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Hello.  I'm Toni, and I'm a qualified person-centred counsellor & psychotherapist. 

 

I came to training as a counsellor through my own experience of counselling.  I vividly remember, during my first experience of long-term therapy, that sense of relief of being fully listened to, of being given permission to feel what I was feeling.  There was a sense of the jigsaw pieces coming together as I began to understand parts of myself I hadn't really understood before, identifying and shifting "blocks" that I hadn't even realised were there - although they'd affected me for years.  It felt like a homecoming, being able to go to the deep places and explore them, with my counsellor there steadily beside me.   

 

Ever since then I've wondered what it would be like to sit in the "other" (therapist's) chair, and been excited by the idea of offering others that incredible support and insight that helped me so much.  But it was only after moving to Strathspey in the Scottish Highlands with my family several years ago that I had the opportunity to retrain.  Studying person-centred counselling & psychotherapy has felt like a natural coming-together of so many parts of me, both professionally and personally.  I feel strongly that person-centred counselling is about supporting you to become the person you truly are - more authentically you, (more congruent, in person-centred terms), more fulfilled.  I love that it's about working with you to find your own answers, not about telling people what to do.    

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Training, qualifications & experience

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• Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy, with Distinction - University of the Highlands and Islands (COSCA accredited)

• COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills - University of the Highlands and Islands (COSCA accredited)

• Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling - Counselling Tutor (ACTO approved)

 

• Certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults

• BA Hons in English Literature

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I take my professional development seriously, and recent additional courses include:

• Dreams in Person-Centred Therapy - Foundation for the Developing Person (2024)

• Healing Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - MindBody Breakthrough (2023)

• Foundation Certificate in Bereavement Counselling - Temenos (2023)

• Transactional Analysis 101 - Physis Scotland (2023)

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Other recent webinars attended include The Question of Choice: An Existential Perspective; Working with Personality Disorders; Exploring Trauma from a Person-Centred Perspective; Two-Chair Work; Therapeutic Tarot; and Single Session Therapy.​

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I have experience of working with adults of all ages, with a wide variety of issues including depression, anxiety, grief and loss, Adverse Childhood Experiences, PTSD and developmental trauma; I’ve also worked with neurodiverse clients, and clients with personality disorders.  As a person-centred counsellor I don't diagnose - but I'm very happy to help you explore what a diagnosis means for you.  I volunteer with a national counselling agency, and have experience of delivering counselling within an NHS setting.

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I'm a Counsellor Member of COSCA  and adhere to their Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice at all times.