Rebecca Lazaro, BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP #402384

Hi, I'm Rebecca Lazaro, I'm an Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor. My type of therapy is Person-Centred which means I regard you as an individual with unique experiences that have shaped your life, and my role is to help you make sense of your thoughts, feelings, behaviours and experiences and to empower your authentic self.

Sessions with me are about talking to an unbiased professional, someone trained to listen without prejudice, who can provide a safe, confidential space where you are free to express yourself, accepted for who you are, so that you can process your difficult thoughts and feelings about your life situations.

You can bring all the worries on your mind and issues that trouble you, past, present or future, with no judgements or expectations from me. You have control of directing the content and pace of your processing throughout our sessions. Through exploring together, I will focus on feelings, pick up on beliefs, notice themes, and gently challenge you to shine a light on the unlit areas.

In my Person-Centred approach, the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client is one based on trust and equality, that is, you and I are two people working together on the same level, there is no power imbalance between us. I work therapeutically beside you, I offer you my empathy and understanding, my total acceptance of your experience to empower you to develop the confidence to find your own way forward. As your therapist, I offer you a therapeutic relationship in which you feel safe and trusting enough to be open and honest about your difficult feelings and emotions.

Some clients come to therapy expecting to be told what to do, given solutions to solve their problems quickly, please feel free to search for a CBT therapist if that’s what you are seeking. Person-Centred Therapy is a longer-term process, in that it takes time to make lasting changes to your personality and behaviours, and while each client goes at their own pace, at least 8 sessions are recommended for the therapeutic process to be effective. By understanding yourself better you can discover your own solutions which work best for you and are more likely to ‘stick’ in the long-run.

Dependent on your issues, I may offer information from other therapy approaches and theories to help you identify your attachment styles and patterns that play out in your relationships, reflect on adverse childhood experiences, process unresolved trauma stored in the body, recognise triggers in the present that are connected to past events, offer insights into how the nervous system regulates and dysregulates our emotions, and generally consider alternative perspectives that might help to increase your self-awareness of unconscious behaviours in order to make conscious choices and changes for your future.

Background:
I have 20+yrs experience as a mental health support worker for adults and young people in clinical and residential settings, supporting people with depression, anxiety, PTSD and complex trauma, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, personality disorders, self-harm, and eating disorders. My last employed position was an addiction recovery counsellor in a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre where I held weekly individual and group therapy sessions. I am mixed race and also a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Qualifications and Training:
BA (Hons) Degree in Psychology
Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
Diploma in Social Care: Child Development
Certificate in Emotion-Focused Therapy for Couples
Certificate in Trauma-Informed Practice
Certificate in Somatic Therapy for Complex Trauma
Certificate in Family & Relationship Therapy
Certificate in Grief Therapy
Certificate in Addiction & Co-dependence
Certificate in Emotions & Emotional Disorders
Certificate in Counselling Studies
Certificate in Counselling Skills
Online & Telephone Counselling
Unconscious bias
Safeguarding Adults
UK GDPR

Professional Membership:
I am a Registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and adhere to their standards for ethical practice, am bound by and accountable to their conduct procedures to ensure I work in the best interest of each client.