Alison Skilbeck Counselling
You may find it difficult to talk fully and honestly to friends or family about difficulties you’re facing in your life - maybe you feel you’ll be burdening them, or that they won’t understand, or might judge you. It can be a huge relief, then, to talk to a therapist who listens with empathy and understanding- someone you can feel free to be totally open with.
If you decide to work with me it will be rather like setting out on a journey together. On that journey I’ll be your fellow traveller, companion and guide. Whether or not your reason for coming to see me is an external situation that’s impacting on your life, a key part of our time together will be to explore your inner world. As we explore that world together you may develop greater insight into patterns of thought and behaviour that served you once but now limit you; you may find alternative ways of approaching difficulties; you may discover ways of being in the world that are more in tune with who you truly are.
Whether we decide to meet online, by phone or in person, I offer you a safe space in which to explore the issues that have prompted you to seek counselling - a space where you can say it as it is without fear of being judged or being a burden - a space where you can explore ways of making sense of the world and your place in it - a space where maybe you will find ways of coming home to your true nature.
Here are some of the issues I have helped clients explore:
depression, anxiety, stress, self esteem, self-development, bereavement, loss, anger, family relationships, relationships with partners, parenthood, being a carer, work-related problems, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, health-related issues, spirituality, search for meaning.
“To thine own self be true.”
William Shakespeare
“People are just as wonderful as sunsets if you let them be. When I look at a sunset I don’t find myself saying, ‘Soften the bit on the right hand corner.’ I don’t try to control a sunset. I watch with awe as it unfolds.”
Carl Rogers
About me
I hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling. My three years of training, accredited by the BACP (the British Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors) was at the Psychosynthesis Trust in London.
I have a background in education, and trained a few years ago with the Mindfulness in Schools Project to teach mindfulness to children and teenagers. I have found the practice of mindfulness to be invaluable in my own life and often include elements of this in my work as a counsellor. Attending an All-party Parliamentary Group hearing at Westminster on “Mindfulness, Ageing well and Older People” in 2019 reinforced my belief in the benefits of mindfulness at all stages of life, and I have seen how it has enriched the lives of several of my clients, from young adults to a client in her nineties.
As well as my private practice I have worked as a volunteer counsellor for two charities - Care for the Carers, a Sussex-based organisation that offers free counselling to unpaid carers, and Counselling Plus Community, a low cost counselling service in Hastings. I am currently part of a steering group which is helping to develop an “Exploring Anxiety” project run by the Psychosynthesis Trust, London, as well as occasionally assisting with training there.
I am based on the south coast, in Eastbourne, and offer sessions in person, on Zoom or FaceTime, or by phone.
I take clients from the age of 16.
Email me to arrange a time for a free initial consultation, which will be online or by phone.