Welcome to Space for Yourself
The Individual Counselling Service of Clare Byrne
Space for Yourself is about offering a positive, supportive service for people who feel they want help to resolve personal issues or to change something about their lives.
- Space to express
- Space to be understood
- Space to explore
- Space to understand
- Space to move forward
My background is in psychology, where I have six years experience working in forensic settings. I continue to practice as a forensic psychologist.
I completed a 3 year Diploma of Higher Education in Counselling with the Belfast Metropolitan College.
I am a full member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and the British Psychological Society.
Hello, my name is Dr Clare Byrne (C.Psychol. MBACP)
Qualifications and Experience
- Registered as a Chartered Psychologist since October 2004.
- Registered as Chartered Forensic Psychologist since April 2005.
- Diploma of Higher Education in Counselling (2007).
- Full member of BACP since October 2007.
- Over 200 hours experience of providing personal counselling, under supervision.
- Currently working towards Accreditation as a Counsellor with the BACP.
Approach to Counselling Practice
I take an integrative approach to counselling. This means that I draw on theories and skills from a range of different approaches in a coordinated way when working with counselling clients.
The main approach that informs my work is the person-centred approach to counselling. This means I believe that all people have the capacity to grow and develop in positive ways, and that the most important part of counselling is the experience of working with someone in a relationship where you are completely and genuinely accepted and valued as you are. I also draw on ideas and strategies from other counselling approaches too. For example, I have training and experience in the area of cognitive-behavioural therapy and I draw on this approach where appropriate in work with clients.
"I work with people, not problems"
I have training and experience in a range of areas through my practice as a Counsellor and as a Psychologist. But in real life, people are much more than any one issue, experience, or pattern of thinking. And this is how I approach counselling: from the point of view that every client is a whole person to be valued as they are, no matter what is going on for them.
Each person has their own unique needs and expectations of counselling. I aim to work alongside each client, supporting and enabling them to work through their difficulties in a way that suits them. At the same time, I am true to myself by bringing my own unique skills and personality into the counselling relationship too.
Experience and Interests
Areas that I have experience of include:
- Motivation
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mindfulness
- Anger
- Trauma
- Violence
- Domestic Violence
- Personality Disorder
- Group based Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy
Ethical and Professional Practice
Regular professional supervision ensures that my counselling work is of a high standard and will meet my clients needs in the most appropriate way for them.
Regular evaluation and feedback ensures that I am well informed about how well I am meeting my clients needs and that I can keep on improving what I do.
My counselling work is guided by the BACP Ethical Framework for Counselling and Psychotherapy.
This framework aims to make sure that all counsellors work to a high professional standard, respecting the rights and working to promote the wellbeing of people who seek help from counsellors and psychotherapists.
I also work to the British Psychological Society's Code of Ethics and Conduct.
But anyway, enough about me. This is about you.
A simple breakdown of the service I offer
Making Contact
The best place to start is to get in touch with me to find out more about my service and help you decide whether this will be for you. I can provide some general information by email, phone, post, or face to face during our initial meeting.
First Meeting
Before starting any counselling work, I meet all clients for a free first meeting. This gives us both the opportunity to talk about what you want for yourself and the service I provide. Then you can decide if you want to go ahead with the counselling in your own time.
Counselling Sessions
At the outset of counselling, we will agree when and how often we will meet and set up a basic agreement about how we are going to work together.
Counselling sessions usually take place the same time each week and last for about 50 minutes. However, for some people flexibility is important too and if this does not suit you, we might agree an alternative way of working that will suit us both.
How long does counselling last for?
This will be different for everyone, and will depend on what you want, the issues you bring to counselling, and what happens during the counselling.
Some people find that they only need one or two sessions, e.g. to have the opportunity get something in particular off their chest. For others it can be a few weeks or a few months. Other people continue counselling over a longer period of time, if this is appropriate for them.
Often it is a case of finishing the counselling work once you feel you have got what you wanted out of it.
We will discuss our expectations about this before we start working together, and then we will review how things are going at regular intervals while the counselling is ongoing.
Cost
The cost is £45 per session.
Professional Supervision
All of the counselling work I undertake is supervised by an accredited counselling supervisor. The supervisor supports and advises me to ensure that I can practice to a high professional and ethical standard. This is something that we will talk about at our first meeting.
Space for Yourself is Located in the Heart of Belfast
I am situated at......
Cathedral House
23-31 Waring Street
Belfast
BT1 2DX
Whether it's simply to get things of your chest or to make sense of something going on in your life get in touch to arrange an appointment.
Or alternatively fill out the below form an send it to me.
Some professional bodies and self-help resources which may be of use to you.