PSYCHOTHERAPY IN HASTINGS, EAST SUSSEX, AND ONLINE
FRANCES READ - COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY
I am a compassionate, responsive, trauma-informed therapist, offering one-to-one short or long-term counselling and psychotherapy to adults via online video counselling and in person in Hastings, East Sussex.
People come to me to talk through things that are affecting their lives. My focus is on relationships - with family, friends, partners and colleagues. As well as working on the immediate issue, the therapy concentrates on understanding who you are and how you act and feel in relationships with others, and aims to strengthen your sense of self and confidence in recognising your needs.
Therapy may be able to help if you are:
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Going through major life events
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Experiencing difficulties in your relationships
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Trying to make sense of who you are
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In need of a supportive space to explore your feelings
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Having difficulties forming or maintaining relationships
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Finding yourself repeating damaging patterns
There is a whole spectrum of gender and consensual sexual expressions and I take an affirmative stance, working with many clients who are GSRD (Gender, Sex and Relationship Diversity) identified. Many of my clients are neurodivergent.
Carl Jung
”I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.”
WHAT IS COUNSELLING/PSYCHOTHERAPY?
Therapy provides a safe, non-judgemental space to think, feel and understand your emotions, what they might be telling you, where they come from, and why they are still so powerful.
We are all made up of our relationships and our experiences, alongside our genetic heritage. A baby learns about the world from the people it interacts with, and the experiences it has. Whilst we can’t always remember our early childhoods – and later life experiences! – we can see the echoes in how we form relationships or respond to situations in the present day.
Psychodynamic therapy aims to bring unconscious thoughts and feelings into the conscious mind. This type of therapy is about looking at root causes and how the resulting symptoms are affecting you in your day-to-day life. While you will lead the session, we will collaborate on untangling the material and working out what it means.
Therapy can, through helping you gain a greater understanding of yourself, give you the power of choice and ability to change. It can also be challenging and frustrating at times, and the thoughts and feelings it brings up can be very painful. As your therapist, I will be there with you to contain and explore any emotion you might experience.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Initial call
I offer a free 15-minute call so we can find out a little bit about each other and you can ask any questions. We will build a picture of who you are and what you want to achieve through therapy. Choosing a therapist who is right for you is really important, and this gives us both a chance to see if we would be able to work effectively together.
Sessions
In a session we will work with whatever you bring. This could be something that’s happened during the week, a dream you’ve had, a memory that has been playing on your mind, a situation that’s upsetting you, or even just a time to sit in silence.
I will work with you to think about your relationships both past and present, how things that happened in your past may be affecting your life today, look for repeating patterns that may be stopping you reaching your goals, and understand your emotions and what they might be telling you.
Therapy is a relationship between two people, and we’ll work together to understand how these things are affecting you in the present. As your therapist, I will be there with you to contain and explore any emotion you might experience.
Each session is 50 minutes long and will take place at the same time and space every week. They are held over Zoom or in my bright, colourful therapy space in Hastings.
ABOUT ME
Volunteering with Samaritans as a telephone and outreach volunteer for four years changed my perspective on life. I went back to study and graduated from Birkbeck, University of London, with a Masters in psychodynamic psychotherapy and counselling. I started seeing patients with the NHS following two years as a volunteer counsellor at ELOP - the East London Out Project. In 2018 I started seeing people for private therapy, and have worked with many themes including but not limited to relationship difficulties, identity exploration, neurodiversity, loss, anger, stress, chronic and terminal illness, attachment issues and more.
I am interested in fairy tales, myths and legends. Archetypes and
symbols are all around us: if a person can find their own
vocabulary to talk about their feelings the power of talking
therapy can be transformative.
I love being out in nature and have a rescue greyhound who
usually has free run of my flat. You are welcome to meet her if
we work together in person!
As a registered member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) I am committed to their Ethical Framework and carry out regular CPD training.
FAQS
WHAT TYPE OF THERAPY DO YOU OFFER?
I offer one-to-one short and long-term psychodynamic and integrative psychotherapy to adults via a secure online video service, and in-person at Priory Road, Hastings, East Sussex.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Fees are set at £60 for a 50-minute session on weekdays and £75 at weekends.
Some lower-cost daytime sessions are available for students and those on low income/benefits.
HOW LONG IS EACH SESSION, AND HOW REGULAR ARE THEY?
Each session lasts for 50 minutes. We would see each other at the same time, once a week.
WHEN WOULD THE SESSIONS TAKE PLACE?
Sessions take place on Monday and Tuesday evenings, Wednesday daytimes and evenings, and Saturday afternoons.
HOW MANY SESSIONS WOULD I HAVE?
The therapy I offer is usually open-ended, meaning that there is no set end date and we will discuss endings together as the work progresses. I can also offer shorter-term contracts of 8 to 12 weeks, usually if you are dealing with a single issue and are in need of support or a space to think.
HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU/BOOK A SESSION?
Please get in touch using the contact form below and I will get back to you.
