Suzanne O'Leary

Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

Post Graduate Diploma Person-Centred Counselling

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Therapists

I support people with a range of issues including hopelessness, anxiety, depression, loneliness, relationship difficulties, loss, bereavement and trauma. It can feel very isolating to struggle with life’s challenges but you are not alone and I will be alongside you to help find a way through. I offer a safe space in which to feel heard and understood so that you can identify and explore troubling thoughts, feelings and behaviours without judgement and tap into your own resources to find a way to navigate through what is troubling you. I will aim to help you to build your confidence, self-acceptance and resilience to get through life’s challenges.

AbuseAdoption IssuesAnxietyAttachment TheoryBereavementBody Image IssuesCareer CounselingCodependencyDepressionDivorceDomestic AbuseFeministGender IdentityHistorical TraumaInfertilityInterpersonalLoss or GriefMindfulness-basedPanicParentingPersonal GrowthPolitical ClimatePostpartumPremarital CounselingPTSDRelationalSelf-EsteemSexual AbuseTraumaWomen’s Issues

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 trusting therapeutic relationship, a person can begin to heal from trauma, fear and pain and re-build a sense of self-worth, safety and trust in themselves and their interactions with others. Life’s chaos, uncertainty and complexities mean that all too often we lose our sense of self and feel like we have lost direction, clarity, connection and motivation. Perhaps bereavement, job loss, unhealthy or unsafe relationships, your inner critic, unresolved trauma – or something unspecific – has meant that you no longer enjoy life and feel a sense that things are not quite right. Counselling can almost be understood, not as ‘fixing’ anything, but as a peeling away, and making sense of, the layers that cause us to feel ashamed, alienated and distanced from our inner being and in that way, it can be seen as returning to our authentic sense of self, or even a home-coming. Using an integrative style in my client work, including narrative therapy, transactional analysis and compassion focussed therapy, I base my approach in the core values of empathy and acceptance and trust that we all have the inner wisdom and resources that we need to lead happy and fulfilling lives. My role is to facilitate an exploration of your world at your own pace and guide you towards a path that feels more in allignment with the life you hope for.

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.

Client Type
Type of Session
Long Term (Face to Face)Short Term (Face to Face)
Location(s)

Church Road Hove

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