Rate Amanda Reynolds

I specialise in anxiety, depression, stress and overwhelm, plus low self-esteem and neuro-diversity, I work alongside you in our therapy sessions at your pace. I also work with sexual trauma, and panic attacks. Therapy can bring hope and change and I am here to support and empower you.

I believe that you are the expert of your story and that you have many strengths that will assist you in overcoming things that challenge you. It takes courage to seek out a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps towards a change. I am here to support and empower you in that journey.

I am a calm open and honest person, and I will bring myself into our counselling space in this way. I offer a non-judgemental, safe and quiet space for you to talk and be heard. I understand you may know something is wrong but might not be sure what it is, or feel like you struggle each day with anxiety and low moods and are uncertain how to change it. This can lead to a feeling of exhaustion, burnout and overwhelm with a sense of not knowing where to start or how to stop something from happening. I can help you with this.

I’m a professional member of the BACP registered in the UK, and I’m registered with the International Commissioners Office (ICO), the UK’s independent regulator for data protection. I value your confidentiality and treat all my clients with respect, and compassion.

Who I work with

I work with lots of people who are distressed and experiencing many things such as anxiety, depression, ADHD, neuro-diverse challenges, and low self esteem. And I also work with people who have experienced childhood sexual or emotional and physical abuse, abuse by partners or family and trauma. I work with professionals and parents who feel they have hit burnout and find day to day living overwhelming and feel absolutely exhausted.

Or clients who are struggling to communicate with their families and friends and are uncertain how to improve things.

Counselling can change lives. It’s not a dramatic quick fix, although at times it can really shift you into a new awareness that helps you. It brings hope, change and a new confidence to who you are. It can reconnect you with your real self and give you the skills to find your own voice and make changes to your life that are for the better.

How I work

My professional training and experience means I believe you are the expert of you and that when you gain an understanding of what is going on for you through our sessions together, this will help you to gain confidence, recognise your own needs, learn to value yourself and find your own voice, and that you can change your life for the better.

My person-centred, humanistic approach means. My approach focuses on you as a whole person and considers the social environment that has shaped you and the outside world that might be imposing upon you causing you feelings of oppression, shame or guilt, regret, and loss.

I can offer you various techniques to facilitate you in your distress and support you in exploring your difficult and challenging emotions.

I often teach grounding techniques and find these particular successful and I have an interest in exploring how your emotions and experiences may sit in your body and how that may affect you or help you to look for certain triggers to certain situations or people.

I also offer psycho-education tips and knowledge if you would like them, so you can understand why or what drives certain behaviours you might have that you wish to change, or do more of.

At times I may work with you in a gentle, trauma-informed way to enable you to understand past events that may be creeping up on you and into your thoughts. I will walk beside you and stay and support you when we explore your dark shadows together as well as the lighter and more positive aspects of your life.

First sessions and what to expect

You don’t lie on a couch or get asked to do anything odd or like you’re in drama class again. We sit together and talk. I use my training to support you and help you to feel safe so we can explore the difficulties you are facing from your past or present or for future uncertainty.

I will ask you a few more questions so we can explore and identify what it feels like to be you, in your world and we will discuss what your hopes or goals are for counselling. We will talk about how you like to process information and how you will prefer to work with me.

I don’t make you do or say anything you do not want to and you are not expected to behave in any certain way, just try to be your true self. Who you are, and being able to be your true self is going to be really useful for you to get the most out of your sessions and for our relationship to work well for you. Being able to be open and honest will really help move your sessions forward in a positive way.

Your counselling is all about you and you are always in control, we always work at your chosen pace and when we have a good and trusting relationship together I may also gently challenge you so we can keep on track to your counselling goals, and your sessions continue to benefit you until you feel ready to end.

Training Qualifications and Experience

Understanding Autism

When neuro-diversity meets diversity.

NAS Good practice guidelines.

IHASCO Equality, diversity and inclusion.

Trauma and the body

Depression through the lens of the penny model.

Menopause awareness.

Exploring suicidal risk with clients.

The dynamics of attachment in adult life.

IHASCO Safeguarding adults.

Statutory mental health services.

IHASCO Cyber security awareness.