Welcome To
The Den
Counselling and Psychotherapy
Creating a refuge to build well-being
In the South of Swindon
About The Den
A Den is a space that you build to give yourself a refuge. It may be used to get away, or to claim some space that is your own, it offers privacy, and is a place where you can just be you without the weight of other's expectations.
This is what we create together at The Den; a safe space where you can feel understood, gain emotional support, and explore your mental well-being free from judgement and societal pressure. A place where you can develop in your own time and in your own way.
Page Contents:
- About Therapy
- About My Clients
- About Me
- My Specialisms
- The Where and When of Therapy at The Den
- Fees
- Counselling or Psychotherapy?
- Schools Work
- Public Speaking and Workshops
- Blog
- Social Media
About Therapy
Counselling and Psychotherapy offers you the opportunity to reflect on your experiences and to build awareness and insight into what makes you tick. It can help you to solidify and understand your own story, which in turn helps you to make sense of what you are experiencing in the here and now.
There are hundreds of ways to go about this journey, but the most important factor in all of them is the relationship that we build together. I am not here to tell you what to do, or to assume what your experiences have meant for you. We are on this journey together, and together we will learn about you. I will support you to understand yourself, to process any issues that you are struggling with, and to find your own solutions if you’re looking for any.
I am trained in multiple counselling theories, and I integrate all of them into my practice. What this means for you is that we will, or can, work together in a variety of ways according to what is beneficial to you and your process. The basis of the work is talking, but we might also be creative or playful. We might use stones or figures to create representations that deepen our understandings, or we might imagine conversations and find preferred ways for them to go. We might focus on the present moment and notice our sensations and wandering mind, or we might look to the past and wonder how that affects us now. There may be drawing or play dough, or there may not! Each client is individual, so each process is individual too. It’s all about you.
Sessions are 50 minutes and generally take place on the same day and time each week.
My Clients
Young People
I am an experienced Young Person’s therapist and I feel passionate about this work. I can offer therapy sessions to young people of secondary school age and above
Adults
My core training is in adult therapy, and I absolutely love my work with adults
About me
My name is Lorna, and for those who like to know the technical bit, I am a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor trained in integrative practice using the Gestalt, Psychodynamic, and Person-Centred theories.
But I’d like to tell you a little more about myself than that.
The Den is based in south Swindon and was originally created out of my passion to open conversations around mental well-being and to work towards a healthier society by normalising the expression and understanding of emotion.
Prior to becoming a therapist, I did this through being a support worker to children and their families. I saw first-hand the damage that we all do to ourselves daily by suppressing our feelings, trying to 'fit', 'not making a fuss', and how we pick up these patterns of behaviour from a young age, simply because that is how our society operates. This sparked the transition from support work to therapy (following extensive training of course) but to this day, I remain passionate about supporting people to express themselves, and changing the world a little bit at a time.
I’d also like to share with you that I am neurodivergent, and from a neurodivergent family. I share this because I believe that what this gives me is the ability to offer an open and welcoming practice in which you can feel free to be just exactly who you are, however ‘different’ you may feel, neurodivergent or not.
At A Glance
- Master's Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Accredited Member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society
- Trained in integrative practice combining the Gestalt, Psychodynamic, and Person-Centred theories
- Neurodivergent therapist offering neurodivergent affirmative practice
- Experienced in working with both adults and young people
- Specialist knowledge of High Control Groups and Thought Reform
- Public speaker and workshop leader
- Particular experience and interest in supporting the families of neurodivergent individuals
- Swindon based
Specialisms
Young People
Working with Young People is a specialism in itself.
I have worked with young people for many years, including being a therapist at a Youth Counselling Service.
As a young person's therapist, it is important to honour the client's autonomy and reduce the power imbalance as much as possible, whilst also maintaining the boundaries designed to keep them safe.
I have extensive knowledge and practice in safeguarding and I understand what is required of me by law to protect both the young person's confidentiality and their safety.
I can work in a variety of creative ways to support young people to express themselves.
Most importantly, I am deeply connected with my inner young person, allowing me to connect with the perspective of the young people that I work with, remembering how I felt about the inequalities of youth.
Young people are people, I will connect with you as such. I do not work in an adult to child dynamic, but a person to person one.
Neurodivergence
I have worked extensively with neurodivergence, and over the years, likely as a result of my own neurodivergence, this has become one of my special interests. I have spent uncountable hours researching and training in neurodivergence, and my own lived experience, both as a neurodivergent person and from living in a neurodivergent family, has enhanced the knowledge that I have gained.
Some people choose a neurodivergent affirmative therapist because they are processing a recent diagnosis, or because they are beginning to wonder about their neurotype and want to explore that further. It could also be that you are living with or supporting a neurodivergent person. Often though, the reason for coming to therapy is not related to neurodivergence at all, but having a therapist who understands you and yet treats you as an individual without making assumptions, can help to make the therapeutic space feel safer and much more comfortable. I am deeply aware that every neurodivergent experience is different, and while there may be some commonalities, we are still all individuals. I value you for who you are, as you are.
High Control Groups
Having been a member of several controlling organisations myself, I chose to study this phenomenon in more depth, completing a research study into how coercive control and thought reform happens on a group level and how these tactics are infiltrating the mainstream. I have worked with people who have left a wide range of organisations, and I’m part of a network of therapists who are focused on supporting those who have experienced control in groups. You may be surprised how widespread this issue is; control can be experienced in a job, a faith organisation, a well-being group, an education establishment, a hobby group, in fact in any group setting! Moving on from a group or organisation like this can leave you confused and scared, you can feel guilty even though you also feel the group was bad for you. It can be extremely damaging to your self-esteem as you begin to question your choices and the reality of your experience. It can also mean you are isolated now that you have left behind important people who remain in the group. Exploring and reflecting on your group experience with a therapist who understands can help you to make sense of these complicated feelings.
Where and When
Sessions take place in The Den, which is a cosy garden room in south Swindon.
The Den is set away from the surrounding buildings, with its own entrance way. The seating includes a sofa and a chair, enabling you to choose whichever is the most comfortable position for you.
Unfortunately, there is a small step up into The Den, and the doorway would not be wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. If this presents an access issue for you, I would be happy to discuss providing online sessions or bringing The Den experience to you in your home. Please feel free to approach me about this.
There is also no toilet in The Den. If necessary, it may be possible to use the toilet in the house.
There is free parking available, with a parking bay immediately at the entrance, and a car park across the road if the bay is full.
I currently offer sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
in the late afternoon and evening
To see my up to date availability please click the Availability Calendar button, which will take you to my booking site.
Fees
As I mentioned above, the most important factor in the therapeutic process is the relationship that you have with the therapist. It’s definitely worth visiting a few therapists to get a feel for them and to work out who you feel most comfortable with – we’re not offended by this! It’s all part of the process.
Therefore, I start by offering a 30-minute consultation, if you would like one. This is a chance for us to get to know each other, for you to get a feel for how I work, and to tell me a little about yourself and what you’re looking for from therapy.
Ongoing sessions are 50 minutes and take place weekly, generally in the same appointment slot each week. There is no minimum or maximum number of sessions, we will work according to your needs.
There may come a time when you would like me to write a letter or a report for you. This is a particularly individual occurrence, and usually arises in very specific circumstances. If there is any administration type work that you ask me to do outside of session times, this will be invoiced as an administration fee.
30-minute consultation - £25
Ongoing sessions - £55 per session
Administration - £25 per hour or part thereof
If you would like to, you can book a 30-minute consultation online. Simply click the button below which will open my booking calendar. Alternatively you can send me a message or drop me an email.
Ethos for Access to Support
It has always been my ultimate aim to provide free therapy and/or support work to children and young people. While this is not yet achievable as a blanket policy, I am still keen that no one should be excluded from support due to finance.
If you are looking for support for a child/young person, or you are a parent looking for support while you are supporting a neurodivergent child, but you feel the fees listed above are genuinely beyond your means, please get in touch so that we can discuss a plan that would be achievable for us both.
Can You Help Me Achieve The Goal?
While I would love to be able to support people for free all of the time, that is not a viable option for me. There are essential costs associated with providing a service that need to be covered, which of course run alongside my living costs and the costs of my on going professional development.
If you would like to help me achieve my goal of making mental well-being support available to all children and young people, you can make a donation through my BuyMeACoffee page here:
Counselling or Psychotherapy?
Details about this are coming soon
Services For Schools
From targeted mentoring to emotional literacy groups, and from whole class wellbeing sessions to staff retreat days, below are a number of services designed to support your school
However, each school is unique
Therefore, I am very happy to discuss your particular needs with you, and tailor the work in order to provide the best mental wellbeing support for your students, families, and staff
Year 6 Transition Workshop
In this special session, I create an oasis of peace and calm where the children will reflect on their journey.
The session is designed to help them to find their confidence and courage to manage the move to secondary school by utilising a range of creative activities which are undertaken independently.
After looking at their past, present, and future through the lens of gratitude, resilience, friendship, and identity, they will have an opportunity to discuss their fears and excitement about moving on to secondary school, helping them to recognise that they are not alone in their feelings.
Reflection Space Workshop
This workshop can be held with children and young people of any age.
Using creative activities, graffiti posters, and open, age appropriate discussion, the participants will be encouraged to reflect on their feelings, beliefs, and opinions, and learn to respectfully accept the differing opinions of others.
The standard session is designed to reflect on identity and individuality, but it can easily be tailored to specific topics.
It may be you have a class that are processing a big life event such as a death, or perhaps you are learning about politics, or ethics, or maybe younger ones are learning about respect. This workshop can help students reflect in a meaningful way and find their own understanding of the subject.
Friendship Workshop
Ideal for groups who are experiencing continued conflict, this session will help children develop empathy, build communication skills, learn some conflict resolution, and feel better equipped to manage their friendships.
We will use drama, games, discussion, and creative activities to enable the children to feel confident to be themselves, while respecting the individuality of their friends, helping them all to find their way to being together happily.
The workshop can be a longer one off session, or shorter weekly sessions for a fixed period, as required.
Courses for Parents
The course
Five Ways - Improving Mental Wellbeing is an ideal course to offer to your parents.
A five week course where each week is dedicated to looking at one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, reflecting on it's place in the participants own life, completing an activity that would fill the brief of the week, and thinking about how participants can integrate it into their life in the future.
Especially for schools, I include the option to bring the participant's child into the session for a final activity that parent and child can do together, modelling improving mental wellbeing as a family endeavour.
Life Stories is an adult course which can also be offered to parents as a means of improving wellbeing, self confidence, and communication. The children would not be included in this course.
Five Ways to Wellbeing Workshop
In this workshop I introduce children and young people to the Five Ways to Wellbeing, in a shortened version of the Five Ways adult course.
Participants are encouraged to think about their own current wellbeing, we'll learn about the mental health spectrum and the importance of working to maintain good mental health.
A series of activities will enable participants to experience each of the Five Ways and to leave feeling empowered in their own mental wellbeing.
For students in Keystage four and five, you may wish to consider the course format rather than the workshop.
Staff Retreats
Have you considered using some of your staff development time for self-care and reflection?
People who support others need to be supported themselves, it's a well known saying that you cannot pour from an empty cup.
A retreat session can help staff to refill their 'cup', enabling them to remain ready and able to support your students and families to the best of their ability.
We can include professional reflection, work/life balance reflection, establish strategies to promote calmness and combat stress day to day, and importantly, find some time to just breath. Taking the time to just 'be' and remember who you are without all the busy-ness, helping you to carry that identity with you as you go back to the working world.
Mentoring and Individual Support
I am available to offer one-to-one support to students who you feel would benefit from mentoring or listening time with an external adult. There could be lots of things that we would do with this time, I would first need to meet the student and learn their needs in order to understand targets and design appropriate activities for each individual. I am happy to discuss this with you in detail.
Fees for my school services will depend on number of participants, the resources required, and the time allowed for sessions. This will be discussed with you when you contact me and I will then provide you with a quote based on your needs before you commit. To enquire further about my services or to get a quote for sessions, click the button below:
Corporate Services
Public Speaking
Details are coming soon
Workshops
Details are coming soon
Thoughts from The Den
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