Rate Saralea Stewart

Perhaps you understand your patterns, but still find yourself repeating them. You may struggle with relationships, attachment, self-worth, anxiety, difficult emotions, sexuality or identity, or feel that experiences from your past continue to affect the way you feel about yourself and relate to others.

I offer a warm, accepting and non-judgemental space where we can explore not only what is happening for you, but also what may sit underneath it. I am an experienced integrative counsellor with over 14 years of counselling experience, working with adults, young people and teenagers.

A large part of my work focuses on relationships, attachment, identity and self-awareness. I am particularly interested in helping people understand recurring emotional and relationship patterns, develop greater insight into themselves and begin making changes that feel meaningful and sustainable.

I have extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ clients and offer an affirmative, sex-positive and kink-aware approach. I provide a warm, non-judgemental space to explore sexuality, sexual concerns, intimacy, desire, sexual confidence, pornography use, kink, shame, gender and identity, as well as the impact these experiences can have on relationships and self-esteem.

I understand that talking about sex, pornography, sexuality or kink can sometimes feel difficult or embarrassing. My aim is to create a space where you can talk openly and honestly without fear of judgement, while together we explore what is happening for you, understand any underlying patterns and work towards the changes you would like to make.

I also have considerable experience supporting teenagers and young adults. Young people may come to counselling because of anxiety, low self-esteem, identity, family or relationship difficulties, sexuality, school or college pressures, emotional overwhelm or simply because they need somewhere confidential to make sense of what they are experiencing.

I hold a First Class BA (Hons) in Person-Centred Counselling and have over 14 years of counselling experience.

My training and professional development includes:

BA (Hons) Person-Centred Counselling – First Class

BTEC Developing Counselling Skills

Certificate in Solution Focused Counselling

Certificate in Motivational Interviewing

Additional study and training in CBT-informed approaches, mindfulness, focusing, sex and sexuality-related issues, trauma, attachment, and addictive behaviours.

My way of working is person-centred and integrative. This means you remain at the centre of the work, but I can also draw upon different therapeutic ideas and approaches according to what you need. Where helpful, I use psycho-education, gentle challenge, practical strategies and exploration of relationship and attachment patterns rather than expecting you to simply talk while I remain silent.

I believe greater self-understanding can help us recognise why certain patterns developed, what they may once have protected us from, and what we may want to do differently now.

This can be particularly helpful if you are looking for a counsellor who is LGBTQIA+ affirming, sex-positive and kink-aware, or if you would like support around sexuality, identity, relationships, attachment, intimacy or pornography use and have struggled to find the right therapist locally.

Throughout my career I have worked across private practice, education, community services, NHS-related services and Employee Assistance Programmes.

My experience includes counselling NHS-referred clients, working with young people through Centre 33, supporting people with housing and complex life circumstances through Access Community Trust, addiction-related work, and counselling within educational settings.

I spent approximately eight years counselling students in colleges and schools in and around Cambridge and continue to work with teenagers and young adults. This has given me extensive experience supporting young people around anxiety, relationships, family difficulties, identity, self-esteem, sexuality, emotional regulation and the pressures of education and early adulthood.

I have also developed considerable experience working affirmatively with LGBTQIA+ clients and with issues relating to sexuality, gender, intimacy, relationships and identity.

My particular professional interests include attachment and relationship patterns, self-awareness, psycho-education, sexuality and identity, trauma-informed work, and understanding the ways earlier experiences can influence how we relate to ourselves and others.

I am a member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and undertake regular professional supervision and continuing professional development.