emmawestoncounselling@proton.me
About me
I am down-to-earth, approachable, caring and authentic. I am passionate about my work, and I feel privileged to be able to help people. Neurodiversity is my passion and in addition to this, in my spare time I can usually be found enjoying the outdoors, nurturing plants, reading, taking photos, researching my family tree, watching films and documentaries, walking my dog (who is usually either chasing a scent of some sort, or off digging a huge hole). When I am not filling in big holes that my dog has just dug, I am often engaged in some sort of learning, usually a documentary, a book, a course or some form of continued professional development, usually related to neurodiversity.
I started my counselling training in 2003 and these days I only work online. I am an experienced and qualified Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Supervisor. I am an accredited member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and I adhere to their ethical framework for The Counselling Professions. Accreditation is a thorough and meticulous process. It shows high standards of training, competence and experience. It demonstrates personal awareness and an understanding of how the way I work helps my clients.
I hold a MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice, also a CPCAB Level 6 Certificate in Therapeutic Counselling Supervision, a CPCAB level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling and a CPCAB level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling. I also hold a teaching qualification. I am a trauma informed practitioner and I am EMDR qualified and trained and in all 4 parts.
I undertake a variety of different continuing professional development each year, usually lots more than my professional body's requirements, which is 30 hours. This will often include conferences, courses, reading books, workshops, research papers, journals, e-learning CPD modules, formal education, lectures, seminars, mentoring, attending peer support groups, TV, documentaries and radio programmes.
There are many different modalities of counselling/psychotherapy and I work eclectically, with Person Centred Theory at the core of my practice. This puts the client at the centre of the process and recognises that they are the expert on themselves and empowers them to find their own answers. I am able to include other ways of working that are most appropriate for each individual client and their issues. I have always worked in a fairly creative and visual way and I use psychoeducation in my work.
I am passionate about neurodiversity. I undertook unpaid voluntary work, providing a free of charge counselling service for an autism charity for 7 and a half years. This voluntary work only ended as the charity made local redundancies meaning the work sadly couldn't continue. During this period of voluntary work I offered pro bono one-to-one counselling sessions for many autistic, ADHD and neurodivergent people and I and facilitated psychoeducative groups.
I am experienced in working with loss, grief and bereavement. Until March 2021 I was employed as a Counselling and Bereavement Lead for a hospice. This role involved counselling, as well as providing clinical supervision and managing a team of dedicated volunteers and counsellors. In addition to this, the role involved training, writing policies, managing assessments and allocations. My work involved working with patients at end of life, as well as supporting families in a pre- bereavement capacity and also in providing bereavement counselling. I am experienced in sitting alongside people in their grief. Grief is a natural process but it can be devastating. Adjusting to life after losing someone close means you can feel lonely, sad, despairing, empty, angry and/or guilty. I have wide ranging experience with bereavement and also with people at end of life, and with those who have terminal illnesses. Coming to terms with death is likely to be a difficult experience, and individuals who have a terminal illness may experience conflicting and varied emotions.
Previously I taught counselling and I am passionate about learning and education. I was employed in counselling education for a leading awarding body (examinations board). My role involved supporting counselling training and upholding standards, moderating and standardising qualifications from levels 2 to 6, and approving schemes of work for centres wanting to deliver the awarding body's qualifications. I have also assessed and moderated counselling and counselling supervision qualifications from levels 2 to 6. I am familiar with CPCAB qualifications.
I hold a teaching qualification and I have taught counselling previously. I am an experienced group facilitator and trainer. I have run workshops whilst volunteering for an autism charity for 7 and a half years. I facilitated groups for autistic people and these included: What is autism? understanding sensory needs, managing anxiety, communication skills, relationships, and understanding ourselves.
Before I started teaching, I ran a well being group which allowed people time to stop and think about their well being and how well they are looking after themselves. I presented my MA research on working therapeutically with autistic people at the Iron Mill College's A is for Autism day. I have delivered a range of well being and resilience training. During the COVID-19 pandemic I provided a supportive space for employees of a care home. I have also provided communications training to a group of autistic medical doctors. Feel free to get in touch if you would like me to deliver a workshop, seminar, therapeutic group, or a development group.
I work in private practice as a counsellor, psychotherapist, consultative supervisor and trainer. I currently provide reduced fee sessions to a charity that supports people with asbestos diseases and their families.
Please get in touch if you think we would be a good fit to work together and I look forward to your email.
UPDATE FOR 2025: Due to my work commitments, from March 2025 I will only have limited evening availability for new therapy clients and a couple of spaces for supervision. Please feel free to email me to discuss how I can help.