Louise Johnson-Gibbs

I currently have availability for clients. I work during the day on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays and I also work Friday evenings.

"People start to heal the moment they feel heard." 

I am a warm and welcoming counsellor with over 10 years of experience. If you are struggling, feel unhappy, stuck or confused, counselling can help to change things. I work with clients to help them listen to and understand themselves better so that they can find their own way of moving forward. Together we can explore what is going on for you and gain a greater awareness of the different elements in your life affecting how you feel and we can consider choices you may have to help cope with the challenges you face.

Bereavement

I worked in a local hospice for many years counselling relatives and patients and organising support groups. As part of a team, I delivered training to new counsellors on working with grief and loss. 

Grief can be a very isolating experience as you mourn your own unique relationship with the one who has died. It can feel as if the world is telling you to hurry up and get over your loss. In truth, your grief needs time and attention and the pain you feel needs to be honoured. I offer space and support to do just that.

Counselling for women

I am passionate about supporting women through the life changes and events that they face that are minimised by our society as a whole. The transitions of motherhood and menopause, the challenges of fertility issues or baby loss. These experiences change and alter you in profound ways but you may not feel encouraged to talk about your true feelings about what is happening, leaving you feeling confused , disconnected, hurt and self-blaming. I work with women to help them feel heard and to process their experience with clarity and compassion.

I am a Person-Centred counsellor which means I focus on you as an individual and work with care and curiosity to discover how it is for you in your world. We work together at your pace. I do not believe that I can be the expert of you to tell you what to think or feel, instead I work alongside you to help you make your own discoveries and to reach your own goals. Our work together is confidential. My aim is for you to feel valued and accepted as we work together.

I work at The Lifeways Centre, Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a peaceful and welcoming location in the Stratford suburbs with private therapy rooms and a beautiful garden. I offer face to face sessions that are 50 minutes long. I work in an open ended way so that means some clients come for short term therapy and others stay for longer term work. The important thing is that you find counselling helpful and productive for you. Counselling works best with regular sessions so I see clients once a week or perhaps once a fortnight. We can discuss what would work best for you.

I offer the first session as a try out session at the reduced fee of £30. During this time I will ask you all about why you are seeking counselling right now and what your hopes are for therapy. I will make some brief notes about this and ask you a little about your personal history. I will explain again how I work as a counsellor.

This first session is the same length as my standard sessions - 50 minutes. There will be plenty of time to talk and to see how I respond so that you can get a feel for what counselling with me might feel like. You can check if it feels comfortable talking with me and I will be checking that I am the right person to meet your needs and to work with you.

After the session, you can choose to book another appointment or take some time to decide what you would like to do next. You are under no obligation to commit to any further sessions.