Welcome to
The Understanding Self
Online counsellor - Supporting you so you can support them.
Online Counselling in Teddington, Kingston, Richmond and across the UK
Welcome and Introductions
Hello my name is Erin,
Thank you for taking the time to consider if counselling is something you would benefit from in your life. As the founder of The Understanding Self, I wanted to share with you why I started this service. My hope is that through working together, counselling will enable you to explore your own thoughts and feelings, empowering you to understand yourself well enough to make the choices that you need to make in your life right now and in the future.
I understand that it can be a big step to try something new, so I would be honoured to offer you a safe space to talk about your life and what might be worrying you. Sometimes just having one person who can listen to you without judgement can help so much.
As an integrative counsellor, I am able to adapt my approach to meet your individual needs. With over 20 years experience working with families, I am passionate about supporting you to find the most authentic version of yourself. I will support you to develop your self-awareness through a combination of person centred and psychodynamic therapeutic approaches. This means that I will follow your lead and that you will have full autonomy of what you bring to therapy. I may then guide you to consider how your past experiences impact your life now.
I understand how challenging it can be to put your own needs first at times. Counselling is one of many ways that you can start to refill your own cup so that you have something left to give to the relationships that are most important to you.
I have a Bachelor of Health Science with Major of Vision Rehabilitation with Certificate 2 and 3 in Counselling skills. I am a student member of BACP while working towards attaining my full accreditation and Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
Working With Me
Affordable online counselling service that is directed by you.
A safe and confidential space to work through your thoughts or worries.
Time for YOU so that you can be authentic to your own needs.
Wondering how this would be helpful?
Book a FREE initial counselling consultation with me to explore how we might work together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Counselling is different to friendship. Talking to a trusted friend or family member is a great start however counselling is about making a set time for yourself to work through the worries or concerns with a professional who is there specifically to support YOU. Often in friendship and within families, despite best intensions, unwanted suggestions or comparisons may be offered, or your privacy may not be respected. Perhaps you may feel like you are always talking about the same issues with your friends and family or perhaps you don’t share how you really feel with anyone. These things might make you feel worse!
Counselling offers you the time, confidentiality and focus that you need to really address the issues you are experiencing and how to understand yourself more deeply so that you can find the most authentic version of you.
This is entirely up to you and what you are looking for. If you have a particular issue you want support with or if you want to use this time for routine self-care. You will know what is best for you and can work it out as we go.
It can be helpful to have a think about what you want to use your time for however often the session finds its own flow and direction as it goes. There is nothing you need to do other than find yourself a quiet and safe space where you feel comfortable to log online and spend some quality time talking through what ever is on your mind.
Your privacy and autonomy is at the core of what counselling is all about. I will always be located in a private, safe and secure environment (my office) with EarPods to ensure that your information and content remains confidential. Your personal data such as name, email address and phone number will be kept in accordance with GDPR regulations https://www.gov.uk/data-protection as will any notes taken at the end of sessions which are used for my records only.
In the rare event that your safety or the safety of others is at significant risk I would inform you of the need to break confidentiality and make contact with your GP or next of kin. Alternatively, in the extremely unlikely event of disclosure of criminal activity such as drug or money laundering or acts of terrorism, I would also be required to inform you of the need to break confidentiality.
For further information about confidentiality and data protection please refer to the Counselling Agreement statement that can be sent to you via email.
Who May Benefit
Anyone can benefit from counselling, you don't need to be in crisis right now to benefit. Many people wait until they feel overwhelmed before starting counselling however for many, counselling is a form of routine self-care. This might be a space to work on your own personal development, to find ways to be authentic and honest with yourself or it might be the space you need to express your frustrations openly without judgment or criticism. Perhaps this is the space you need to develop more self-awareness and compassion so that you can be fully present for what is most important in your life.
Some common issues may include but are not limited to:
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Grief
Burnout
Postnatal Mother
Postnatal Partner/Dad
Families
Cycle breaking
Relationships
Disability
Neurodiversity
Multigenerational family patterns
Expat families
Sessions & Fees
I currently offer online counselling only from my practice based in Teddington, which allows me to reach clients from anywhere across the UK. All sessions will take place in the English language.
Book a FREE initial consultation to see if online therapy is the right fit for you.
First session paid in advance and then each session thereafter can be paid for afterwards.
Sessions will be online for 50 minutes.
Fees will be £42.00 incl VAT
Block of 6 sessions available for £240.00 incl VAT (£12.00 discount)
More About ME
After completing a BA in Health Science 20 years ago, I have worked with various health, disability and family services across Australia and the UK. During this time, I have met hundreds of different families who find it difficult to balance the needs of everyone. Historically, I have worked with families who live with disability however regardless of our circumstances, we all need a little support at times.
My expertise has been in acquired brain injury and paediatric services for children. During this time, I came to realise that in order to support my clients, I needed to support the family around them. As a parent myself, I understand how difficult it can be to put our own needs first however in order to support the people we love most we need to look after ourselves. If you feel burnt-out or emotionally unavailable then your capacity to support others is greatly reduced.
So with this in mind, I set out in 2022, to begin a career change and completed my certificates in counselling through the Counselling Psychotherapy Training Academy in London. I am now working towards British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) accreditation and completing my Diploma is Therapeutic counselling. As a student member of BACP, I adhere to the ethical framework. I am available to offer affordable counselling while I work towards my psychotherapy qualification.
I am here to listen without judgment, to understand you and support you in understanding yourself.
Get In Touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange a FREE initial consultation. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of starting therapy and whether I can help you.
I provide online counselling to clients across the UK, including the areas of South West London, Greater London, and Middlesex.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential.
THE UNDERSTANDING SELF BLOG
13/11/24
1 minute read
How will counselling help me anyway?
This is a question I hear often, even from those closest to me. Often when life gets tough we reach out for help and sometimes we look for professional support when friends and family are no longer able to fill the void. That void could be grief, disappointment, sadness or a general feeling of overwhelm that impacts our daily life.