Poppy Counselling Services
About Poppy Counselling Services
Recognising you need help is the first step to making a change for the better.
My name is Donna, welcome to Poppy Counselling services.
I am qualified counsellor and nurse.
My core approach with counselling, is person centred but I am also able to use skills and methods from an integrative perspective offering you many ways in which to explore what is happening for you.
My experience in caring for both physical and mental health over many years, I offer a unique perspective understanding the challenges our physical health has on our mental health.
I also understand how difficult it has been for healthcare professionals working through the pandemic as I have that shared experience.
I am passionate about respecting all and take care to recognise and understand the diversity of us all, being unique individuals. We are individuals deserving the care and consideration of our uniqueness.
The focus is on your mental well-being, helping you to change and grow in what ever way you feel you need.
What I offer is a space where you feel safe and welcome, to talk about how you are feeling.
A place where you can be yourself and where you are respected, without judgement for you to explore your true feelings.
I also offer online therapy, it allows freedom to choose the right therapist no matter where you are in the country.
Depression, Stress & Anxiety
Life can be difficult where you might not be able to see the sun through the clouds & it seems so very far away.
Talking to a counsellor in a safe space where you can explore your feelings to find a better understanding of yourself, Exploring the experiences you have had to make sense of these often traumatic life events can help you to move forward in a positive way. Counselling is a way of supporting you whilst you work through your feelings.
Relationship & Couples therapy
Maybe you are having problems with your relationships? Struggling to understand your feelings and being able to express what you need. I can help you to work through those emotions and find your way.
I offer couples counselling which allows you the space in which to communicate to one another how you are feeling and work with me to find a way forward that is good for you both.
All of the areas you have read above can affect your mood, cause anxiety and depression.
Being able to express how you feel in a safe space where you aren't judged can help improve your mental health and overall well-being.
To help you with any of these problems I look forward to hearing from you so we can work to move you forward as a happier and stronger person/couple.
Bereavement & Loss
I am an experienced counsellor in bereavement, having volunteered with a local hospice counselling service, helping those who have experienced loss whether its an expected loss of someone or a sudden loss. I can help you to express & understand your feelings.
I also work with people who are living with a life limiting illness which can encompass many different emotions which we can explore together in a safe space.
Loss doesn't always mean that someone you love has died. The end of a relationship or loss of a beloved animal companion can be just as painful.
Talking through your emotions can be helpful to understand what you are going through.
Neurodiverse / non Neuro-typical
Neurodiverse / non Neuro-typical
I am an experienced counsellor experienced in working with young people from 16 and adults of all ages.
I have worked within a secondary school providing support of young people who were non Neuro-typical helping them to understand their feelings about themselves and the world around them.
Being neurodiverse or non neuro-typical can mean it is difficult to understand feelings you are experiencing and of those around you. I can help with working them out and helping you to find ways in which to express yourself and your needs.
Health care professionals
Being an experienced Nurse
working in the NHS, I understand the stress it can cause. Healthcare professionals are always under pressure to perform at their best at all times. Through the pandemic the trauma of working under such pressure seeing our patients die without their loved ones with them has been very difficult. We also lost family, friends and colleagues in the same situation. My experience as a counsellor with loss and bereavement can help you with your feelings.
Many healthcare professionals are struggling with compassion fatigue and PTSD.
Because of my background in healthcare I offer a much deeper level of empathy and understanding for my colleagues.
My experience as a nurse helps me to understand the impact on a person with an ongoing health condition. Or a diagnosis that can mean either life limiting or life changing.
These all have an impact on our mental health.
Finding support when needed the most can have a positive impact on how we cope at these difficult times.
Mental wellbeing when faced with life limiting health condition
A diagnosis of a life limiting or life changing condition that can impact on our mental health
My experience as a nurse offers a unique understanding as a therapist on the impact on you as a person with ongoing health condition. I can also helps family members to understand their emotions on them as well
Finding support when needed the most can have a positive impact on how we cope at these difficult times.
Testimonials
"my counsellor was patient, warm & a great listener. I will be forever grateful to her for all the help she has given me." N
"Donna was just the right person for my partner & I. She gave us equal amounts of attention & respect. She made us feel heard & safe so we were able to effectively use the space to reflect together on our relationship. Thank you, Donna" Anon
"I had previously turned down professional help after not finding the right ‘fit’ having visited other counsellors. Donna offers a warm environment in her home studio and allowed for a welcoming environment where I felt I was able to share my troubles and anxieties. Originally, I contacted Donna due to a family bereavement but I found that I was able to utilise her services to unveil underlying issues which contributed to my overall feeling of anxiety. I wouldn’t have come to understand this without Donna.
I think the hardest part of counselling is often finding the right therapist, reaching out and turning up. I often sat on the fence as to whether I ‘qualified’ for professional help having never been clinically diagnosed and feeling if as though my anxieties were immaterial in relation to others. They were not, they did matter and Donna helped me realise, understand and overcome this feeling.
Look no further than Donna, she is fantastic."
Georgia
"A year of counselling with Donna following a relationship break-up was, and has been one of the best things I ever did for myself. From the depths of personal despair, through her skills of empathy, guidance, listening and challenges of oneself, I have to become a far better, wiser and fulfilled individual, who now understands oneself a great deal more than I once did. Thank you Donna for everything in helping me overcome several traumatic episodes on my life journey 
. Would recommend Donna in an instant for anyone just needing to talk to someone" Anon
My Promise
I promise to work with your best interests at the centre of my practice.
I will endeavour to practice ethically and safely, following the BACP guidelines as I am a registered member.
