Counselling and Therapy

in Romsey

A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life

Welcome

When we are struggling emotionally or within a relationship the support from family and/or friends can usually pull us through. Sometimes though, it can help to talk to a person who is separate from our daily lives and the additional support from someone qualified and experienced can help us move in the direction we want.


My name is Vicky Chalk and I have been a qualified counsellor for over 20 years and a qualified counselling supervisor for 13 years. I am an accredited and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which is a professional body which sets the standards for good and ethical therapeutic practice.

My private counselling practice is based in Romsey near Eastleigh, a small Hampshire market town, approximately 8 miles from Southampton. As a Counsellor I am committed to providing a professional, therapeutic relationship, that feels safe, confidential and non-judgemental.


I work with adults from the age of 18 years as well as with older adults. This can be short term therapy, or on a longer open ended basis. My aim is to enable clients to enhance their lives so they may live more fully.

Starting Counselling

Finding a good counsellor can be daunting as there is often confusing information in the media, on the web and by word of mouth. It can be difficult to know who to put your trust in, so that you gain the most appropriate and beneficial support.

For this reason I offer a free 30 minute initial appointment. This gives you the opportunity to assess whether counselling is right for you and provides an opportunity for you to ask any questions about the way I work. Also this time is important for us both to check, if we are comfortable working together. There is no obligation on either side and I encourage you to take some time to reflect on whether you wish to continue working with me before making this decision.

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), of which I am an accredited member, provides very useful information to anyone considering counselling.


What issues can counselling help with?

There are many reasons why people seek counselling and I have experience in helping clients who have difficulties with :

Relationships

Low mood or depression

Anxiety

Panic attacks

Bereavement

Separation or divorce

Affairs

Communication

Life stages

Work stress

Family Conflict

Sexual identity

Redundancy

Self harm

Childhood abuse

Trauma

Self esteem

Self identity

What to Expect

Counselling is a very personal process where you have the opportunity to express and reflect on your thoughts and feelings. This is done within a supportive, confidential and non-judgemental relationship that you develop with your counsellor. For some people being truly heard and understood is, in itself, very meaningful. For others, identifying areas in their lives they wish to change and using counselling to help achieve this, can be liberating. Other people may attend counselling because they feel out of sorts but are not really sure why this is. Having time to explore this can be just what is needed.

Counselling is also about having a better understanding of yourself and learning about your own coping resources, so that in the future you will know the sorts of things you can do to support yourself should problems arise.

However, counselling is often not an easy process as sometimes it is necessary to talk about painful feelings or difficult decisions, so you may go through a period of feeling worse than when you started. These are common and natural feelings and for those who can work through this with their counsellor's support usually find it is well worth the effort.

Confidentiality

Counselling is confidential, however there are limitations to confidentiality that are particular to the field of counselling and I will explain these fully during the initial appointment. I will also provide written information setting out the terms of confidentiality for you to take with you following the first session as well as a privacy statement which you can also access via the link at the footer of each web page.

Session Information

The initial session of up to 30 minutes is free of charge with no obligation on either side. Fees for any further appointments will be charged at £50 each for individual clients receiving a 50 minute session. I ask that payment be made by cash or cheque at the end of each session or by direct bank transfer within 24 hours of the appointment. Discount is available for trainee counsellors. Missed sessions will be charged for at 50% of the full fee unless at least 24 hours notice is given. Prices will be reviewed annually in April.

About Vicky

I have a BSc.(HONS) degree in Psychology from the University of Hertfordshire. I began my counselling training in 1995 at the same university, taking a 3 year course to gain a Certificate and a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling.


Throughout my counselling training I was also employed by the NHS and worked in a specialist in-patient unit for adolescents, supporting the therapeutic group work that the young people were offered.


I moved to Hampshire in 1999 and worked briefly for Social Services with children in care before taking a counselling post at a College of Further and Higher Education. For 8 years I was responsible for the counselling provision at the college, offering individual counselling, working with groups of students and providing staff consultations.

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Since 2008 I have been employed by a local university to provide individual counselling to the student community which in the past included staff . I therefore have extensive experience of working with a wide range of adults in terms of age, culture and ethnicity. I have also provided psycho-educational workshops on the subjects of how to manage exam anxiety and relaxation. I completed the Westminster Pastoral Foundation Certificate in Supervision in 2009 and provide counselling supervision to volunteer counsellors on placement at the University.


I have also undertaken training in Counselling Couples and have been awarded a Certificate In Couples Counselling by Basingstoke Counselling Service. I currently do not offer Couples Counselling within my private practice but I find that this training informs my work with individual clients who wish to discuss relationship issues.


In 2021 I completed training as a Mindfulness Teacher and find that this can be helpful for some of my clients who are wanting to be more present in their lives.


I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), which is a professional body that sets the standards for good and ethical therapeutic practice. I am also a UKRC Registered Independent Counsellor.


Other trainings I have undertaken include: Solution Focused Brief Therapy; Transgender Awareness; supporting survivors of childhood and sexual abuse; Mindfulness; Understanding Self Harm and Self Esteem, Assessing Risk, Basic Techniques in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (I am not a qualified DBT Therapist), Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), How to Provide Online Counselling, to name but a few.

Vicky's Approach

I work as an Integrative Counsellor, as I have integrated various counselling theory and techniques in to my work as I have developed professionally.


My core way of working is client-centred and therefore it is very important that I am able to listen to you without judgment, and as far as possible, understand how you are experiencing your situation. It is also important that we find a way of working together that suits you and your needs and therefore other theory or approaches I am able to use include: Psychodynamic, Cognitive Behavioural Techniques, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Mindfulness. We can discuss any of these approaches in more detail during the initial session and generally how we can work together in a way that is helpful to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

How confidential is what I discuss with you?

What you discuss with me in your counselling is confidential, however there are some limitations to confidentiality that I will explain fully should we meet. You can also access my Privacy Statement by clicking here.

How long is a session?

The initial session is for 30 minutes and is free of charge. Any further sessions are 50 minutes long.

How often would I need to come?

Most people attend once per week, however this can be less frequent depending on your needs.

What would happen in the first session?

The initial session is an opportunity to see if we both feel comfortable working together, we will look at why you are wanting counselling and what you are wanting to achieve from therapy. Following this session it is often a good idea to take a few days to think about whether you would like to continue and contact me again should you wish.

Can I stop at any time?

The simple answer is yes of course. However it is helpful to bear in mind that therapy is a very personal process and sometimes it is necessary to talk about painful feelings or difficult decisions, so you may go through a period of feeling worse than when you started. Although this is common and natural it may feel hard to continue but is usually worth the effort if you can.

How much will it cost?

The initial session of up to 30 minutes is free of charge with no obligation on either side. Fees for any further appointments will be charged at £50 each per 50 minute appointment. I ask for payment to be made by cash or cheque at the end of each session or by direct bank transfer within 24 hours of the appointment. Missed sessions will be charged for at 50% of the full fee unless at least 24 hours notice of cancellation is given. Prices are reviewed annually in April.

Counselling Supervision

How I work as a Supervisor

Unfortunately I do not have any available appointments for supervision in the foreseeable future.


I offer supervision to both trainee and qualified counsellors. I aim to provide a contained space within which I can support, encourage and if appropriate challenge the client work of the supervisee. I hope in turn the supervisee will feel able to question their counselling practice in order to develop their therapeutic competence.


I offer supervision on short and long term counselling work with individual clients. I have a working knowledge of both psychodynamic and client-centred counselling theory and would also consider supervising practitioners from other humanistic backgrounds.


Qualification and Experience

I completed the Westminster Pastoral Foundation Certificate in Supervision in 2009 and since 2008 have provided counselling supervision to volunteer counsellors on placement at a local university.


If you would like to know more about the way I work, please do contact me so that we can arrange an initial meeting. This first meeting is free of charge, to find out if we are able to work together and there would be no obligation on either side. If we did decide to meet for further supervision sessions these would be charged at £50 per hour.

Get in Touch

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact me using the email contact form.


Alternatively if you would prefer to leave your details by telephone, you can do so by calling me on 07581 036 544. Please leave your name and a contact number, I will be happy to answer any queries you may have and will contact you within a couple of days.


I am also registered on the online counselling directory, so you may wish to view my details there. Just click here to visit the Counselling Directory.

Client Downloads

If you need copies of any of these handouts, you are welcome to download them from here. Print a copy if you wish or save them to your iPad or tablet.


©Vicky Chalk

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