Elizabeth Lauren Counselling
Online and telephone Counsellor based in Bexleyheath
'Every feeling is welcome here'
Welcome to Elizabeth Lauren Counselling
A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life
About Me
Hi there! My name is Liz and I'm delighted to extend a very warm welcome to this space. I thought I'd start by letting you know a little about me to help get a feel for who I am. I'm in my late 40's and a mum to two incredible young men who were of huge inspiration in my training journey and continue to motivate me to be the best person I can be. I have also been influenced by others who are no longer physically present in my life but who I will always carry with me.
I'm an introspective person and someone committed to lifelong learning and self-growth. I know my own deeply painful and challenging life experiences factored into my desire to become a counsellor. The notion of the wounded healer I think would best describe it. Giving back and helping to ease the suffering of others is a huge component of who I am today and what I believe my greater purpose is.
Thank you so much for being here and for reading about me. If you feel I could be the therapist for you then I very much look forward to hearing from you. If not, then I wish you all the very best with your journey towards growth, fulfillment and healing.
‘When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change’
Wayne Dyer
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling CPCAB
Certificate in Counselling Studies CPCAB
Certificate in Counselling Skills CPCAB
Accredited member of the NCPS (National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society)
Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
As an ethical practitioner and member of the NCPS, I engage in regular CPD (Continuous Professional Development) to enhance my work and ensure I keep up to date with new developments relevant to the counselling profession. Whilst this is an ongoing process, some areas I have covered to date have included:
Understanding and Therapeutically Supporting Infant Loss
Understanding Complex Grief and Suicide Bereavement
Disenfranchised Grief
Working with Pet Loss
Working with Trauma: The Fundamentals
5 Dimensions of Working with Trauma
An attachment aware and trauma informed perspective on resilience
Nervous System Strategies for Trauma Survivors
Using Trauma-Informed Grounding Techniques
Neurodiversity and resources
Working with the Inner Child
The Inner Child from Various Perspectives
ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
Attachment Styles
Working with Domestic Abuse in the Counselling Room
Men's barriers to mental health support
Prior to setting up my own practice I was a counsellor at North Kent Mind, Headstrong and the Royal Greenwich Counselling to Schools Service. My previous roles have included working with children with autism for 15 years (in Outreach/Advisory Services) and as a Family Support Worker/Designated Safeguarding Lead. I currently work with a domestic abuse charity as an advocate for survivors of abuse.
‘When we own our stories, we get to write the ending’
Brene Brown
I recognise how difficult it can be to reach out and ask for support, especially if this isn't something you have ever done before. I can clearly remember when I was a client, feeling nervous and apprehensive before my first ever counselling session.
Maybe it's somewhat overwhelming or intimidating too with so many counsellor profiles on offer and not knowing quite where to start?
With this in mind, I want to thank you for stopping here and to offer my admiration for taking this first important step and for making the commendable investment in you and your future.
You may have noticed I have a Lotus flower in my logo and possibly, you're wondering why...
This flower is an accurate representation of how I view therapy (and how I have experienced it myself) - no matter how challenging the circumstances, no matter how dark and murky the conditions - the lotus will always rise and grow towards the light and this aligns with the capacity I believe we all hold as human beings.
Whatever darkness we find ourselves in, we can emerge, we can bloom and we can radiate into the world.
I believe passionately that at the heart of counselling is the therapeutic relationship - this is the foundation that we build the work upon. No matter what experience, training or qualifications I have, I fully understand the importance of being the right fit for you. I will always remember a quote I read whilst training, attributed to a psychotherapist named Carl Jung - "Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, be just another human soul". This captured my personal experience of counselling whereby feeling I had a connection with another human first and foremost, felt of greater importance than a relationship that was purely clinical (with lots of jargon!) and formal. Perhaps it might feel like this for you too?
My Approach
I am an integrative counsellor with a person-centred core, offering counselling to adults. Essentially this means for you that whilst I may sometimes draw on a range of therapeutic modalities and approaches as a way to best suit you and your needs, the person-centred approach will always underpin my work. This means I hold the trust and respect that you as the client are the expert on your world, although I understand it may not always feel that way - after all, it can take a great deal of courage to allow that belief in! I'm here as a passenger on the journey with you, to sit with you in the darkest and most painful moments and to help make sense, to notice patterns, to make changes (should you wish to) and to move towards a happier and more fulfilling life. We move along your journey together - you are not alone.
Just as there may be tears of pain, there may be laughter and tears of joy too - please know that every emotion is welcome! I will meet you where you are - with respect, acceptance, warmth, compassion and no judgement. Rest assured - we will only ever work at a pace that feels right for you with no expectations - it's your space to be...YOU. Life can be so busy and opportunities to be truly heard are sadly, rare. Friends and family may be well intentioned but all too often, people are listening to respond and apply their own experiences to a situation whereas in counselling, we listen to understand and the only experience that is of importance to me is yours.
Areas I can help with
People come to counselling for many different reasons and below are some of the areas I work with.
I am particularly interested in working with bereavement, grief and loss which can come in many forms. An area I specialise in is 'Disenfranchised Grief' - a lesser known type of grief and loss that isn't recognised or acknowledged by others. Please see my blog for more information about this.
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief, loss and bereavement, including non-death losses
- Low mood
- Relationship difficulties
- Divorce and separation
- Parenting difficulties and associated stress
- Addiction
- Low self-esteem/low self-confidence
- Shame
- Life transitions
- Trauma
- Autism
- Sexuality
- Men's mental health
You are warmly invited to reach out for an initial free consultation where we can discuss in more detail what you would like support with.
Crisis
If you are in crisis and need immediate help, please see below for information on support available:
- Call Samaritans on 116 123 (Freephone - 24/7 helpline)
- Visit your nearest A&E Department
- Text SHOUT to 85258 (Text based chat)
- Call CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) Suicide Prevention Helpline for anyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts on 0800 585858 (Freephone - open from 5 pm - midnight every day)
My Location
I am based in Bexleyheath - South East London and provide services to local areas and across the UK - please see the bottom of this page for further information.
I offer a free 15 minute 'discovery'appointment (phone or online) as an informal opportunity for us to get to know one another a little more, for you to ask any questions and to help decide if I might be the right therapist for you. If it feels that we may not be able to work together, I will, where possible, endeavour to signpost alternative options for you.
I offer online or phone sessions of 50 minutes scheduled at a frequency that best suits you. You may choose to book weekly sessions initially (this is recommended to help establish trust and a feeling of safety), reducing to fortnightly or monthly should you feel you are making the progress you hope for. We will regularly review our work so we can always discuss this together.
Fees
My fee is £50 per session. I have a limited number of sessions offered at a concessionary rate for people who are on a low income and are able to provide evidence of this.
My cancellation policy is 24 hours. Cancellations outside of this timeframe will incur the full session fee.
I am an accredited member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). I also hold therapeutic insurance, an enhanced DBS certificate and am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how therapy works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to therapy, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can also call me on 07767 944 280 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. Please be aware, I will only leave a voicemail if you advise that it is appropriate to do so. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
I aim to respond to enquiries within 72 hours and all contact is strictly confidential. I respond to all messages so in the event you appear not to have received a reply, please check your spam/junk inbox.
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