Affordable, bespoke counselling from the comfort of your own home
info@sarahgrahamcounselling.com
Welcome
Some of us have the feeling that something is wrong but we are not sure what it is or we know our life could be better. Some of us know that we have come from a difficult background and use coping mechanisms that can be destructive to ourselves or others.
Some of us are living with the effects of trauma, but do not realise that we are, and some are more aware and may find life to be overwhelming at times and find it hard to cope.
Many of us are out of touch with our true selves. One reason for this is that we learn to defend ourselves from the world at a very young age. Those defences become ingrained and we may think they are part of our personality. We may often dismiss our defences as ‘that’s just me.’
Defences are ingenious as they work by us not knowing that we have them. One of the most effective ways to resolve this is through counselling. A counsellor can help us to explore those parts of us and get closer to our real selves.
Therapy can change peoples’ lives for the better and I believe that healing from life’s wounds, and the sense of peace it brings, is possible for all of us.
Sarah Graham
Counsellor
My name is Sarah and I am a fully qualified counsellor, based in Bournemouth, in the UK. I work online with Zoom and Skype and on the phone.
I am an accredited member of the National Counselling Society. My accreditation is backed by the UK government through the Professional Standards Authority. My training and education meet standards set by those bodies.
Please see my profile at the National Counselling Society.
Areas I Work In
I Can Help With...
Everyday Issues
It can be really helpful to have someone to talk to about our everyday issues such as having difficulties in our relationships, issues with low self-confidence or low self-esteem or feeling as though we are lost and do not know what we want from our lives. Many people feel anxious or depressed on a regular basis and many have social anxiety. Therapy can help to address these issues. Talking can help us to articulate our thoughts and understand what we are feeling.
Difficult Childhoods
A difficult childhood can be defined as one where one or both parents may have been in addiction, have had a difficult childhood themselves that they never dealt with, may have had anger issues and therefore were frightening, or they may have been cold and critical and perhaps unloving. One or both parents may have been controlling and not accepting of their child’s wishes and/or character. There may have been a bereavement, a difficult divorce or a problematic step-parent.
This can be a stressful and unsupportive environment for a child to grow up in and can lead to all kinds of insecurities such as feelings of not being good enough, feelings of being unsure of who they are, what they really want in life or a feeling that something is wrong but they are not sure what it is.
Read more here.
Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Abuse
If your partner or parent can be cold, controlling or devaluing, be dismissive of you or your opinions, has never said sorry for anything, seems to be lacking in empathy, gives you the silent treatment and may go for weeks without speaking to you, if they lie a lot, or are manipulative and self-centred, if you get the feeling they think ‘it’s my way or the highway,’ if they are jealous and highly critical, if they are quick to anger and rage and if you feel you are never good enough – you may have a partner or parent with NPD.
A person with NPD can cause their partner and/or children to feel undervalued, belittled and ignored and it can have serious effects on self-worth and self-esteem. It can result in Complex PTSD, addictions, panic disorders, anxiety and depression amongst other outcomes.
Read more here.
Complex Trauma
I work with Complex Trauma. The following can be symptoms of complex trauma (which can be caused by childhood abuse or having a parent who is in addiction, mentally ill or emotionally neglectful); irritability, depression, insomnia, feeling emotionally overwhelmed, having nightmares or flashbacks, feeling shame or worthlessness, panic attacks, substance abuse, eating disorders, chronic pain and feelings of not knowing who you are or feeling unreal.
Read more here.
Articles

The Brain and Trauma
Swollen Amygdala A child living under traumatic conditions will develop a brain that is very biased to danger. This will last into adulthood. This is

Defence Mechanisms
There are many types of defence mechanisms which we utilise when feeling the need to protect ourselves. There are primitive and sophisticated methods of defence

Healing From Narcissistic Abuse
Those with Narcissistic Personality Disordered parents have a lot of healing to do, but it can be done. The defences that were built in childhood

What is Narcissistic Abuse?
Narcissistic abuse describes the way narcissists behave toward intimate others and the effects it has on them. NPD is a set of defence mechanisms that

Clues That You May Have Complex PTSD
Some people who have Complex PTSD often do not know that they have it because so much of their emotional life and bodily sensations have

Treating Complex Trauma
Complex PTSD develops in response to chronic traumatisation over the course of months or years. The trauma can include emotional, physical or sexual abuse. There

How Does Counselling Work?
Often in life, we may feel that we talk but others do not really listen, or that we are not worth listening to and then

Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis was developed by Eric Berne who wrote the popular book ‘Games People Play‘. Ego States Berne posited that each individual possesses three basic

Triggers and Triggering
A child who has lived in a situation of stress and abuse for a prolonged time will usually develop Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy uses psychoeducation to educate the client about trauma and the physical effects it has had on the body and brain and on how

CBT
CBT is Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. CBT theory suggests that our thoughts, emotions, body sensations, and behaviour are all connected, and that what we think and

Person Centred Therapy
It has been proven through studies that clients get the best results from therapy when certain conditions are met in the relationship between the counsellor
For Enquiries or to Make an Appointment
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We are not what happened to us, we are what we wish to become
Therapy Made Easier

COUNSELLING SOCIETY
Accredited member of The National Counselling Society

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AUTHORITY
Accreditation backed by the Professional Standards Authority

Prompt Replies
All messages replied to within 24 hours

Online Therapy
Sessions take place from the comfort of your own home on Zoom, Skype or on the Phone

Online Payments
Credit and Debit cards, PayPal and Bank Transfers Accepted