Claire Beard
INTEGRATIVE/PERSON-CENTERED COUNSELLOR (MBACP)
I am a recently qualified Counsellor with over two years’ experience in a private practice where I have worked with clients on a short and long-term basis. Alongside this I completed a year of Counselling training for young people at Hertford Regional College. This has particularly served me in developing a thoughtful and creative approach to working with a person’s inner world. I have been employed within the charity sector for over ten years earning me the privilege of working with people from all walks of life and having the opportunity to both understand and connect to their many differing circumstances and experiences. All my life-skills and professional work have impacted on my ability to talk easily and to relate to others. I am very interested in the subconscious - those hidden parts of us that often go unnoticed but can provide powerful insight and healing. Together, we can gently explore and welcome all aspects of who you are, even the ones that feel hard to acknowledge.
While spirituality is not a central part of my approach, it is a meaningful part of my life, and I recognise how valuable it can be to have space in therapy to explore these types of experiences. Whether this is important to you or not, you will find a space free of judgment and full of openness. An area that I have both a personal experience in and work with frequently, is neurodivergence. It can be irrelevant whether we have a diagnosis or just experience being confused with some of our reactions to situations. A discovered familiarity around our responses, can lead to shining a light on the parts of us that can be misunderstood. This is both relieving and can give helpful learning for our own understanding and the others around us.
My Therapeutic Practice
My modality of therapy is Integrative with particular focus on the person- centred approach; this means that I use the varied counselling techniques
available and my core training concentrates on your own knowledge being the key to unlock self-truths and relationships with others. I can be the vehicle in helping you move but you are the expert in what makes you, you. I believe in meeting you exactly where you are, with compassion and without judgment.
In our work together, my aim is to offer a warm, safe, and supportive space where you feel free to be your true and whole self. Whether you need to talk, cry, scream into a pillow, or simply sit in silence for a while – I will be right there with you.
I believe that each person holds the answers they are looking for within themselves. My role is not to fix or direct, but to walk alongside you and help you to uncover those answers in your own time, in your own way. Therapy is not one-size-fits-all - it is your journey, and I am here to support, however it unfolds.
My Training
I have a Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, having previously completed Levels 2 and 3, and I am a member of the BACP following their
values, principles and ethical guidelines. I work with adults and young people aged sixteen years and over.
I offer both short-term and long-term therapy and I am able to create personalised timelines and plans around what you may need and the therapeutic work that needs to be done.
