Holistic Jungian therapist specializing in trauma and relationships
Hi,
My name is Petina.
It is lovely to meet you and thank you for taking the time to check out my Betterhelp profile.
I am an Ambassador for Betterhelp, and an Advanced Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and Belief Coding Facilitator, and member of the BACP. I am based in Devon, in the UK.
My work as a counsellor is hugely important to me.
Helping clients to gain clarity provides me with an immense amount of job satisfaction. I am passionate about providing clients who need help with a quality and efficient service, actively listening to clients, providing them with a safe space to be heard. I never underestimate the life-changing and in many cases life-saving impact that counselling can and does have on clients lives.
I practice several models of therapy.
My work is primarily Solution Focused and Intuitive.
I use Transactional Analysis (TA) as my underpinning framework.
I may incorporate CBT approaches, NLP and Mindfulness techniques into my sessions..
My specialisms include working with addictions, anxiety, stress and anger management as well as relationship issues, in particular, co-dependency. I am especially interested in the link between stress and trauma, addiction and dependency issues with our Driver (TA) behaviours
I can help clients address many issues, including Abuse, Addictions, Anxiety, Bereavement, Depression, Health related issues, Identity issues, Loss, Obsessions, Personal development, Post-traumatic stress, Relationships, Self esteem, Spirituality, Trauma, Women’s issues
I have worked as a counsellor, trainer and drugs and alcohol professional for over 18 years. I have facilitated groups and treatment programmes as well as triaging clients, completing assessments and providing 1:1 online interventions for service users, clients and families as a senior member on the Clinical Assessments & Brief Interventions Team within my local drugs and alcohol service.
In recent years my focus has been on developing my private practice and investing my time into my own personal and business development. It my intention to write a book based about my integrative approach to specifically help clients struggling with addiction and co-dependency.
I qualified in 2008 after training at The Iron Mill Institute, Exeter, UK. I am experienced, confident, and skilled in working with many modalities, which means that I can tailor make the counselling interventions to best fit my clients needs at that time; which vary from session to session.
My work is client lead… therefore determined by what they bring to each session.
I am experienced in working with many other aspects of “life” that may cause a person to look for counselling support. I previously ran my own wellbeing centre in Exeter for 21 years, which achieved the Best Small Business Award for having established a reputation based on the provision of a high quality service and high standards of care for our clients. It was during this time that I developed a desire to help people on a deeper level and more importantly, make sure I was using my natural listening skills and empathy, in the best way possible.. I have a naturally empathic nature, with “tuned-in” listening skills. I always prioritise confidentiality above all else. I believe these combined attributes enable clients to open up and trust me with their most private and sensitive issues quickly. Providing a place of safety, in a private, holding and nurturing environment.
During my time as a beauty therapist, I naturally supported many clients through a great deal of traumatic and challenging issues, including through the process of gender reassignment, cancer, divorce and significant loss. And it has been a privilege to continue working with clients on a deeper level as I moved from the world of beauty therapy to psycho-therapy.
When I started my counselling training, my interest in Stress management grew which lead me to travel to San Francisco to complete StressMap© training.
It has been important to me to develop my skills, to continue learning a variety of modalities. It has been incredible to integrate energy healing into my practice in recent years. Working with the subconscious mind has been a real eye opener for me, and my clients.
I am currently training in Hypnotherapy, Advanced Belief Coding®️ and Vanta Breathwork.
The majority of my work continues to be online.
My first session
When i receive a referral, call or contact from a potential client expressing an interest in counselling, I firstly send my counselling information and a contract for counselling along with my privacy notice.
I provide clients with a unique number, which is used to password protect any potentially identifiable correspondence between us.
It is important to develop a counselling contract, to establish what the client wishes to achieve by engaging in counselling. “Beginning with the end in mind” (Steven Covey), helps establish direction and keep the work focused. Our first session will clarify the issues and desired outcome. I use monitoring tools at the start, and throughout my work, to monitor progress and swiftly identify any risks.
I do not encourage “counselling dependency”. I aim to complete the work in a timely manner, however, the value in having a “secure base” a place to feel safe to talk without judgement or time constraints, cannot be underestimated. I work hard to balance these two aspects of Talking Therapy in my own practice.
Licensed · Professional · Cancel Anytime
Petina Walker is an integrative therapeutic counsellor based in Devon, United Kingdom, who combines practical methods with an intuitive approach to support people through a wide range of life difficulties. As an Ambassador for Betterhelp, an Advanced Integrative Therapeutic Counsellor and a Belief Coding Facilitator, she brings a breadth of training and experience to her work and is a member of the BACP.
Her practice is primarily solution-focused and intuitive, with Transactional Analysis (TA) as the underpinning framework. Petina also draws on cognitive behavioural techniques, NLP and mindfulness where these fit the needs of the person in front of her. Her work is led by what each client brings to a session, and she tailors interventions to suit changing needs from session to session.
Petina has particular experience supporting people with addictions, anxiety, stress and anger management, and she has a strong interest in relationship issues, especially co-dependency. She explores the links between stress, trauma, addiction and dependency and how these relate to Driver behaviours described in TA.
Clients can seek her help for many concerns including abuse, addiction, anxiety, bereavement, depression, health-related issues, identity questions, loss, obsessions, personal development, post-traumatic stress, relationships, self-esteem, spirituality, trauma and women’s issues.
Petina trained at The Iron Mill Institute in Exeter and qualified in 2008. Since then she has worked as a counsellor, trainer and drugs and alcohol professional, providing 1:1 online interventions, facilitating groups and treatment programmes, triaging and completing assessments as part of a Clinical Assessments & Brief Interventions Team within a local drugs and alcohol service.
Alongside clinical work she previously ran a wellbeing centre in Exeter for 21 years, an enterprise recognised with a Best Small Business Award for high-quality service and standards of care. That earlier work as a beauty therapist, where she often supported people through major life challenges such as gender reassignment, cancer, divorce and significant loss, informed her move into psychotherapy and deepened her commitment to helping others.
In recent years Petina has focused on developing her private practice and on personal and business development. She also aims to write a book describing her integrative approach to supporting people who struggle with addiction and co-dependency. Petina values active listening, a tuned-in empathic stance and a safe, private space where clients can be heard and begin to gain clarity and change.
Many people ask whether remote therapy can really help. For common concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties or navigating life changes, evidence shows that online therapy can be as effective as traditional face-to-face work for most people.
One major benefit is convenience – clients can connect in the way that suits them best, whether that is by video call, phone, live chat or in-app messaging. This flexibility makes it easier to fit therapy into busy lives and to maintain continuity of care when in-person attendance would be difficult.
All therapists offering online work are licensed professionals, and it is possible to change therapists if someone feels a different fit would be more helpful. For many people, online therapy provides an accessible, practical route to consistent therapeutic support.
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