I have worked within an agency setting as a volunteer and a paid counsellor since 2002. I set up my Private Practice in 2005; here I have worked with adults, young people, children and couples, both heterosexual and same sex and I continue to work mostly with adults.
For couples work, as well as working individually, I am also able to offer a joint experience of working with another counsellor, Lulu Russell – www.lulurussellcounselling.co.uk This way of working as a ‘couple’ with a couple is sometimes helpful to the dynamics of couples work offering a mirrored view.
The agencies I have worked for and in some cases continue to, as a counsellor and/or supervisor, are:
- Childline
- Redhill Counselling Service
- Central Sussex College
- Horsham and Crawley Counselling Service
- The Worth Project – Domestic Violence Charity
- Dialogue Therapeutic Services – part of YMCA Sussex Downslink Group offering counselling in schools
- The Hangleton and Knoll Project – local community project in Hove
- Carers Support West Sussex
- CBT Services
- Nuffield Health
- Vitality Insurance
- Horsham and Crawley Counselling Group and within that also PACT – Parent and Child Therapy
- City Academy Whitehawk
- Shoreham Academy
- Social Services both in East and West Sussex
- St Catherines Hospice
- The University of Sussex
I would now consider myself a very experienced practitioner and have also worked in other primary and secondary schools in the Brighton and Hove area: this I have done since 2008. Here I work/have worked with children and young people both individually and in groups, but it is/has been extremely important to build good relationships with their parents so find an important facet of this work also encompasses working with the family, whilst being mindful of the confidentiality of the relationship and at times has been about helping to signpost to other agencies that may be of help to the family as a whole.
The world spins. We stumble on. It is enough.
Colum McCan