- Are you experiencing anxiety, emotional distress or an overwhelming feeling of stuckness?
- Do you need solid, caring support to help navigate your way through a difficult time?
- Would you like to change self-defeating patterns of behaviour and move on to a calmer, more grounded version of you?
Hello, I’m Sara (pronounced Sarah). I offer safe, confidential and effective counselling and Internal Family Systems therapy face to face in Lewes and online via Zoom in the UK and internationally.
Through focussing on your specific needs I provide a calm, non-judgmental space in which to explore whatever is troubling you. I will work with you on restoring your emotional health so that you can move forward in life with new skills, perspectives and optimism.
Seeking counselling support to cope with life’s challenges is a positive step in looking after your own wellbeing. Many of my clients say they wish they had benefited from counselling earlier rather than let issues build up. By paying attention to your changing circumstances and needs, you create the possibility for improvements in your relationship with yourself and with others. Counselling works to give you more confidence in your ability to voice how you feel and what you want. This is something I would like to help you with.
I work as an integrative counsellor which means I am trained in a number of different methods including Person Centered, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Mindfulness that are proven to be effective. I am also an Internal Family Systems (“IFS”) qualified therapist which is an effective and safe approach to working with a range of issues, including childhood trauma, which many clients find helpful. There is a podcast explaining more about how IFS works here. I also have coaching training.
Counselling to suit you
I use a wide repertoire of effective therapies because I believe one size does not fit all. I provide encouragement and reassurance as we interpret your situation together and discover the best solutions and coping strategies to heal your painful emotions so you can move forward with your life. My approach is to understand what has happened to someone not what is wrong with them. I combine ways of working which are consistent with the latest neuroscientific research, and which are also honouring of the magic and mystery of life. It is important to me that my work engages with the mind, body, and soul of my clients. My wish is help my clients live lives which are meaningful, fulfilling, and honour their true nature. Read more here about how counselling works and my approach.
Issues I have Helped WIth
I specialise in working with ‘outsiders’. We can be outsiders within our own families, at school, at work, in spiritual communities, in friendship groups etc. People can be the ‘black sheep’, scapegoat, or a victim of bullying for all sorts of reasons. This can be experienced in an intense way or you might just have a vague sense of always being on the edge. Whatever the situation or the cause I can help you understand, restore self esteem, and emotional equilibrium.
I have over 8 years of experience working with ex boarders (I completed specialist training with Nick Duffell in 2018), a strong track record of working with clients suffering from anxiety and depression, and those that have had negative experiences in childhood. I also have specialist training and experience in working with narcissistic abuse, complex PTSD, sexual abuse, family estrangement, and parental alienation. I also welcome enquiries from children, partners, and colleagues of ex boarders. I also have a track record of working helpfully with relationships with adult children.
I am neurodivergent affirming and have experience working with adults and their children pre, during, and post diagnosis. This includes ADHD (Attention deficit disorder), ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), AUDhd, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, and Discalculia. I don’t approach these differences with a disorder perspective despite this often being the language used around them. If this is an issue for you we will work together to explore how this lens for understanding yourself might be helpful, and explore strategies for situations in which this difference offers challenges.
If you are drawn to work with me and don’t fit into any of those categories trust your instincts and get in touch. I have helped clients with a wide range of issues including:
- stress and self-blame
- low self-confidence
- sexual, psychological and physical abuse (inc. bullying)
- childhood emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect
- bereavement and loss (inc. miscarriage)
- life transitions inc. retirement and divorce
- coping with illness, chronic conditions
- relationship issues including emotional abuse, coercive control, divorce, and separation
- work-related issues
- parenting including relationships with adult children
- self harm
- emotional instability disorder
- addiction
- body and eating issues
This is not an exhaustive list of the areas I am able to work with so please contact me if there is anything else you would like support wit
To help you decide on the next step, please contact me a free initial discussion by phone, Skype or FaceTime, or to answer any questions by email. All calls and messages are confidential. I treat crisis calls seriously and can generally recommend another counsellor through my network if I am unable to help you immediately.
I am experienced in working both short and long term. I am also committed to making counselling accessible to as many people as possible and have a number of reduced fee spaces. Please do enquire.
Phone: 07976 896509
Email: sarawarnercounselling@gmail.com