APPROACH
Angela is a warm and insightful counsellor, dedicated to finding ways of
improving the lives of those of you who come to her seeking help.
She believes that counselling truly is your journey of a lifetime, your magical
mystery tour. You may come to counselling feeling cornered, restricted and
encumbered, trussed up in chicken wire, strapped into a strait jacket or tangled
up in swaddling. Maybe you feel as if you are living inside a glass bubble; you
can see the world outside it but seem unable to communicate in the way you or
others want, and feel unable to feel what you would like, or others would like
you, to feel about the people and things outside your bubble. You may feel your
head is full of sticky black cobwebs, rendering your brain unable to move at the
normal pace.
During her 18 years in France Angela has suffered much of the frustration,
anxiety, loneliness and sadness experienced by many people living in a foreign
country with a different culture, language, and way of doing things, away from
children, family, friends and colleagues. She has undergone regular counselling
in order to help maintain her energy and equilibrium.
CAREER
Angela’s original post child-rearing career was in Social Work in Sussex. She
worked for three years with children and families before moving into adults’ and
older people’s mental health, where she spent eight years based in a
multi-disciplinary Community Mental Health team with other Mental Health
professionals, both from Health and Social Services, where she gained invaluable
experience in identifying problems other than those safely helped by counselling
alone. She followed this by working as a hospital Social Worker and as a
frontline Telephone Helpdesk Advisor for Social Services where she gained
experience helping the elderly and those suffering from illness and loss in a
compassionate way. She gained her diploma working parallel to her Social work
career. On qualifying she moved to France where for 18 years she has practiced
as a face to face and telephone counsellor for English-speaking clients from
anywhere in the world. She also has some training and experience in On-line
Counselling.
TRAINING
Angela’s initial training was person-centred counselling, but she subsequently
trained and gained her Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling from Chichester
Counselling Services - a Sussex BACP accredited course in a low-cost counselling
organisation where practise is supervised during almost all of the three
training years.
She has undergone regular training during her years in Social Services and
subsequently through Continuing Professional Development.
OTHER INFORMATION
Angela speaks English and French. She has been practising in private practice
for the past 20 years. She is a Registered member of BACP. She only makes a
small charge for the first session together.
Please contact me on
angelasimmons2002@gmail.com