Alison Hedger, BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP #387974

My name is Ali, and I am an Integrative Therapist, which, put simply, means that I have a number of approaches that I intertwine so that I can tailor to your specific needs as a client. My personal philosophy in therapy is that you have all the answers within you, and have the power to find your own solutions or way forward with your struggles, but I am there alongside you to help you untangle your story and your feelings about things, to connect to your emotions. Together, we can work to uncover what you need to figure out. I work primarily in a person-centred way, which means that you bring your 'agenda' to the session. You know what is most important to talk about from session to session, so we work with whatever you choose. From there, I will draw on other tools that I feel could help you in your journey with me.

I trained In Humanistic Integrative counselling over a course of six years and have worked in a clinical setting since February 2019, and in that time, I have worked with many adults of all ages needing to explore a number of issues ranging from anything from mild mental health struggles through to suicidal feelings, and those in crisis. Anxiety or depression, for example, can be a symptom that appears when we are going through such troubles, and I have a great deal of experience in taking a look at that and what could be underneath. I have also worked with relationship struggles, including friendships, family, and also romantic relationships and marriage issues. My underlying focus in therapy is to help you to connect back to you again, which can often be lost in all the issues that have begun to take over in your life. Identity and sense of self is such an important element to how we feel in ourselves, and I have become accustomed to being able to work with this and to support you in finding your authenticity so that you can flourish as who you are and who you want to be, and make decisions that align with what you need.

I place great importance in working with compassion, non-judgement and allowing you the time and space you need to reflect on what we talk about, and how you might start taking that out into your daily life. I will also help you look at your past if this seems right, so you can understand yourself better and how you came to be in the present time. All of this can assist in you moving forward in a positive way for you, and for finding clarity in where you are.