwhile and would recommend people to give it a try - I feel much calmer and in control now.

Thank you for all your support - words cannot explain how much it means to me.

I wanted to say a big thank you for all the help - I am now feeling more confident and comfortable and it's been good to talk about things that I've bottled up for years.

Allison is a very approachable and caring counsellor. I instantly felt at ease with her. I never felt daft discussing anything with her and she has really helped me through a tough time.

Thank you Allison. Your calm and perceptive approach has helped me to regain confidence and to take control of my life, once more. Most of all, you enabled me to listen to myself and to trust my own judgement again.

Allison has been a fantastic help and support to me in the last six months. I had a lot of deep-rooted personal issues that needed to be addressed. Talking to Allison has helped me address and understand how to overcome them. Her calm and non-judgemental approach made it easier for me to talk.

I would strongly recommend Allison to anyone that is thinking of having counselling. The only regret I have is I left it too late - Oh, and this is a 35 year old man, so counselling really is for anyone!

Working with Allison is enabling me to address a number of issues that have been impacting on every aspect of my life. The difference in my relationships and how I am able to experience situations is significant.

Counselling sessions with Allison are enabling and empowering, allowing me to see topics of discussion in a new light. I feel able to explore issues with Allison I may be reluctant or unwilling to with friends or family. Talking to her gives me the space and time to identify problems and to reach my own decisions regarding how to deal with them.

Allison creates just the right safe and secure environment for you to talk, cry and think. Counselling isn't easy but you will leave feeling better for it; that a weight has been lifted and that the hurt is unravelling. I recommend Allison without hesitation.

I've found Allison to be extremely supportive and warm. My sessions with her have helped 'move me forward'.

Allison was a great help to me when I felt I was at my lowest point, and taught me ways to deal with it and gave me lots of positives about myself when I don't think I had any.

Testimonials from young people service

Parent
Initially we were just looking to find some help for our daughter. We quickly realised that Allison was able to help our daughter to break down her problems and approach them more strategically with a range of coping mechanisms which she learned during the sessions. These strategies have been a game changer for us and we feel lucky to have had Allison to help us navigate this difficult journey.
Young person
I was not in a good place in October last year and getting help was a big step. Working through the coping strategies really, really helped and by the summer I had enough tools to be able to manage a range of challenging situations - like GCSE results day. I think I have learned techniques that will really help me through life.

Parent
I have been pleased with their progress and I can see they are more thoughtful about their anxiety and the triggers. I welcomed conversations with Allison about the progress and also a discussion on if the sessions should continue. I am hopeful for the year 11 period they have now entered.
Young person
The sessions were really helpful with giving me coping strategies and talking about the topics that I wanted to talk about each session.

Testimonials from supervisees

I have loved working with Allison as my supervisor. Our supervision sessions have felt the perfect mix of feeling heard, supported and gently challenged where appropriate. I have felt confident to take any issues or safeguarding concerns to Allison when they have arisen and have found she has been able to respond quickly, calmly and competently. I have found Allison to be reliable, easy to talk to and good humoured. It’s been a privilege working with Allison and I would really recommend her as a supervisor.

If you are looking for a supervisor I would really welcome you to contact Allison. I feel very fortunate to have had her to turn to whenever I needed support. It is a rare quality to be able to bring so effectively such a breadth of experience and level of understanding into a role. I could point to many ways this has made a difference to my life as a counsellor. It is such a comfort to know that whatever I have to work through Allison will know where I'm coming from and engage with a 'process' that seems to put clarity where there was confusion and confidence where there was self-doubt.

I would describe my supervision sessions as being engaging, supportive and thought-provoking. I always feel listened to and never judged. I find it a very valuable process.

Allison is an experienced and extremely competent supervisor. She is always able to create a space within which I can reflect on my practice. She has a natural and warm professional manner and is able to provide support and challenge appropriately. Her suggestions for further resources or reading to support my practice has been invaluable too. Supervision from Allison enables me to manage my own relational responses as well as providing me with the mechanisms I need to maintain the safest and most competent practitice I can for my clients.

Allison is supportive but questioning and has allowed me a safe space to reflect on my practice and experiences in my career. I have developed as a confident therapist over the time we have worked together.

CONTACT

CONTACT ME

I am happy to be contacted by email, telephone or by sending a message using the button below.

I am located in Mirfield, West Yorkshire


King Street, Mirfield, West Yorkshire

07971 807 790

counselling@allison-brown.co.uk

×

Send me a message

PRIVACY STATEMENT

Information is held and processed in line with Data protection and GDPR requirements. A copy of the service privacy policy is available on request, and details are discussed with all prospective clients.