Who We Are
ABOUT Counselling in Swindon & Who is helped by Counselling & EMDR
Ever felt like something in your head is holding you back? Too much anxiety, a bit of depression, maybe panic attacks, feeling sad, low self esteem. Counselling is a expressive therapy (achieved either by talking or writing) which helps restore emotional well being. It provides a unique perspective for those wanting to evaluate and change how life is being experienced.
Counselling is a unique experience for those wanting to broaden their self awareness and change how they experience life. It is an opportunity to unravel; thoughts which maybe tie us up in knots, decisions which could make us go round in circles and change habits which might make us cringe to the core. Counselling can also be a life sustaining therapy for the emotionally bruised.
Counselling Wiltshire offers self referral access to affordable one to one counselling sessions for adults and couples. Change comes about through the widening of your level of awareness and what you know about yourself, providing you with increased knowledge, choices and resources. This is done by the willingness to share your story and work with your therapist to help you identify the feelings that accompany tricky chapters in your life. Allowing your emotions and feeling to accompany your experience is key. You are in control of the pace you do this and your therapist will help you find the resources you need to help you. Generally counselling will help those willing and able to embark on this journey.
So perhaps you are suffering in the hands of others or maybe you wonder if your pain comes from within, like a lurking dread and find it hard to change. Sometimes it is emotions and urges that plague the day such as anger, frustrations, guilt, regret, self destruction, rebellion, low self esteem, self worth or an over active internal critical voice shouting 'you should' all the time, preventing us from living a fulfilling life. These are just a few examples the work we address.
Counselling can deal with most emotional issues or past experiences which leaves you with all sorts of symptoms for example depression, irritability, loss of interest, numbing, decreased concentration, insomnia, emotional overwhelm, hopelessness, shame and worthlessness, loss of memories, mistrust, stress, anxiety, panic attacks, inability to tolerate uncertainty, low self confidence, substance abuse, disordered eating, self destructive behaviours or indecision. For the client suck in the midst of symptoms it can often feel difficult to work out where these symptoms have come from.
Luckily that is why we have so much extensive training, so that we can accompany you on this journey and spot the things which are not easy to see and bring them to your attention, gently and appropriately. Therapy also addresses the popular concerns of relationship breakdown, loss or bereavement, anger management, weight loss, thoughts of suicide, addiction, dealing with unexpected change (job loss, redundancy, physical health symptoms, disability) that impact your ability to function freely most days. Counselling can deal with the unravelling of long standing complex emotional difficulties and shorter term concerns.
Having previously been a Primary Therapist on Janina Fisher PhD's clinical team in one of her UK clinics, I witnessed and trained first hand from Janina, who's approach really seems to help those who have complex trauma symptoms such as borderline personality disorder, disassociation disorders and similar NHS labels. That said I am not limited to one theory or approach and integrate many useful techniques according the individual client's need at any one time.
EMDR can be specifically helpful for the following symptoms:
Fear, panic attacks, phobias, life adjustments, traumatic experiences, traumatic grief, chronic pain, Psychosomatic disorders, self esteem.
EMDR is not recommended for the following:
Eye conditions, such as retinal detachment, organic brain disorders, epilepsy, Ego weakness e.g. self denial, self hate, strong secondary gain issues or low motivation levels for therapy, psychotic symptoms.
About Gilly Chapell
Gilly is the Clinical Director, Therapeutic Supervisor and also offers counselling and EMDR in Swindon to those looking for a qualified Senior Accredited Counsellor working face to face and (occasionally) online in the Swindon and Wiltshire area.
Qualified to degree level in integrative therapeutic counselling, with extensive experience of trauma related symptoms gained from setting up counselling hubs within children's centres to support parents and volunteering in a variety of settings before working in private practice where I have worked for over a decade now.
I welcome clients who present with most emotional concerns (with my main exclusion being areas concerning sexual related issues, as I have no training in this area). Although my practice welcomes almost all emotional symptoms, my special interest is in reducing the symptoms of trauma, panic attacks, PTSD, CPTSD, Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety, depression, destructive behaviour and attachment (relationship) related behaviour.
My favourite area of work is with the self belief that there is something wrong with us because we are not '......' enough (fill in the gap, not good enough, clever enough, thin enough, worthy or deserving enough, strong enough... ) this belief grinds us to a stop, telling us we can't achieve our dreams because we are somehow broken and if we do try shame plays it's other favourite tape 'Look at you,...who do you think you are...' Shame paralyses couples by shooting blame between, or burns us out by making us people pleasers; again this behaviour comes from trauma.
I bring extensive knowledge of training under one of the world leading trauma experts, Janina Fisher PhD and I had the privilege of then observing her work in practice when my business was invited to be part of the primary care clinical team in a UK private residential clinic specialising in trauma.
I still train under Janina Fisher and bring her world leading research and expertise to my client work. I currently offer Trauma Informed Stabilisation Treatment and EMDR.
What is important to you, really matters and if it important to you, then it really matters to me too. Your emotional well being is important and you really matter.
I promise to reply, when you get in touch. I promise to be ethical and professional in our work together. I promise only to work with what I am trained & experienced to work with. I promise to help you unravel relationship ruptures especially if they happen between us, because what happens outside the room often replicates inside therapy and that is really precious & valuable work. I promise to offer you unconditional acceptance, empathy and to hold you in positive regard at all times, because YOU REALLY MATTER! I will use a range of therapies, to best suit your needs, including CBT, psychodynamic approaches, trauma treat-
About the work - & our promised to you, because you matter
Some people know their limitations, spot trouble ahead or want to make changes and know they need to seek help to achieve this. Whilst at the other end of the spectrum others are right at their wits end before they get in touch. Having been unable to improve their experience of life, they are exhausted from battling it alone, may be overwhelmed with PTSD or anxiety, depression or panic attacks and their situation quickly tumbles and spirals out of control. Whilst looking at counselling sites can offer some hope, some become so scared to share what is going for fear of judgement or because they have no idea how there might be a logic explanation. The good news is there nearly always is a logical explanation for the emotional experience or symptoms. Most people often confess with relief they experience after gaining some insight from a trained ear. Sometimes people report sudden, strong and long lasting emotional 'storms' for want of a better term, which either last for hours or sometimes days, which on reflection feel out of proportion for the situations. These symptoms come under the heading of trauma and relief can be found. The truth is if you are looking at counselling there is a part of you which wants support and it is time to give that part of you a voice and permission to be heard.
Counselling takes place within the boundaries of a specific time and space, where people can express themselves either by talking or writing. The counsellor helps them to be heard and feel understood, with the goal of changing the way they feel, behave, see or think about things or themselves.
But Counselling won't suit everyone all of the time. A person in the midst of a major crisis may not be psychologically available to be reflective because they may not have the emotional capacity to effectively engage in counselling sessions. This is why it is important for us to organise an assessment of your current symptoms to ensure you are going to benefit from the work. Whilst your background and history may be interesting we try to steer clients away from story telling during the assessment process. This is because most will find this re-traumatising and we will not know you well enough to understand if you have sufficient resources to cope after the session.
The process of Counselling requires you to be respectful of the boundaries that keep you and our staff safe. We trust you with a phone number to use for appointment making only. We explicitly request that you don't call without arrangement. Any contact outside of the therapeutic container may be harmful
Our assessments take approximately an hour and focuses on your current symptoms and provides us with sufficient information to recommend the best treatment plan for you.
We will do our best to get you through the enquiry stage, to being assessed and making a treatment recommendation as smoothly as possible, because our experience tells us this can be a very triggering experience. What we know from the neuroscience is that anyone who has not be taken care of in the past will find they can become easily triggered by anyone in a position of responsibility, perceived as not doing what was expected. When this happens the neurons which contain the past experience and have ultimate dominance and influence over the neurons taking in the present situation and your perception of what is happening becomes obscured by your past. When this happens ahead of the work of counselling starting we will not have a safe time or space or sufficient trust in the relationship or process to unpack what is happening for you. Whilst we understand people get triggered there really is no alternative but for us, but to disengage from the process and cease communications.
Symptoms
Trauma Symptoms & Shame
Often we find other symptoms which people do not always associate with the body feeling out of kilter or dysregulated. I wonder if any of these also feel familiar to you?
Depression
Irritability
Decreased concentration
Numbing
Loss of interest
Insomnia
Emotional Overwhelm
Loss of a sense of the future
Hopelessness
Shame
Hypervigilance
Mistrust
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Chronic pain
Headaches
Self medicating
Disordered eating
Feeling unreal or out of the body
Self destructive behaviours
Loss of a sense of ‘who I am’
Critical analytical voice of 'you should'
Shame
A story that we tell ourselves that I call Toxic Shame.
An experience of social terror, I am going to call that a shame flood.
A feeling that tells us what our integrity really is, I am going to call that remorse.
However sometimes we grow up in a space where we have a really hard thing we have to do as a child and generally it creates what I think of as a shame core. It’s a story that I’m not worthy, it’s a story of I’m not good enough and it’s a story of I’m too much, I’m a burden. It’s a story that there is something wrong with me. It is generally a story that is created and has to be created when we are in a family system or a larger environment where I have this really hard decision that is not made in a conscious way at all, but I can either face the fact that I am unprotected and that nobody is there and I can not depend on the people around me and be basically terrified all the time because I am a little child or I can imagine that somehow there is something wrong with me and if only I could figure out what that is, I can get safety. That story is brilliant because it puts us in more control. That story is brilliant because it says I can do something about this so it give us hope in a situation where there is absolutely no hope but the story really sucks because what I take in is there is something wrong with me and if I could only figure out what that is I can unlock the code and find safety and find protection and find the things I need, find nurture and find celebration of who I am. If only I could unlock this code and the code is build on there is something wrong with me and I need to fix it. It’s great because it is empowering, its great because it gives us hope, its hard because the story is terrible. I call that a shame core. It is one of those things that is feeding up to the neocortex all the time and it’s held in this little neuro network that just knows this thing is true and we walk on it like it is the floor under our feet. It was really important to tell ourselves that story because it saved the mind. The brains natural response to safety is integration, the brains natural response to fear is less integration, the brain would spilt into parts. If a little brain had to live in terror all the time it would totally fragment and split into lots of tiny pieces.
If this is you, we would love to help you break free of that story, because you matter.
Borderline Personality Labels
We often find people are given labels by the NHS, this is so that they can recommend the most appropriate medication or specialists to support you.
We however find that most of the symptoms that clients present with are routed in trauma and as such we look to treat or process the trauma therefore reducing the symptoms.
Borderline Personality is often characterised by the following:
Everyone betrays my trust, I can not trust anyone
If I trust someone today they will betray me later...
When I hope, I will become disappointed.
When I am angry my emotions are extreme and out of control.
When I get angry my emotions go from annoyed to furious.
Others are unreliable, let me down or reject me and therefore I need to protect myself.
When I hurt emotionally, I do whatever it takes to feel better
Life at times feels like an endless series of disappointments followed by pain.
I try to control and not to show my grieving loss and sadness, but eventually it comes out in a rush of emotions.
My feelings about myself are so poor that I will do whatever I need to do to compensate for this.
Whenever I try to feel better I will make things worse and I feel more pain eventually.
Whenever I need someone they are not there for me there is no one I can count on.
As you may be able to see, this collection of statements which often depict the experiences of people with this label tell a story of relational trauma.
Boundaries: the glue that holds safety together
Detailed Analysis for Clients on the Importance of Therapists Upholding Safe Boundaries and Prioritizing Their Own Well-being
The Foundation of Trust
Therapists are often entrusted with sensitive and deeply personal information. This relationship is built on a foundation of trust, which is crucial for effective therapeutic work. According to the BACP Ethical Framework, being trustworthy is a serious ethical commitment that involves making the client the primary focus of attention during sessions (Page 6, 13).
The Principle of Autonomy
Respect for the client's autonomy is another core principle. This means that therapists must honor the client's right to make decisions about their own lives, including their mental health treatment. However, this autonomy is not absolute. In exceptional circumstances, therapists may need to prioritize the safety of the client or others, even if it means overriding the client's explicit wishes or breaching their confidentiality (Page 13, 16).
The Importance of Self-Care for Therapists
Therapists are not immune to the stresses and emotional toll that can come from their work. The BACP Ethical Framework states that therapists should take responsibility for their own well-being as it is essential for sustaining good practice with clients (Page 27). This includes:
- Taking precautions to protect their own physical safety.
- Monitoring and maintaining their own psychological and physical health.
- Seeking professional support and services as needed.
- Keeping a healthy balance between work and other aspects of life.
Why This Matters for Clients
1. Resilience and Resourcefulness: A therapist who is not well cannot provide the level of care and attention that clients deserve. Therapists are encouraged to ensure they are "sufficiently resilient and resourceful" to meet professional standards (Page 27).
2. Ethical Dilemmas: Therapists are trained to navigate complex ethical dilemmas that may arise during therapy. Their ability to do this effectively is compromised if they are not in a good state of health (Page 27).
3. Quality of Service: Therapists are committed to providing an appropriate standard of service to their clients. This is only possible if they are also taking care of themselves (Page 6).
4. Safety and Well-being: Therapists share a responsibility for the safety and well-being of all clients and their protection from exploitation or unsafe practice (Page 13).
5. Accountability: Therapists are accountable not only to their clients but also to their profession. This accountability includes maintaining their own well-being to ensure they are providing the best care possible (Page 9).
By understanding the importance of these ethical considerations, clients can better appreciate why therapists need to maintain boundaries and prioritize their own well-being. It's not just for the therapists' benefit; it's crucial for the safety and effectiveness of the therapeutic relationship.
At Counselling Wiltshire, we prioritise the safety and well being of all our therapists because each therapist will be taking care of a number of vulnerable clients. If a therapist's wellbeing is compromised it doesn't just impact one client, it is likely to impact the whole case load and put everyone at risk and because our clients well being matters we are not prepared to compromise on this.
Areas we do not work with:
Our focus is solely on the symptoms of trauma:
The BACP Ethical Framework outlines several key principles that therapists must adhere to, including:
1. Being Trustworthy: Honouring the trust placed in the practitioner.
2. Autonomy: Respecting the client’s right to be self-governing.
3. Beneficence: Promoting the client’s well-being.
4. Non-maleficence: Avoiding harm to the client.
5. Justice: Fair and impartial treatment of all clients.
6. Self-respect: Fostering the practitioner’s self-knowledge, integrity, and care for self.
The Challenge with Narcissistic Traits
People with narcissistic traits often struggle with respecting boundaries, which poses a risk to the therapist's well-being and the therapeutic relationship. Here's why:
1. Trustworthiness at Risk: Narcissistic traits can involve manipulative behaviors that can erode the trust necessary for a therapeutic relationship.
2. Autonomy Compromised: Narcissistic individuals may try to control the therapeutic process, undermining the therapist's professional autonomy and the client's self-governance.
3. Beneficence and Non-maleficence: The inability to respect boundaries designed to keep us safe can lead to situations that neither benefit the client nor avoid harm.
4. Justice and Fair Treatment: The demanding nature, coupled with the over inflated sense of entitlement often associated with narcissistic traits can lead to an unfair allocation of the therapist's time and resources, affecting their ability to serve other clients effectively.
5. Self-Respect and Self-Care: Therapists must consider their own well-being to serve their clients effectively. Working with individuals who can't respect boundaries can lead to burnout and decreased quality of care for all clients.
Transparency and Training
Ethically, it's crucial to be transparent about the limitations of one's training and experience. Working with narcissistic traits requires specialized training due to the complex nature of the personality structure and the potential for harm to both the client and the therapist.
Conclusion
For the safety and well-being of both the client and the therapist, it's essential to maintain clear boundaries and to work within the scope of one's training and expertise. This is not just a matter of best practice but an ethical imperative.
We do not diagnose but we do notice symptoms and traits. By avoiding work with individuals who demonstrate narcissistic traits without the requisite training, therapists uphold the ethical principles that ensure the integrity of the therapeutic relationship and the well-being of all involved.
If you think you have these traits, or we identify behaviours which persistently undermine our processes or the boundaries that keep us safe we will advise you that we are not the right service for you.
In the same way, if it becomes evident that you are requesting or requiring more than one hour of contained work per week it is likely that this therapy is not going to be the right service for you. We do not offer between session support and at times when our therapists are on holiday you will be required to take care of yourself for longer than a week without contacting us.
Our other projects
Supervision
Senior Accredited Therapists
Senior Accredited Therapists
Gilly is delighted to have qualified in the level 6 supervision course.
All good therapists have a supervisor. Often we need more than one to cover the board base of case work. Ethical Bodies have recently changed their requirements so that practitioners need much more appropriate provisions to maintain their insurance.
Supervision needs to mirror not just the theory of the work but also the delivery methods and the specialism of the client base. Most clients following the covid situation are looking for trauma informed practitioners. With these requirements, practitioners are finding there is a shortage of appropriately trained online or trauma informed supervisors.
Senior Accredited Therapists
Senior Accredited Therapists
Senior Accredited Therapists
Following steps to implement the SCoPEd project, where membership bodies have begun stripping Senior Accredited Therapists of their status, we at Rated Therapies took decisive action. The SCoPEd project will categorise all therapists into three columns based on the length of their training. This means that a therapist with as much as 15 or 20 years of experience will be categorized in the same column as someone fresh out of a three-year training qualification. Such categorization removes the public's ability to distinguish between those who are highly experienced and those who are not.
In response to this, we reached out to all affected Senior Accredited Therapists, verified their previous certificates, and reissued them with a new certificate to recognise and restore their deserved status. This initiative honors their dedication, hard work, and commitment, ensuring their valuable credentials remain acknowledged and respected.
Additionally, we have created a dedicated directory page for Senior Accredited Therapists. If you are looking for an experienced therapist, this is the place to find them. Our directory ensures that the public can identify and access therapists with proven expertise and substantial experience in the field.
Letting Go of Holding On
Senior Accredited Therapists
Letting Go of Holding On
We are currently 90,000 words down documenting the true story of a client trapped in therapeutic hell.
In a world where the quest for mental wellness is increasingly significant, yet the pathways to it are often shrouded in vulnerability and trust, a profound story unfolds.
This narrative is not just about seeking help but about navigating the intricate dance between ethical guidance and the shadows of misuse that lurk behind the statistics of 1 in 20 individuals that have a predisposition to hold power and control over others... Lilly found one within the counselling profession.
The book is called Letting Go Of Holding On and documents how she escaped the predator Christian Swindon based therapist down the road.
EMDR / AMDR
Recruiting Placements
Letting Go of Holding On
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing and is a method of trauma therapy developed by Dr Francine Shapiro.
AMDR is the most up to date version which processes the full 360 degree experience that takes place in that nano second of trauma.
EMDR is a method of therapy which accelerates the processing of traumatic, frozen memories and resolves fixed behaviour patterns.
EMDR whilst being client led is a guided process which supports the precise observation and differentiated experiences of internal processes, reflective understanding and acceptance links and connections. Clients report feeling like the edge has been taken off triggering events.
EMDR requires a full assessment.
Recruiting Placements
Recruiting Placements
Recruiting Placements
We currently have a number of opportunites available, for room hire or placements:
To apply please contact us through the website and then email us the following:
CV
Course Documentation
Qualifications or Placement paperwork
We will also require:
ID
proof of address
Photo for website
Blurb for website
We are a neuroscience focused trauma informed therapy clinic and as such reading Janina Fishers workbook would be beneficial.
We offer supervision for all placements.
Rated Therapies
Recruiting Placements
Recruiting Placements
Rated Therapies is a distinguished directory focused on providing access to the highest calibre of therapeutic professionals. The platform has recently expanded to include nearly 100 senior accredited therapists who, despite losing their titles from their ethical bodies, remain highly skilled and experienced. This move ensures that only the cream of the crop in the therapy field is featured, offering clients unparalleled access to top-tier therapeutic support.
The directory stands out for its rigorous vetting process, ensuring that all listed therapists meet the highest standards of training, qualifications, and professional ethics. Additionally, Review Your Therapy has conducted a small research study on response patterns, inviting nearly 100 highly responsive and timely therapists to join their directory. This emphasis on responsiveness and quality care ensures that clients receive the best possible support tailored to their needs.
By prioritizing excellence and maintaining a robust selection process, Review Your Therapy aims to become the go-to resource for individuals seeking the best therapeutic services. The platform not only provides detailed information about each therapist’s credentials and specialties but also fosters a transparent and reliable environment for clients to find the right therapeutic match.