I know how much bravery it takes to ask for help.

If you’re reading this, then you must have reached that stage.

And that’s huge. Really, it is.

Admitting that you can’t do it alone anymore can feel like failure, but let me assure you, it isn’t. Whether your low self-esteem is stopping you from setting foot outside, your depression is making it all seem pointless or anxiety has you living life on your last nerve – I can help.

I’m a Person-Centered counsellor, which means I’m trained to walk your path with you without judgement. Some of us are lucky enough to have people in our lives to talk to when times are tough, but counselling offers a very different kind of relationship to the one you have with your partner or best friend.

In my counselling room, you’re free to be who you need to be. Cry, laugh, sit in silence, rant, complain or tell me you don’t know what’s wrong. It’s all ok.

Perhaps the past has a hold on you that you long to be free from; the present is pulling you under and every day is a struggle; the future is a terrifying worry that you want to hide from.

Piece by piece, we’ll build a picture of what’s going on for you and discover together how we can change things so that you can live your life with purpose and happiness. It’s a powerful feeling, to feel truly listened to and genuinely heard, and I aim for every single one of my clients to experience that feeling.

I’m also a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist, which means I’m trained to get to the root of any issue you might have and help you to devise a practical way out in a smaller amount of sessions. If you find you respond well to action plans and small, measurable steps, then this might be the therapeutic style for you. CBT works well with phobias, anxiety and PTSD, to name a few, but my Person-Centered foundation means it will never feel cold and clinical.

I can honestly say that I care about my clients. Counselling sessions with me are warm, honest and often emotional. My passion is to really hear what you are trying to say – to try to see beneath the barriers we all build up to the person underneath, who needs to be heard, understood and accepted.

With trust, respect and a willingness to work, we can explore your life’s journey and, hopefully, piece together what is working for you, what is not and what we can do about it together.

How might therapy help you?

Counselling can be incredibly empowering. The simple act of telling a virtual stranger your thoughts and feelings can often lead to exciting new discoveries about who you are and what you really want. It can help to heal old wounds, enabling you to finally forgive and let go of hurt that is holding you back.

We don’t always know what’s troubling us and that’s where the right counsellor can help you to gently explore and unlock issues, uncovering buried emotions and past hurt you might have thought you were done with. It isn’t always easy, but I guarantee, it is always worth it.

Therapy can help with specific areas of your life such as depression, bereavement, anxiety, confidence issues or suicidal thoughts, to name just a few. It can enable you to put your life back into perspective if you have been knocked off course or are stuck and unable to move forward. Goals, action plans and mind maps make happiness seem suddenly possible

Why work with me?

I trained for five years to become a fully qualified Counsellor and Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and I’ve been in private practice for a further 7 years. In that time, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many clients turn their lives around, make positive changes, grow and blossom into the person they’ve always wanted to be, or used to be.

I run my practice in St. Helens town centre and online so I can help you no matter where in the country you live. I offer both traditional Person-Centered counselling alongside Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I’ve come to learn over the years that counselling is not ‘one size fits all’ and sometimes a mix of approaches is necessary to get to the heart of the issue at hand. Every client is unique and I tailor my style to suit individual needs.

Here’s what some of my clients have said about me;

‘I’ve been seeing Leanne for sessions for a while now and I’ve come so far in that period thanks to her help that it’s amazing to look back and think about the journey.

Leanne is an exceptional counsellor and she truly understands me and what I go through. I trust her completely and feel safe to discuss anything when in a session and that’s because she’s very warm and open and I can tell that she genuinely cares. She’s patient and attentive and every session I know that she uses different skills to address how I feel that week and I come out of each session feeling valued and that is massive.

Because of her efforts I’ve been able to work through so much and I’ve started on my own journey to becoming a counsellor myself. Through learning about the skills used and needed to be effective I’ve realised just how good at her job Leanne is. I’m fully appreciative of everything she does and I cannot recommend her enough.’

-TM.

‘I have been going to see Leanne for over 2 years now. After waiting to see someone on the NHS for over 9 months I decided to go private and it was the best thing I could have done for myself. Seeing Leanne provides me with a safe place where I can go and just talk about how I feel without the fear of judgement or that I am going to cause someone some worry. Sometimes I go thinking ‘I haven’t got anything that I want to talk about this week’ but the hour passes and I have found that I have yet again got so much off my mind. Her advice has helped me through some really tough times as well as helping me dealing with my daily anxiety. She is professional but nothing feels clinical or contrived it’s just like having a chat with a friend.’

-LW

‘I can genuinely say that the first time I met Leanne, it changed my life. I had always believed Counselling was something everyone should have in their lives, but never practised what I preached until I hit a real low a few years back and really needed support. It was then I had the great fortune of choosing Leanne as the person to speak to and share all the things weighing me down in life.
As difficult as it was initially to talk about where I was in my life, Leanne put me at ease and I was able to take everything at a comfortable pace. She was able to help me understand issues (some of which I was aware of and some I hadn’t even realised were there), unpack them and to point me in the right direction on how to resolve them or at least manage them. As emotionally draining as the first few sessions were, I was always left with a more positive mindset and a growing understanding of myself. Now these sessions always leave me feeling renewed and ready to face a new challenge.
Seeing Leanne has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Thank you, Leanne’.

-AP