Samantha Stanyard Counselling Therapy

COUNSELLING In Poole and Bournemouth

I know how difficult it can be to reach out for help with your worries, troubles and mental health

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About

Hello, my name is Sam and I am a qualified counsellor based in Poole, on the south coast of Dorset.

I offer walk and talk, face to face, online video and phone call therapy to adults and I am experienced in helping people talk through such feelings as trauma, depression, anxiety, stress, bereavement and relationship difficulties and can draw on a variety of theories to help understand what is troubling you. I have also worked with a variety of clients from different lifestyles, backgrounds and diversities.

I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and commit myself with their standards that centre around promoting peoples wellbeing.

I am a counsellor who believes in each persons life experiences being completely unique and I listen to your perspective on your life empathetically and without judgement. I believe it is important to build a trusting relationship with someone I am working with so that they feel comfortable to explore honestly how they are feeling and then naturally the therapeutic healing will begin.

I support this with thinking about someone holistically - by considering all aspects of mind, body and spirit/soul to help bring the whole picture into someone’s awareness.

Client Comments

As a counsellor I don't solve problems, our relationship isn’t about giving you solutions or advice, its about understanding you as a whole person and empowering you to make the changes you want to.

You’ve started that journey by looking here today, wherever that may lead you I hope you find the help you are looking for.

Initial Assessment Session

This first meeting is to take some personal details, medical history and to talk about your present mental health and what is going on for you. It is also an opportunity for us to discuss what you are expecting from therapy and for you to ask any questions. We will then talk about your availability and the different therapy options in more detail and agree how to move forward. It typically takes 30-50 minutes and can be held in person at Westbourne, online or via phone call.

Should you wish to proceed a counselling contract will be given to you and then your sessions can begin.

Face to Face Therapy Session

This is held in a quiet and comfortable room in Westbourne (BH4 9DZ) and would suit people from the local Poole and Bournemouth area. You would wait in the reception area and I would greet you and take you to the room for the 50 minute session to begin.

Parking is on the road and limited so please arrive in good time. It is also payable in some locations and is not covered within your counselling fee.

Walk and Talk Therapy Session

Held at Branksome Dene Chine, Whitecliff, Poole Park Lake or Upton Country Park. We will meet at an agreed time and then begin a set route that I have already risk assessed for our safety.

Being surrounded by nature has extremely beneficial healing and calming influences and can be of benefit if you prefer the setting of your sessions to be in more of an open environment to indoors.

The pace of the walk is set by you and if the weather is not favourable then sessions still take place on either video or phone and I may be able to offer a room depending on the time of your session.

Parking your vehicle is payable at each location and is not covered within your counselling fee.

Online video call or telephone call session

I will call at an agreed time and day via Microsoft teams for online video calls or your contact number for a phone call.

It is essential that you are in a comfortable, safe, quiet and confidential space without anyone else present or that can hear your conversation from a distance. If this is difficult for you to guarantee I can talk through some suggestions.

A strong internet or phone signal will be required and I am happy to set up a quick test run if you have any concerns about signal strength or haven’t used Teams before.

Fees & Availability

Free Introductory chat - I will call you at an agreed time to talk through what you would like counselling to help with and discuss availability for sessions.

£25 Full assessment - a phone or video call for 30-50 minutes to take some personal details and mental health history.

£50 per Counselling session - a 50 minute therapy appointment, normally held at the same time every week.

As of August 2023 - I have afternoon and evening appointments available Monday to Friday.

Cancellation policy – if you need to cancel the session for any reason I require a minimum of 24 hours notice or the session will be chargeable at the full rate.

Location

I am based in Poole, on the south coast of Dorset. I offer face-to-face sessions in Westbourne which is accessible to clients from areas such as Parkstone, Branksome, Lilliput, Sandbanks, Broadstone, Canford Heath, Wimborne, Southbourne, Christchurch.

The walk and talk sessions are held in Poole at Branksome Dene Chine, Whitecliff, Poole Park Lake or Upton Country Park, and thanks to the capability of online video calls, I can offer virtual counselling with anyone across the UK.

Questions and Information

If there is a question you would like answered that doesn’t show here, please feel free to contact me and ask.

Mostly, but with some exceptions: I am a member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) and I adhere to their ethical guidelines and safe standards. As part of this commitment all counsellors and therapists are required to meet with a supervisor regularly to discuss their clients. This enables me to make sure I am always working safely, ethically and with your best interests at the forefront. For supervision I make a few written notes at the end of my sessions and these are kept anonymised, brief and secure along with any other information I take on assessment. I adhere to the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulations) and my policy will be given to you at assessment.

Keeping people safe is a priority to me and if I need to keep my client or someone else safe from the risk of harm it may be necessary for me to inform another person or authority, I would always try to explore this with my client first in an open way and look to work together for the best outcome. We can discuss this more in the assessment session.

If I think there has been a breach of any of the following acts then I am obligated to inform the relevant authorities: Abuse of a minor in accordance with the Children’s Act 1989/2004, Terrorism Act 2000, Drug Trafficking Act 1994 and any subsequent legislations.

I have a Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and I continually partake in other courses and workshops to further my knowledge and will continue to do so as research in the field progresses.

Supporting this qualification was completion of Level 3 Counselling Studies and Level 2 Counselling Skills.

I am a registered member of BACP – the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and adhere to their standards and ethical guidelines which can be found on this link: https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/3103/bacp-ethical-framework-for-the-counselling-professions-2018.pdf

I am fully DBS checked to work with Adults and Children and keep this updated yearly

As a member of BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) I adhere to their Ethical Framework which is a set of guidelines which ensure I work safely and competently, keeping my clients best interests at the forefront of the counselling relationship. In particular upholding these principles:

* Being trustworthy: honouring the trust placed in the practitioner

* Autonomy: respect for the client’s right to be self-governing

* Beneficence: a commitment to promoting the client’s wellbeing

* Non-maleficence: a commitment to avoiding harm to the client

* Justice: the fair and impartial treatment of all clients and the provision of adequate services

* Self-respect: fostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge, integrity and care for self

These guidelines can be read in more detail here https://www.bacp.co.uk/media/3103/bacp-ethical-framework-for-the-counselling-professions-2018.pdf

I have been trained to use a variety of tools and theories but in the most part they draw from Person Centred Theory - Founded in the 1940's by Carl Rogers who believed that, given the right conditions, every person can reach their full potential and become their true self. To help this process the counsellor offers unconditional positive regard - accepting and valuing you, congruence - being honest and transparent in how they experience you and your world, empathic understanding - seeing your viewpoint as if it were you and walking along side you in your journey. Person centred counselling is led by the client who brings to each session what they would like to talk about.

I also draw from Gestalt Theory which is based on the principle that everyone is a whole - made up of mind, body and soul - and it emphasises that to fully understand people you have to look at their current situation as they are experiencing it in the here and now. And from Transactional Analysis (TA) Theory which believes that people have difficulty in their lives due to how they communicate and interact with each other and by understanding different states of communication they can become more aware of this.

Helpful Links & Contact Numbers

If you have an urgent mental health need please call 999 or 111 in the first instance. My services are not for emergencies and I do not answer my phone or email outside session times unless to communicate about our schedule.

Samaritans 24/7 service - call 116 123 or visit their website

Shout text service - text 85258 or visit their website

Connection - 24/7 mental health helpline for Dorset 0800 652 0190

Arrange to Talk

Please fill out your details and provide an idea of your availability options (days and times) and I will call you (normally within 24 hours) to have a free introductory chat about what you would like your counselling to help with and to book in your initial assessment.

Please note, this is not an emergency mental health support service.

If you are in crisis or need help urgently, please contact 999, 111, your GP or someone from your support network.

Please also see the links tab for other professional services who can help.