Mary Bredin

Hello and wishing you a warm welcome. I am an experienced Â鶹ԭ´´ registered counsellor who has specialised in loss, illness, bereavement and end of life counselling. I have worked for over 30 years with people of all ages, in a variety of settings including the NHS, private practice and hospice care. I have also had my own experience of loss and know only too well how devastating and life changing this can be. It is why I believe so passionately in supporting others facing serious illness, loss and bereavement as I know first hand what a difference such support can make.

Bereavement is often something people suffer and cope with alone and it can be difficult to reach out and admit you need help. This is understandable given that we live in a culture that is typically uncomfortable with talking about death and grief or showing feelings such as anger and guilt that may be less socially acceptable. Although grief is a natural response to loss, for some it can be a totally overwhelming and lonely experience undermining confidence causing depression, anxiety, and exacerbation of mental and physical health problems. Unresolved grief can also impact on existing relationships, work and everyday life making it difficult to cope in the normal ways. At such times it can be helpful to talk with someone outside your usual circle of relationships who understands the landscape of grief and its various manifestations, and who can guide, listen, and help you to develop coping strategies and resources, so you can live with your loss and find meaning in life once more.

I believe that a supportive and meaningful therapeutic relationship is at the heart of any healing work. For me, this is grounded in trust, respect, curiosity, compassion, kindness, and a non-judgemental presence.

I work in an integrative way, drawing on a range of therapeutic approaches to support the whole person — physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. I also hold in mind the wider context of a person’s life, including relationships, culture, and environment, and how these can shape experiences of illness, loss, and change.

Over recent years, my work has grown to include stress management and resilience support, nature-based and vision quest practices, mindfulness, and self-compassion. Where it feels helpful, I gently weave elements of these into my work with clients. I am also an IFS (Internal Family Systems) Level 1–trained therapist and value this model for its respectful and compassionate way of working with our inner world, supporting clients to listen to and trust their own innate healing wisdom.

I offer an initial free 30 minute telephone conversation to talk and together gauge whether or not I am be able to help you. I can also answer more fully any questions you may have about my therapy and how I work. If mutually we decide to continue, we  would devote some time in your first session to assess your problems, needs and situation, and then create a plan of how we will work together.