About – Time For

Hallo and welcome, fellow life pilgrim.

My name is Ros, and I have been working in the mental health field since 1987 – a long time!

I offer individual adult therapy in my private practice, and also am a clinical supervisor for colleagues in the field. More in the ‘Services’ section on that.

If you find yourself wrestling with difficult emotions and feelings, if life has become overwhelming, and the whole business of trying to ‘keep on keeping on’ has drained you, you’re welcome here.

Anxiety ruling your life, rising up and stopping you going places, visiting friends and family, preventing you from having any sense of peace, you are welcome here.

If you’re finding the smallest of things now provoking anger and frustration, you are welcome here.

I know that recently the term ‘trauma’ has turned into more of a known thing; it’s often discussed on daytime TV and claimed as a reason for many different things. I have been working with people who have faced the worst kinds of trauma for many years now, and have come to believe that trauma isn’t necessarily restricted to the immediate and life-threatening incidents we would perhaps call ‘traumatic’ without a second thought – Grenfell Tower, armed forces veterans on operations, emergency services staff, etc. I also would hold that trauma is in the longer-term happenings – the everyday stresses in trying to manage work/life/family/finances/relationships, trying to avoid that bullying manager at work, being told to shut up and ignored and dismissed in the family home. All these are hurtful, and can erode our sense of self and value.

Get in touch

They may not be that enormous single moment of looking death in the face, but they can feel like killing us slowly nonetheless.

If you’re struggling, wanting someone to talk to who doesn’t panic, won’t tell you to stop thinking that or don’t talk like that, has dealt with the very worst, and welcomes you however you find yourself now, you’re welcome here.

As a therapist in private practice, I offer private and confidential space remotely, in which no judgement is held. We aim to meet regularly to work on matters of importance for you.

Perhaps you’ve recently decided that you wish to improve your sense of dignity, worth, and confidence – I may be able to help you with this. For so many people, trying to live fully and meaningfully after leaving an abusive relationship, in the midst of trying to just hang on as the world falls apart around you, or even after being abused and neglected as a child, is no easy matter. And maybe you even came to the place of considering whether life was worth living at all.

And not forgetting that the after-effects of the pandemic haven’t just disappeared either.

We are indeed in troubled times, and reaching out to find help and support is the most reasonable and human thing to do.

In my years as a qualified mental health nurse, I have had the privilege to work with many for whom the most extreme experiences are sadly very real, and was bemused that at that time there seemed to be no known place or person to whom I could refer people after their hospital stay, and the cycle of ‘managing/not managing’ kept some people coming back into hospital in utter crisis time and time again. Heavy-duty medications would be offered, in some cases forcibly insisted upon (which never chimed with me at all), and after a while it was discharge from hospital with virtually no support at all when back home.

This seemed ridiculous to me.

So, I determined to be That Place to whom people could go, to get the support they needed. So I completed training with Penny Parks herself, in addition to gaining a diploma in hypnotherapy on top of my qualification and years as a mental health nurse. All these combined have given me the specific skills to navigate the chaos that is left after being abused as a child, neglected or shamed when growing up, or even trafficked around the neighbourhood or survived a combat area. I am able to particularly welcome survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse and PTSD. I am also an Armed Forces Veteran, and with that knowledge and understanding, I am able to offer support to fellow veterans.

For more in-the-moment postings and thoughts From the Chair, feel free to follow the FB page, @StowCounselling.

Or use the easy contact button to get in touch.