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Susan Sissons MBACP (Accred)
Counselling, EMDR in Cranbrook
- About Susan Sissons MBACP (Accred)
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I am a BACP Accredited Counsellor & EMDR Trauma Therapist with many years’ experience gained mainly in the NHS and private practice. I have clinics in Tonbridge and Cranbrook. My counselling approach is Integrative, informed by Humanistic Psychology, Psychodynamic Theory, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Mindfulness, EMDR and Somatic Experiencing, with a Person-Centred philosophy underpinning all of my work. I am recognised by BUPA and other health insurers.
COUNSELLING
’Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If nature allowed us to go through life without any obstacles…we would not be as strong as we could have been and we would never fly!’ Lessons from a Butterfly, Author Unknown
Trauma, loss, bereavement, addiction, depression, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, relationship difficulties, ill-health and major life changes can affect us all at some point in our lives. And sometimes we can feel overwhelmed. Counselling aims to offer an accepting, compassionate and safe place for us to express our thoughts and feelings about whatever is troubling us at these times; to accept and acknowledge ourselves as we are so that healing can take place and change can occur. In counselling we may be encouraged to explore and challenge unhelpful thoughts, beliefs and behaviours, and to rediscover our own innate strengths and wisdom, so that we can look beyond the immediate problem and gain new perspectives. With increased awareness comes the possibility of making more creative choices which, in turn, enables us to lead more fulfilling lives.
TRAUMA THERAPY
’Trauma is not a life sentence’ Peter Levine
WHAT IS TRAUMA? Traumatic symptoms can result from the experience of an overwhelming event or a series of distressing ones. Potentially traumatic events range from verbal abuse to a car accident or major incident. Common symptoms include irritability, anger, panic attacks, feelings of shame, guilt, isolation and fear, hypervigilance, poor sleep, restlessness, being easily startled and avoidance of people, activities, and/or places related to the incident(s). The brain’s early warning system is designed to direct the nervous system to respond to any perceived dangers with a fight, flight or freeze response. If the stress response is very great or prolonged, the early warning system remains switched on and the rational part of the brain does not process the event properly and acts as if the danger has not passed. If this is the case, we may experience highly disturbing emotional and sensory states (i.e. symptoms of trauma), which can make us feel as if we are going crazy but I’m pleased to say that trauma can be healed. I am trained in two approaches to healing trauma: EMDR and Somatic Experiencing.
SO HOW DOES EMDR HELP ALLEVIATE TRAUMATIC SYMPTOMS? The founder of EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing), Dr Francine Shapiro, discovered that eye movements undertaken while recalling traumatic events, significantly reduce distress. She went on to realise that eye movements stimulate each lobe of the brain alternately in a rhythmic pattern, which could also be achieved by tapping or by auditory cues. Although, not yet fully understood, it seems that this activity replicates REM sleep, a time when we process information and consolidate memory. In trauma, memories are not integrated fully as explained above and neuro-science shows that the brains of individuals who are suffering from traumatic symptoms have supressed activity on the left side of the brain, which is believed to correspond with the rational processing of a traumatic event. So it seems that EMDR facilitates the processing of trauma, reducing sensory overwhelm and allowing the brain to fully assimilate the memories.The National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (NICE) has validated EMDR as a preferred method of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Research has also found it to be effective in treating phobias, OCD and other anxiety disorders.
AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH: EMDR can be a rapid process that involves strong feelings and sometimes disturbing emotions and sensations. It is not, therefore, appropriate for everyone which is why I also offer an alternative approach. Somatic Experiencing(SE)is a naturalistic, body-centred approach to the understanding and healing of trauma developed by Peter A Levine over the past 40 years. SE is a clinical methodology based upon an appreciation of why animals in the wild are not traumatized by routine threats to their lives while humans, on the other hand, are readily overwhelmed and traumatized. Fortunately, the very same instincts (and related survival based brain systems) that are involved in the formation of trauma symptoms can be enlisted in the transformation and healing of trauma. Therapeutically, this “instinct to heal” and self-regulate is engaged through the awareness of body sensations that contradict those of paralysis and helplessness, and which restore resilience, equilibrium and wholeness.
- My training, work experience and any achievement
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’No man can reveal to you aught but that which already lies half asleep in the dawning of your knowledge’ Kahlil Gibran
I have an Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Counselling from West Kent College where I studied Person-Centred, Gestalt and Transactional Analysis models of counselling. Prior to this I gained a Certificate in Counselling and Psychotherapy from Regents College, London. This training covered the four main counselling approaches: Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Existential and Cognitive-Behavioural. Since my Diploma I have completed the Karuna Institute’s Foundation Certificate in Core Process Psychotherapy, a mindfulness approach to therapy and a Post-Qualifying Certificate in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I am a BACP accredited counsellor, committed to continuing professional and personal development. I am also an EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) therapist, trained to the advanced level in this model. I am trained to intermediate level in Somatic Experiencing, a psychosomatic approach to healing trauma developed by Peter Levine.
I have worked as a counsellor in a number of settings, including primary care, an addiction agency and a bereavement agency. I worked for the NHS for many years in GP surgeries around Kent and established my private practice 8 years ago. I have worked with a broad range of clients and issues on both a long and short-term basis, and have specific training and experience in trauma, addiction and bereavement. I have been trained in the Maudsley model for smoking cessation and have experience in running smoking cessation groups for primary care trusts. I teach on counselling courses run by Kent Adult Education.
As a BACP accredited counsellor, I am bound by its ethical framework for good practice in counselling and psychotherapy, and subject to the professional conduct procedure therein.
- Concerns & issues I deal with
- Abuse, Anger Management, Anxiety, Bereavement, Chronic Disease, Depression, Divorce, Family Problems, Fear, Low Self Confidence, Low Self Esteem, Menopause, Mental Health Problems, Midlife Crisis, Negative Thoughts, Panic Attacks, Panic Disorder, Personal Growth, Personal Relationships, Phobias, Physical Abuse, Post Natal Depression (PND), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Redundancy, Relationship Problems, Repetitive Negative Patterns, Self Harm, Separation, Shame, Social Phobia, Stress, Stress Management, Terminal Illness, Trauma, Unresolved Issues, Work Stress, Emotional Abuse,
- Age groups I work with
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Adults
Elders
- Further Information
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’The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed’ C.G. Jung
If you are considering counselling, it is important to find a counsellor you can talk openly with. Research shows that the quality of the relationship between counsellor and client is the most significant factor in determining the outcome of counselling.
My fees are £40 for daytime sessions and £45 for evening sessions in Cranbrook and £45 for sessions at The Tonbridge Clinic in Shipbourne Road. I offer student concessions. I am recognised by BUPA and other major health insurers
You may visit my website at www.counsellingintheweald.co.uk
Contact
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