Suzanne O'Leary

I am trained as a person-centred counsellor, which is a humanistic approach to therapy, rooted in the idea that within the context of a safe and trusting relationship, a person can begin to heal from painful experiences and re-build a sense of self-worth, safety and trust in themselves and their interactions with others. My therapeutic approach is to offer you a space to make sense of your experiences, and together explore the ways you learnt to cope, or even survive. By telling your story in our own words, you can begin to understand yourself better, which can help to reduce a sense of isolation, shame or self-blame and begin to find new patterns of behaviour. I offer some theory, where appropriate, to help understand why certain patterns of thoughts and behaviours develop, and, as a trauma sensitive yoga teacher, I sometimes suggest embodied practices and coping mechanisms which might support your healing process or ability to cope in the moment.

I have a Post-Graduate Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling from Brighton University as well as a BA in Sociology and an MA in Women’s Studies from Sussex University. I have further training in Transactional Analysis (TA), Attachment, Trauma and Loss. Throughout my career I worked for many years in the charity sector; for Rise, a Sussex based domestic abuse charity, I had roles as a support worker in a women’s refuge, as a young people’s worker and as an outreach worker for older people at risk of abuse. I have also worked as an ISVA (Independent Sexual Violence Advisor) at Survivors Network in Brighton and as a residential social worker for young people in care. I currently teach a weekly Trauma Sensitive Yoga Class at Survivors Network.