Sarah Dyson

I currently have availability on Monday mornings, Tuesday mornings and Saturday afternoons in Kingston, and Tuesday afternoons, Tuesday evenings and Thursday evenings in Surbiton.

Please check my website (www.sarahdysoncounselling.com) for latest availability. 

I'm a Â鶹ԭ´´-registered psychotherapist working with adults and young people aged 11-18 in private practice. I have spaces available and I'm happy to offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation to anyone who would like to know more about the way I work before committing to anything.

I offer a warm, non-judgmental and confidential space where people can be themselves and explore their problems. I use a person-centred and collaborative approach to counselling, which allows clients to talk things through at their own pace and in their own way. I won't tell you what to do, but I can help you to see your challenges from a different perspective and encourage you to develop a kinder and more accepting sense of self. 

I have experience working with neurodivergent adults and young people – both diagnosed and undiagnosed – and am sensitive to the challenges they and their families face. As a parent, I understand the pressures of family life and bringing up children and teenagers. 

As a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (Â鶹ԭ´´), I adhere to its ethical framework and guiding principles. I am also a member of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).

Experience

I have been counselling adults since July 2024 and I am currently also seeing clients at a local service for young people aged 11-24 and at a secondary school in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. I spent two years volunteering in a therapeutic provision for young people struggling with social and emotional difficulties and have undertaken professional training in mental health, safeguarding and neurodiversity. I am a parent to two neurodivergent young adults.

Professional qualifications

I am a qualified integrative counsellor, having successfully completed a CPCAB Level 4 diploma in therapeutic counselling at Kingston College. I am also continuing my studies with a Level 5 qualification in counselling children and young people.

I offer short-term (six sessions) or longer-term (open-ended) counselling.

Our sessions are collaborative and non-directive – I aim to provide a space where clients feel heard and understood.

I see clients in person at two locations (in Kingston upon Thames and Surbiton) and tailor sessions to each client, offering creative therapies (eg. art, play therapy and sand tray) alongside talking therapy where appropriate. 

I am particularly interested in the long-term trauma caused by living with undiagnosed neurodivergence and its links with anxiety, depression and gender identity.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding Level 3 for counsellors and psychotherapists (online)

Safeguarding Children Level 2 (online)

Safeguarding Children Level 1 (online)

Other qualifications

NCFE CACHE Level 2 certificate in understanding mental health first aid and mental health advocacy in the workplace

TQUK Level 2 certificate in understanding mental health in children and young people

TQUK Level 2 certificate in understanding autism

BA (Joint hons) French/art history (2:1), University of Leeds

Further training

National Autistic Society course (Teen Life) on dealing with autistic teenagers

Clare Harrop – Adopting a lifespan lens to understanding females on the autism spectrum – ACAMH (online)

Tony Attwood – Autism; Managing Feelings of Anxiety, Sadness, Anger –ACAMH (online)

Tony Attwood – Autism; Making Friends – ACAMH (online)

Tony Attwood – Managing Anxiety in Autistic Children and Adolescents – ACAMH (online)

Tony Attwood – The Profile of Abilities in Autistic Girls – ACAMH (online)

Existential Therapy – a non-pathologising way of supporting people, with Professor Emmy van Deurzen, Jo Watson, UKCP Reg Psychotherapist, A Disorder for Everyone (AD4E) (online)

Â鶹ԭ´´ Children, Young People and Families conference 2024 (online)

Between Life and Death: Working with Chronic & Acute Suicide Risk, with Jenny Collard, Kingston Women's Centre

After a short initial chat of about 15 minutes on the phone (for which there is no charge), I usually meet with clients for an initial session, where we can discuss why you are coming for therapy,  and anything that is bothering you. 

Each in-person session lasts 50 minutes (a 'therapeutic hour'). 

During the first session, which is charged at the usual rate, we form an idea of whether we would like to work together and I will be able to tell you if I think my practice is the right place for you. I usually ask a number of questions to ascertain risks and appropriate treatments and to find out more about you. 

There is no obligation to continue therapy after this initial session but if you would like to, we would then agree on an initial number of sessions (usually a minimum of six) after which we would review our work together and decide if we would like to continue.

At this point I would send you a bit more information about counselling and an agreement for you to read and sign. You are welcome to ask any questions at any time.

When I see children and young people under 18, I need a parent or guardian's signature to offer counselling. Parents are welcome to come along to say hi at the start of the first session but I will normally see young people on their own from the first session onwards as the best therapeutic results are obtained when people feel completely free to discuss what is bothering them.