Who We Are
Our Practice
Our Practice
Our Practice
Our experience enables us to offer effective counselling and psychotherapy individual to you in a safe, relaxed space. We work with children, young people and adults no matter what they feel is troubling them in life, nothing is too big or too small.
Our Focus
Our Practice
Our Practice
Our focus is to help individuals heal, energise, and become aware of their inner strengths. We achieve this by providing a neutral and non-judgemental safe space, listening to your concerns, and sharing your journey to better experience and function in your day to day life.
Our Values
Our Practice
Our Values
We promise to be there for you on every step of your journey. Our goal is to help you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain, and move forward to where you want to be in your life. Our values are to be committed to you, to offer you respect and confidentiality, and be here when you need .us.
Our Behaviours
We will work in a collaborative nature with our clients to ensure positive outcomes.
We will ensure we invest in time and commitment to a common and autonomous goal.
We will trust and empower our clients to reach their goals within therapy and ultimately good mental health
We will listen and appreciate the clients’ needs in a respective and dedicated manner.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is counselling all about?
Counselling is time for you, to speak freely about anything at all, about things in your life that may be troubling you. It is a place where you can feel safe to do just that. If you can imagine that we all carry a bag of feelings and emotions that can sometimes become quite heavy to carry around, counselling is the perfect place to unload that bag to make it easier to manage.
Will you tell me what to do?
Person-centred counselling is very much about you, and is non-directive. The therapist can never be the expert and tell you what to do, as no one knows you as well as you know yourself and what is happening for you. What we can do is be there for you and listen.
Do I have to lie on a couch while you analyse me?
There's definitely no analysing, but if you want to kick your shoes off and put your feet up while you talk that's absolutely fine, so is sitting, as long as you're comfortable.
Is it completely confidential?
Everything discussed is confidential within session, with the exception of certain legal obligations and safeguarding issues. But rest assured these exceptions will be outlined at the start of therapy to ensure you are aware of these.
How many times do I have to come?
Everyone is individual and you are not tied in to a specific amount of sessions. People tend to start with 6 - 8 sessions and see how they get on initially. This is your therapy, and is tailor made for you. This can be discussed at any time with your therapist.
Coming to counselling can seem a scary thing to do, rest assured we understand that feeling, that's why Ara Counselling aim to be approachable, flexible and open, please contact us and pop in for a coffee and chat, we are here for you.
If you have any other questions or concerns please contact us or book your free half an hour appointment here
About Paula the owner of ara counselling ltd
Paula has a BSc (Hons) in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of Derby and is working on her PhD in Mental Health Research at Lancaster University. She works predominately person-centred and has worked for many years in the voluntary sector across Lancashire and the Fylde, supporting children, young people and adults within mental health. She has worked as a group facilitator building confidence, resilience, combating social isolation and enhancing good mental health outcomes.
Paula has also recently launched The McMullen Project, which provides simultaneous therapy for both parent and child in local primary schools, the first service to provide this type of support.
With the ethos 'strong parent, strong child' in mind.
She has worked in drug and alcohol addictions, sexual violence and within the LGBTQ+ community along with trauma and complex trauma. Paula is also experienced in working with pre-trial cases of sexual violence and rape. In addition, she is a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists) and adheres to their ethical framework to ensure professional standards of work for her clients.
She is also an Accredited Rewind Practitioner with IARTT (International Association for Rewind Trauma Therapy), providing the Rewind Technique to clients experiencing PTSD, Trauma and Phobia, providing positive outcomes in daily living after traumatic incidents in their lives, all within a holistic, relational and person-centred environment for change.
Paula is passionate about her clients' needs and strives to provide the best in counselling and psychotherapy through research, training and new knowledge. Keeping up to date with continual professional development and sharing knowledge with her clients to ensure positive outcomes. Her office is relaxed and friendly to ensure the client is always at ease and the counselling process is tailor-made for the client.
Our Therapy
Depression & Anxiety
Depression & Anxiety
Depression & Anxiety
Depression, fear, and anxiety are some of the most common and uncomfortable emotions that we can experience, you are not alone. Through counselling we are able to help you recover motivation, perspective, and joy that you once had in your life.
Trauma & PTSD
Depression & Anxiety
Depression & Anxiety
Many individuals can experience symptoms associated with painful and traumatic circumstances. Anxiety, fear, and hopelessness are a few emotions that can linger after traumatic events. We can be with you to talk about these feelings and emotions and help you traverse these tough times and work through them.
Relationships
Depression & Anxiety
Relationships
Relationships, sexuality and gender can sometimes be confusing and lead to anxiety and fluctuating emotions and feelings. Counselling can be beneficial to people who are looking to discuss where there feelings are troubling them in a safe and neutral, non-judgemental environment. Helping to understand yourself better and trust in your own voice.
SPECIALISMS
Person-Centred Approach
Rewind Therapy for PTSD, Trauma and Phobias
Pre-Trial Therapy
(for Clients having suffered sexual violence and involved in the Court Process)
Experiential Therapy
Complex Trauma
PTED
LGBT&Q+
Addictions
Self-Harm
Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence and Rape
Depression and Anxiety
Anger
Grief, Loss and Bereavement
Self-Esteem
Divorce and Separation
Children and Young People
Online and Telephone Sessions Also Available
Testimonials
Feedback from Clients
EC – I can’t thank you enough for the support you have given me. I can honestly say I feel I have made so much progress because of you and I don’t know where I’d be without your help. When I needed it most, you made me feel understood, listened to and above all you made me believe in myself!
J B – Thank you for your kind words, your listening ears, the times you allowed be to stop, to think, to breathe, to take stock. Thank you. For the way you have allowed me to express, things that have bogged me down for so long, but mostly, thank you for helping me, to face up to me, and to move on.
AH - You are an absolute star, so very professional and dedicated. I’m so pleased I found you and have an opportunity to say a huge thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, for just being there, for listening, for accepting, for your humour for being you…..
PW – I can only say thank you, but it seems so lacking. After so many years, and so many therapists that I didn’t get on with, I finally found someone who got me. There was so much compassion for everything that had happened to me, I never felt judged, just accepted for being me… I was finally able to move on with my life. Thank you.
Learn More about Ara Counselling
Contact us to book your free half an hour for a coffee and chat to see if we can help you too.
Registrations and Professional Standards
