Dominique du Pre

I understand that it can take a great deal of courage to reach out to a counsellor for the first time. At times, life can feel overwhelming. You may be feeling sad, anxious, confused, or simply not yourself. Counselling offers a space to pause, reflect, and begin to work through whatever challenges you are facing.

Whether you are seeking support with life transitions, anxiety, depression, work-related difficulties, low self-confidence, relationship issues, or a general sense of feeling ‘stuck’, counselling can help. Some of the benefits may include:

• Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself
  
• Asking for your needs to b met
• Working towards resolution of the issues that brought you to counselling
  
• Developing ways to cope with stress and anxiety
  
• Recognising and changing unhelpful behaviour or relationship patterns
  
• Building confidence and self-esteem
  
• Finding and strengthening your voice
  

I offer a calm, empathic, and non-judgemental relationship where you can feel safe to be yourself. I will work alongside you at your own pace, helping you explore and make sense of your experiences. Through this process of self-discovery, I will support you in making meaningful and lasting changes in your life.

I believe deeply that each person is unique and that there is no single approach that suits everyone. Our work together will be tailored to you as an individual. The relationship between counsellor and client is central to therapeutic change, and feeling comfortable with your counsellor is important.

Because it can be difficult to get a true sense of someone from a short profile, I offer an initial phone conversation before a first appointment. This gives you the opportunity to ask questions and to see whether we feel like a good fit to work together.

For me, flexibility is key. Some clients are able to attend at the same time each week or fortnight, and that consistency can provide a helpful rhythm and sense of stability. For others, work, family commitments or changing circumstances mean we need to arrange sessions one at a time. We can discuss what works best for you and review this as we go along.

Sessions last 50 minutes. In our first meeting, we will explore what has brought you to counselling and what you hope for from our work. There is no expectation to share everything immediately — we move at your pace. Some people arrive with a clear focus; others simply know that something doesn’t feel right. Both are welcome.

My approach is collaborative and reflective. I won’t offer quick fixes or tell you what to do. Instead, I aim to help you understand yourself more deeply — your patterns, emotions and ways of relating — so that change feels meaningful and lasting. At times I may gently challenge you, always with care and respect.

The therapeutic relationship is central to the process. I offer a calm, empathic and non-judgemental space where you can speak openly about difficult thoughts and feelings. We may explore past experiences, current challenges, or practical ways of coping, depending on what feels most helpful.

Counselling can be short-term and focused, or longer-term and more exploratory. We will review our work regularly so you feel in control of the process. Confidentiality is fundamental, and I will explain clearly the rare circumstances where it may need to be broken due to serious risk.

When you feel ready to end, we will take time to reflect on what you have gained and how you would like to move forward.

Seeking counselling can feel daunting, but it can also be a significant step towards understanding yourself more fully and making positive change.

I don’t use formal assessments or structured questionnaires. I’m much more interested in meeting you as a person than in completing forms.

Our first session is a gentle beginning. We will talk about what has brought you to counselling at this point in your life, any previous experiences you may have had of therapy, and what you are hoping might feel different as a result of coming. You might not have clear answers to those questions — that’s completely fine. Often people arrive simply knowing that something doesn’t feel right.

Above all, the first session is about beginning to build trust. Starting counselling can feel exposing or uncertain, and I don’t take lightly the courage it takes to sit down with someone new and talk about your inner world. My priority is that you feel safe, heard and respected.

There is no pressure to tell your whole story straight away. We move at your pace. I will listen carefully and thoughtfully, and we will begin to get a sense of how we might work together.

It is also important that you feel able to decide whether I am the right counsellor for you. The first session gives you space to ask questions, notice how you feel in the room, and consider whether this feels like a relationship in which you could do meaningful work.

If we choose to continue, we can then think together about what you would like to focus on and how we might shape the work going forward.

Supervision is more than a professional requirement; it is a reflective space that supports ethical practice, deepens insight and sustains us in emotionally demanding work.

The supervisory relationship is central. I offer a warm, respectful and appropriately challenging environment where you can think openly about your work — bringing both uncertainties and strengths. My aim is that you feel safe, supported and stretched in ways that promote growth.

I attend to the formative, normative and restorative aspects of supervision, integrating skill development, ethical accountability and practitioner wellbeing.

As a person-centred supervisor, I work relationally and holistically, exploring client process, dynamics and the impact of the work on you. I also draw on developmental and systems-based models, adapting supervision to your stage of experience and context.

As a CPCAB Level 4 tutor, I understand the pressures of training, including assessment requirements and integrating theory with practice. I offer structured support for trainees and reflective depth for experienced practitioners.

Why choose me?

• Experienced in both training and practice settings
  
• Supportive without collusion
  
• Developmentally informed and adaptable
  
• Attentive to both professional growth and wellbeing
  

Whether you are in training, newly qualified or experienced, I offer supervision that is reflective, steady and professionally grounded.

My supervision practice is grounded in openness, clarity and professional integrity. I offer a consistent, containing space where you can bring the realities of your work — the complexity, the uncertainty, the responsibility and the privilege of sitting with clients.

Sessions are structured but flexible. We will review client work thoughtfully, consider risk and ethical practice carefully, and explore relational process in depth. I pay attention not only to what is happening in the room with your clients, but also to what is happening in you. I believe sustainable practice requires reflection on both clinical skill and personal impact.

My core approach is person-centred, valuing authenticity, empathy and collaborative dialogue. Alongside this, I integrate developmental and systems thinking, adapting supervision to your level of experience and working environment.

I work with trainee and qualified counsellors. As a CPCAB Level 4 tutor, I understand the pressures of training, placement requirements and portfolio work. I do not charge for supervisor reports for counsellors in training. I recognise that training is already financially demanding, and I see this as a small way of giving something back to the profession.

Whether you are building confidence, consolidating your identity as a practitioner, or refining established practice, I aim to offer supervision that is steady, thoughtful and professionally supportive.

Sessions are available online and in person.

I am happy to have a chat over the phone to answer any questions before you book in for your first supervision session.