“The more we understand ourselves, the more we have the power to change.”
Irvin Yalom
I am a trained counsellor offering a space to explore your feelings and experiences sensitively and confidentially. You will be met with warmth, empathy and a genuine desire to help. Weaving in creative tools such as writing, Jungian Sandplay, painting and symbol work can allow us to deepen the talking therapy into a profound, life-changing experience.
I am a trained counsellor offering a space to explore your feelings and experiences sensitively and confidentially. You will be met with warmth, empathy and a genuine desire to help. Weaving in creative tools such as writing, Jungian Sandplay, painting and symbol work can allow us to deepen the talking therapy into a profound, life-changing experience.
Why Choose Counselling?
People seek therapy for a variety of reasons: it could be precipitated by a life crisis such as bereavement, the loss of a job, a breakdown of a relationship or any other recent change or trauma. It might be that this life crisis has left them feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed or hopeless. Or it could be that someone recognises that they have always struggled and are at the point in their life where they decide to take action. Other people come to therapy because they have a feeling they are stuck and that they could feel lighter and their life more pleasurable.
My job is to welcome you into a relationship with me where you feel deeply heard and safe and can begin to unpack your feelings. I will walk alongside you, connected and supportive as together we explore who you are. Through reflecting on how life events and relationships have shaped you into who you are today and by looking at your unconscious processes and patterns of how you relate to others, you can understand yourself more deeply and begin to have the power to change.
It's as if instead of being in the water, swept along, gulping for air, you're able to climb out, sit on the bank, get your breath back and then decide how you want to swim.
My counselling room
People come to counselling for many different reasons. Here are some examples:
Feelings of stress or anxiety
Feeling stuck
Relationship problems
Grief, loss or bereavement
Problems with addiction
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Abuse
Depression
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
Anger management
Issues relating to sexuality
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Problems with family or school life
About me
I am a fully-qualified Integrative Counsellor (with the modalities of Person Centred, Gestalt and CBT - three approaches that blend to create a richness). I also weave in aspects of Transactional Analysis, Attachment Theory, Existentialism and the Transpersonal, working in a pluralistic way, honouring the client's wishes and intuition.
After my core training I trained further in creative therapies so I could offer the type of counselling I am committed to, enhancing the experience through a range of creative interventions. I am trained in Jungian Sandplay and Therapeutic Art, and my extensive experience of teaching writing, poetry and art weaves into my practice, enabling our work to be completely tailored to what you need.
I am rich in life experience, including teaching English at secondary level, working as an artist and as a freelance writer. Counselling experience includes working for Age UK and University Centre South Devon. I have worked with clients presenting with issues including anxiety, complex grief, PTSD, childhood trauma, lack of confidence and self-belief, anger issues, agoraphobia, lack of purpose and depression.
I have a Bachelor of Arts from Oxford University in English Language and Literature, where I used my dissertation to look at the language of despair and depression in poetry. I have a PGCE in teaching English and Drama. Other qualifications include a Level 3 Foundation in Integrative Counselling, Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling, Level 2 Diploma in Suicide and Self harm, Foundation in Sand Play and Foundation in Therapeutic Art.
I am an NCPS accredited counsellor and a member of the BACP.
How I Work: Creative Counselling
Counselling is about deeply listening. I begin by hearing your story, what brings you into counselling, and together we work out your aims, what you hope to achieve through our work together - this is a key part of my process because I want our work to be purposeful and focused. Every six sessions we review these aims, amending and adding to them as necessary.
The deep work can happen when we 'lose our minds and come to our senses' (Fritz Perls) - in other words, when we go beyond what we know and open ourselves to the unconscious, the buried and hidden within us. This is why I believe working creatively can lead to a richness beyond where we can get by only talking and listening. Our bodies hold onto trauma and therefore your physical responses are part of our process. Grounding exercises and breathwork are offered: you set the pace, you lead the way. I am there to guide you, offering a richness of creative experiences along the way.
I work with all sorts of creative tools. Symbols are a beautiful way of helping deepen awareness - I might ask you to choose a figure to show how you are feeling as you enter the room, or you might want to create a scene in the sand tray to show an emotion that you can't articulate. You might choose to use art exercises to discover more about a feeling or an experience. I welcome dreams, free writing, poetry. We might decide to look at your different 'parts' and give them characters or names. I invite clients to keep a journal of our time together where they can note down discoveries, affirmations, desires, resolutions and create a lasting memory of their counselling journey. Our work together will of course be hard at times and raw, but there will also be joy and laughter.
Above all, the relationship is key. I am a warm, kind, intelligent counsellor who creates a safe confidential space in which to support and walk alongside you on your journey to a happier way of being.
What is Sandplay?
Many people think Sandplay is only for children. It isn’t. It’s also a wonderful form of therapy for adults, as it allows clients to discover more about their own sense of self and their purpose. It’s a creative way to enable a client to construct a scene which allows the representation of the inner psychological material in a three-dimensional way. Because it’s sensory it awakens and regulates right brain limbic processes, which can lead to being able to express something words can’t.
Following the Jungian approach we will explore what you have created by looking at feelings, sensations, intuition and thinking, peeling back the layers of what it means to be human through myth, fairy tale and spiritual connection, wakening the subconscious. The amazing thing about Sandplay is that it works even without any talking – there is something profound about choosing figures and placing them in the ‘right’ place that can deeply heal.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no definitive answer for this, but generally counselling is considered to be short-term work around a specific issue, whereas psychotherapy is usually longer term. In my experience, what happens in my counselling room is always deeper than looking at one issue, even if that is what brings a client into counselling.
There is no prescribed number of sessions. It is completely up to you. I will work with whatever you think is right, which for some people will be just a few and for others many months. I do recommend having weekly sessions so we can build momentum and recommend a minimum of six so that you can feel a real change.
Before I trained as a counsellor I was in therapy myself. Over the years I tried different approaches and realised I could get ‘stuck in my head’, telling my story over and over. This is why I decided to train with an integrative model that included Gestalt so I could weave in creative exercises and offer something dynamic, creative and fluid. Never boring. I offer sessions that stay in your mind, where the work is visual and kinetic as well as relational.
I am a fully trained counsellor and have regular supervision to monitor my work. I belong to two Professional Bodies (BACP and NCPS) that set standards for the industry and to whom I am accountable. I abide by their Code of Ethics. I am always continuing my professional development through attending courses and reading widely, as well as attending peer supervision.
Here are the numbers that you need:
Samaritans 08457 90 90 90 (open always)
Women’s Aid Freephone 24-hour Domestic Violence helpline: 0808 2000 247
Emergency Mental Health out of hours in Devon – 0845 6000388
If you or someone else is in immediate danger ring 999
Testimonials
Information on your Sessions and Fees
In my experience, therapy works best if we meet weekly as momentum helps keep the work energised and purposeful. Of course if this isn't possible then we can work with whatever you can commit to. I suggest a minimum of six sessions in order to establish our relationship, set our aim and feel we have the time to achieve it. I review our progress every six sessions, so it is up to you how long our work together lasts. Some clients might come for six weeks to address a specific issue, while others will want ongoing therapy to work very deeply over months or years.
My sessions are 60 minutes and cost £50, payable either in advance or on the day (I have a card machine). I offer a free 15-minute initial meeting and/or a phone call. I have two concessionary places for those in financial hardship - please enquire about these if you need to.
MY LOCATION
I work from a beautiful, light room in Seale Hayne on the edge of Newton Abbot. There is plenty of free parking and a café.
Contact me
Please drop me a message here if you’d like to arrange an appointment or have any further questions. Alternatively, give me a ring on 07432 185010. I offer a free 15-minute chat either in my counselling room or on the phone
©Miranda Day Creative Counselling
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