Annmarie is fully qualified Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and a registered member of the BACP, (British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists). 

She offers her private practice face to face at Jesmond Therapy Centre. It is important to her that she works ethically and in accordance with the BACP’s Ethical Framework.

Annmarie has over twenty-five years of experience working with young people in secondary education as an English Teacher, Head of English, National Strategy English Consultant, Assistant Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher. Initially, she went into teaching because of the requirement for three years’ teaching experience to access the post-graduate Educational Psychology course.  Annmarie loved teaching so much she stayed in the profession for over two decades. A number of personal losses led her to counselling. Annmarie experienced first-hand how healing and transformative it could be to have therapy. Four years later she qualified as an Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and set up her own private practice.

Annmarie believes that counselling is a beneficial way for people to give time and attention to themselves and their personal growth. Annmarie’s approach can enable the client to be supported as they analyse the past and how it plays out in the present, giving a client clarity about their choices, patterns of thought and ways of relating to themselves and others. Counselling can help to identify blind-spots, heal hurts, realise potential and unlock what has been stuck. Annmarie uses writing as a tool for self-exploration, processing and releasing what’s there but hard to articulate. There are no guarantees with counselling, but people usually find that they take unexpected benefits from it.

Working with couples is an often complex process. Annmarie has experience of working with couples who are struggling with relationship issues such as rebuilding trust after an affair, communication problems, dealing with life changes as a family, drifting apart, dealing with new life stages, losing connection, arguments – being stuck in a pattern or retaliation or withdrawal, dissatisfaction with sex life. Annmarie works with couples to teach them new ways of communicating, understanding and expressing their needs and wants, bringing intimacy back into the relationship, and moving away from resentment to understanding. Couple counselling can help couples to renew their relationship, accept what has been done and to look forward to a more positive future.

There are many therapeutic approaches. As an integrative therapist Annmarie offers Person-Centred Therapy, Transactional Analysis, CBT or a blend suited to the client’s needs. Annmarie also works with mindfulness which offers clients a way to deal with busy, anxious, automatic or negative thoughts and distractions. The accompanying breath work can be very calming and rebalancing for the nervous system.

Annmarie has experience of working with relationships, anxiety, panic attacks, anger, bereavement, OCD, trauma, shame, childhood abuse, health anxiety, chronic illness, depression, self-esteem, self-harm, sexuality, suicidal ideation, parenting, work/life balance, and the myriad of life’s challenges which can leave us in need of support.

Fundamentally, it is the relationship between client and therapist which will allow  clients to feel they can work at their own pace, in appropriate depth and safely in therapy. This professional relationship is unlike other relationships we experience, it has beneficial boundaries and is based on total respect for confidentiality, trust, absolute focus on the client, empathy, integrity and zero judgment. Annmarie sees her work with clients as a privilege.  

If you want to read more about the therapeutic approaches Annmarie works with there is more detail below.

Qualifications and Training

Registered Member BACP

Certificate of Counselling Proficiency – BACP

Diploma in Integrative Therapeutic Counselling at Stockport College

TA 101 at Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy

BA Hons: English, Psychology, Philosophy at Bradford University

Mindfulness – NHS Manchester

Certificate in Telephone and Online Counselling (80 hours), Counselling Tutor

Certificate in Mental Health Awareness, Stockport College

Certificate in Mediation Skills, Oldham Lifelong Learning Centre

Certificate in Counselling Skills at Oldham Lifelong Learning Centre

Level 2 Counselling Skills, Stockport College

Level 3 Counselling Skills at Stockport College

Certificate in Adverse Childhood Experience

Annual Safeguarding and Child Protection training

Breathe yourself Calm, Blooming Bamboo Yoga

Introducing Couples Psychotherapy, Tavistock Relationships

Certificate in Couples Counselling, Jesmond Therapy Centre

Walking and Talking Therapy, Jesmond Therapy Centre

Coaching, Barefoot Coaching and National College for School Leaders

Polyvagal Theory, Deb Dana

Post-graduate Certificate in Education – Secondary English at Leeds University 

National Professional Qualification for Headship – National College for School Leadership at Manchester University

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE THERAPY ANNMARIE OFFERS

Person Centred Therapy

This, to Annmarie, is the bed-rock to successful therapy because it puts you the client at the heart of the process and works on the premise that everyone has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change – so long as they are given the right conditions. The therapeutic relationship offers those conditions which are collaborative not directive.

The three core conditions of the Person-Centred approach are always a given:

1. unconditional positive regard for the client
2. empathy with the client
3. congruence – being real and honest with the client.

As a person-centred therapist, Annmarie is trained to use ‘your expertise in you’ alongside her expertise in psychological and therapeutic theory, plus her counselling skills to support you to make the positive changes you want, and for you to develop in your own way.

Transactional Analysis (TA) 

Annmarie took an additional qualification in this approach at Manchester Institute of Psychotherapy because she finds TA has a lot to offer humans who are suffering with issues about self-esteem, self-belief, relationships, family, communication, working on issues from childhood or growing up. It can help you to go deeper into how you became who you are currently. It can help you to understand and own the changes you want to make to your ‘life-script’.

TA is a very comprehensive approach which incorporates aspects of humanistic, cognitive-behavioural and psychodynamic therapies. It is a model of human personality and looks at how human beings relate to each other. TA has three states for the personality, Parent, Adult and Child. Knowing about these states in your own context helps you understand how you interact with others. It can give you a new sense of personal power.

TA helps you to interpret your beliefs and your view of the world around you. It helps you to see how these beliefs about yourself and the world around you have created recurring problems for you. TA helps you to gain insights into the way you see yourself and how you respond to people. TA gives you much greater understanding of yourself and how you want your life to be. 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

This approach aims to help you change the way you think (cognition) so that you can change what you do (behaviour). CBT can help you work on current issues and also look at your schemas – which are patterns of beliefs and thoughts which result in behaviours that do not serve you in the here and now. Working with your therapist, CBT helps you to work out practical solutions to help you feel better now. 

When we think about things negatively we tend to experience negative feelings and emotions; this doesn’t feel good. It can lead us into unhelpful, negative and unhealthy behaviours. Working together we can identify and challenge these negative thoughts and devise ways to check and change them. When you think more positively, you experience more positive emotions and feelings and your behaviour helps you live your life in a more positive and healthy way.

CBT can be helpful for depression, anxiety, stress, phobias, obsessions and managing long-term conditions. 

Mindfulness

This is very current but mindfulness has ancient roots. Mindful practice requires exactly that – practice. It can help you to recognise the busy, relentless and intrusive nature of thoughts. Mindfulness helps you to hit the pause button and just be in the moment. You can take your mindful practice into many areas of your life. Practice involves being aware of your breath, being in the present and noticing thoughts but letting them be. Your experience of daily life can be enriched by ongoing practice.

Moments of stress and mental fatigue can be alleviated by mindfulness there and then, but ongoing practice can have far-reaching effects on your mood, stress-levels, sleep, enjoyment of life. Annmarie can teach you mindfulness methods, how to develop your practice. Annmarie can do mindfulness practice with you in therapy sessions if that’s what you need and want. This can be whatever feels comfortable for you: from short breathing exercises and individual mindfulness exercises to longer relaxation sessions and training for you so that you can practice mindfulness out of the session and incorporate it into your daily life.