Veronica Davidge

I work on Mondays and Fridays, please discuss availability.  I prefer term times but can be flexible within reason.

I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist.  I have a strong grounding in the Person Centred approach, which informs the way I work with the client at the centre of everything.  My therapeutic practice also integrates thinking and techniques from CBT, Psychodynamic theory, somatic theory, Polyvagal theory, Focus Oriented theory and I use breathing techniques where necessary for additional support.  For me, building a strong therapeutic relationship is central to working with people.  The provision of an accepting, empathetic, safe environment to explore thoughts, feelings and experiences is my goal to aid the connection between myself and my clients.

My background includes working with parent/carers, young people, people with additional needs who are seeking a greater understanding of those needs, as well as the systems that may need to be navigated to get help and support.  I have also worked with young people who have gone through the criminal justice system, albeit not in a therapeutic role but in a supportive restorative practice approach to rehabilitation.  I was born in London and enjoy the experience being from London has contributed to my outlook on life, accepting and celebrating the vastness of the world and diversity of people it takes to build it.

I work face to face and also online, using Zoom as the platform for meeting. I work with individuals.

I aim to build confidence in my clients to resolve their own issues through understanding and accepting themselves.  This is aided by techniques and tools that I have accumulated through my education and continuing CPD. 

I have experience of working with anxiety, depression, suicidal ideation, self-esteem, gender dysphoria, generational trauma, ASD, ADHD and DLD.

Prior to our first session, a 20 minute phone call is offered to assess the appropriateness of moving forward with each other in a therapeutic relationship.  A brief outline of the current situation/s will be required but not discussed in depth.  The next step is to agree to continue with face to face or online therapy sessions.  

The first session then becomes the beginning of building that therapeutic relationship.  This may (but not always) also include an assessment of the difficulties being experienced to ensure we can capture as much of those experiences as possible.  A brief personal history will be taken in the first session.

I am in training to achieve a Diploma in Clinical Supervision with The Awareness Centre and am offering low cost supervision whilst I am achieving this qualification. I am an Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist working both face to face and online (via Zoom). The supervision model’s my training draws upon are The Seven Eyed Model, The Cyclical Model and An Integrative Developmental Model (IDM). The course develops a deeper knowledge of these models and encourages us to use them to help find our own way to be an effective, supportive and motivating supervisor.

As an integrative therapist, I have developed a way of practicing that is a Person Centred approach to developing a deep therapeutic relationship.  I have a more pluralistic way of integrating theory in practice and often use felt sense to encourage listening to the body, understanding the mind (Polyvagal Theory) and developing a sense of self that is both authentic and powerful.  It would not be unusual for me to utilise creativity or play as a way to access expression of the inner world and often this also deepens the therapeutic relationship.

I have been qualified for 6 years and working for 8 years with clients.  I have worked in different settings during those 8 years - a Carers Centre, Counselling Agency, Sixth Form schools and in private practice.  I know the complex systems around seeking assessment, diagnosis and support for someone.  I am also continuously completing CPD to support my clients and my own development as a therapist.

I do not believe anyone can know everything but will always share what I am confident in, respect learning from others and endeavour to improve my knowledge if it is possible or refer to an appropriate alternative.

A first session is usually 20-30 minutes online to discover if we are a good match for working together.  I will email contractual documentation prior to this meeting, which we will discuss, and hopefully we will be able to ascertain through exploration and initial relationship building the possibility of our moving forward into a supervisory relationship.

If we both choose to continue, we will agree and sign the contract and arrange a time and date to begin.  This will enable us to begin with confidence and transparency - a good foundation for building a deep working relationship that can evolve over time into something consistent, reliable, motivating, enhancing, supportive and a place for both of us to learn and grow as therapists, supervisor and supervisee.