About Samantha Hillyer Therapies

Hello!
Thank you for visiting my profile.

I combine my training and professional experience with compassion, and life experience, to provide counselling and therapy in a welcoming, confidential and non-judgemental environment.

I am a fully qualified counsellor in Nottingham and alongside my professional qualifications I also hold the BACP Certificate of Proficiency. I work as a counsellor in West Bridgford, which is easily accessible by car, bus and tram from surrounding areas such as West Bridgford, Mapperly, Arnold, Sherwood, Ruddington and East Leake. As well as good transport links, there is ample free unlimited parking on the road outside where I work.

What can Counselling and Therapy Do For You?
- You may seek counselling or therapy for a number of reasons. You may not know what brings you here, just that there is something not right, or missing.
- Or there may be so many thoughts and feelings inside you that you don’t know what to feel or think anymore.
- I can work with you on an open ended basis or for an agreed time period, with the aim of enabling you to enhance your life and to live it more fully.

In general, people come to counselling because they have experienced, or are experiencing one of the following:
- Domestic Violence
- Sexual Abuse
- Spiritual Crisis
- Childlessness
- Anxiety
- Bullying
- Addictions
- Death or loss of a loved one
- Feeling lonely
- Relationship problems
- Loss of identity or status
- Children leaving home
- Concerns about sexuality
- Depression

What is happening with you may not be on this list. Please understand - if it bothers you then it’s important - and you can bring it to counselling.

What is different about counselling with me?
- YOU!!
- Although I currently only work with people aged 18 and over, I have counselled people aged 5 to 86, spanning a wide range of issues and situations.
- However, experience has taught me that no two people are alike so I work differently with everyone. In this way your sessions are always tailored to you.
- Everybody is different and people express themselves in different ways. Some people want to talk. Others find it difficult to talk about what is bothering them straight away and need to draw, use clay or photographs of their life to open up what is happening with them.
- It is important that you express yourself in the way you want to, so I take time to find out how we can best work together, and how you are most comfortable expressing yourself.
- Whatever you bring, and however we choose to work together; you will be received with warmth, without judgement and with honesty.

My training, work experience and any achievement

It is important that you feel comfortable with any counsellor you work with, so thanks for taking the time to read a bit more about me.

Several years ago, when my daughter was very young, I was widowed. This brought about feelings and thoughts which seemed almost impossible to manage. I sought, and found a really good therapist. This changed my life and, eventually, helped me to decide to follow the path of helping others today. But I know how hard it can be to contact a counsellor. To feel that there is something really wrong with you because you need to do this; to worry that the counsellor may judge you, may not understand you or think that you are silly for feeling the way you do. It’s OK.. I’ve been there.

I have a special interest in the areas of grief, loss and change. But grief is not just about death. Grief can occur with the end of a relationship; a loss or change of job or home; children leaving home; or the arrival of a baby.

Or it may be that you are a couple whose relationship is struggling. It may feel that although you still talk about everyday things - what’s on the telly, who’s going to do the dishes, you never REALLY talk at all any more, and you feel so alone. Or one of you may have had an affair, or be seriously tempted to. All of these, and many other life events can cause a change of identity and status that can bring feelings that are difficult to manage.

In our society, there is a pressure to push our grief aside - to "get on with it". Yet, ultimately these feelings will surface elsewhere. I believe strongly that mind, body and spirit are linked - we may become ill because of the ’dis-ease’ which we feel at the things that have happened to us. It doesn’t have to be this way.

I have worked supporting people in various agencies for several years; from the Probation Service to Social Services, and within the last few years have worked as a Counsellor for Age Concern, Connexions and Relate.

If you have any questions - any at all (it doesn’t matter how trivial or silly they seem to you), email me or phone me, and we can talk with no obligation on your part.


Training, Qualifications & Experience
- BACP Certificate in Proficiency
- Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Counselling Skills (with Distinction) - Chrysalis
- Counselling Children - The Relate Institute
- MA Counselling Practice (with Distinction) - University of Nottingham
- Working with anger in therapy
- The Impact of Domestic Violence on Women and Children
- Counselling & Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body (CPCAB) Level 3 in Counselling Studies
- CPCAB Level 2 in Counselling Skills
- In addition, I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I work within the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psycotherapy, and am fully insured with Professional Liability Insurance.