Sarah launched New Start in September 2016, after working for eleven years in schools and a local hospice. By day, Sarah is developing and growing the service to ensure as many children, young people and adults receive the support they deserve.
By night and weekends, she does the regular things like spending time with her family and friends, long dog walks and home improvements!
Aside from starting New Start, Sarah’s biggest achievement is raising two kind, handsome, clever and very funny sons.
Likes
- Fresh air
- Travelling
- Shoes
Dislikes
- Bullying
- Cold Coffee
- Snakes
Catherine has a number of years’ experience as a School Secretary and Personal Assistant. Catherine is Mum to three gorgeous, unique boys who keep her busy! In her spare time, she likes to do online fitness classes and boot camps, dog walking on the beach and caravanning with her family.
Likes
- Crime Novels
- Jigsaws
- Loyalty
Dislikes
- Rudeness
- Dishonesty
Maalti began her counselling journey 5 years ago and has not looked back since. She has an FdA in Person-centred Counselling and Psychotherapy, and is working towards a BSc in Counselling and Psychotherapy, specialising with children and young people. She works predominantly with the person-centred approach. She also volunteers with Renaissance and Counselling in the Community.
When she is not studying or working, she loves taking long walks, going to different coffee shops, sitting by the window with a book and watching how amazing the world is. She adores going on holiday and speaking to people with awesome new accents, while trying tasty new food and watching how pretty the sunset is in different countries around the world. Her greatest pleasure by far, is spending time with her fabulous son and best friend who is 18.
Likes
- Holidays
- Walking
- Tasty New Foods
Chloe qualified as a Person Centred Counsellor in 2015. She worked as a Primary School Teacher before that.
Chloe wanted to be a counsellor after having her own counselling and realising what a useful and special experience it was. She wants to give people space to feel really heard, accepted and valued.
Chloe loves spending time with her family and friends and has a wonderful 3 year old son.
Her other love is chocolate!
Likes
- Chocolate
- Spending time with friends and family
Dislikes
- Unkindness
- Celery
Debbie has worked with children, families and adults in various settings for many years. She is now focusing on working therapeutically with adults, supporting them with a whole host of different things, and providing a safe space where they can feel held and heard. She has a grown-up daughter. In her spare time, she loves to go on walks, watch TV quiz shows and spend time with her friends and family!
Likes
- Snow
- Feeling cosy
- Feeling safe
Dislikes
- Prawns
- Conflict
Amy became a counsellor after working in psychiatric units, where she realised just how much people suffer from mental health and she felt she wanted to do more to help people.
She has experience in delivering therapy to both adults and children. She has worked in alternative provision as a teacher and absolutely loved working with teenagers!
She is fully committed to my role and feel passionate about providing people with a safe, warm, and welcoming environment, so her clients can begin their process of healing.
She is 100% family-oriented and has 3 beautiful children with my husband.
Likes
- Netflix Binge Watching
- Family Walks
- Ocean
Dislikes
- Bullying
- Cruelty to Animals
Edwana has a deep belief in a child’s innate capacity for positive change and growth. She utilises the power of play and art therapy to facilitate the expression of thoughts and feelings and to foster problem-solving skills. She nurtures her own well-being in the open spaces of nature with walking, camping and her relationships with animals.
Likes
- Digging in her veg garden
- Helping her hens
Sarah Louise holds a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, Bachelor of Arts Degree, QTS, EMDR Specialism, a Clinical Hypnotherapist and an NLP Practitioner.
She has worked within Primary, Secondary and Further Education as a Teacher, Mentor, and Counsellor. She has vast experience as a Therapist, helping clients to overcome anxiety, depression, complex disorders, phobias, self-harm and self-doubt. Additionally, she has supported clients in reprocessing and overcoming trauma, developing a growth mindset and shifting negative thought patterns.
She adores her family and friends, loves the beach, spa retreats, well-being, holidays and helping people to shape their lives.
Likes
- Meditation, Health, Fitness
- Dance and Music
- Nutrition
Dislikes
- Bad language
- Poor manners
Abbi is a qualified person-centred counsellor. She started her counselling journey back in 2016, and since then has completed numerous training courses for adults and children. Abbi became a counsellor because she wanted to help people as she believes everyone deserves support.
She has two very energetic children that keep her on her toes.
Likes
- Shopping
- Football
- Family
Dislikes
- Rudeness
- Dishonesty
- travelling
- dogs
- football
Dislikes
- long to-do lists
- busy places
- heavy traffic
Mat has a degree in working with children and young people. This was followed by a diploma in counselling and he is working hard, towards accreditation. He spends his free time with his children and wife, trying to get outside as much as he can. He loves a bit of camping and also enjoys going to festivals. Mat is also really interested in bushcraft and carving spoons to relax. He also enjoys playing the X-box, except when his son forces him to play Fortnite!
Likes
- Learning something new
- Being outside
- Exploring nature
Dislikes
- Any cruelty
- Punctures
Brenda began her counselling journey 5 years ago. She is a qualified integrative counsellor and psychotherapist and is working towards accreditation.
Her course was integrative, so it allowed her to use a variety of techniques from solution focus, person-centred, CBT and brief therapy, allowing her to tailor her approach and build the foundations of a relationship.
She believes that everyone has the right to be heard, and to navigate through difficult thoughts, feelings and situations.
She believes that it is the uniqueness of the individual that makes us all special.
In her free time, she loves spending time with family and friends and the great outdoors.
“You can’t beat sleeping under the stars!”
Likes
- Holidays
- Curling up with a good book
- Sci-fi
Dislikes
- Fish
- Rude People
Michelle has recently finished her degree in counselling and psychotherapy and has a strong passion for working with children and young people.
Her course was integrative, which enabled her to use different therapies to suit the person she was working with, meeting their needs.
She believes that every person is unique and sometimes needs some support to feel empowered and grow as a person. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, walking with her dog Harley, travelling to different places, riding her scooter and attending scooter rallies.
Likes
- Socialising
- Northern Soul
- Family Time
Dislikes
- Bad Manners
- Rudeness
Amy has always had a keen interest in working with children, gaining a degree in 2010 in Child, Young Person, Family and Educational Studies.
Initially, Amy planned to become a teacher. Until 2016 when she and her two children experienced counselling for themselves. Having seen first hand the benefits of Person-Centred Counselling, this gave her a new focus and a new purpose. To offer children, young people and adults alike, a safe, secure, therapeutic space to explore their feelings, in a manner which Is comfortable for them.
Amy has volunteered her time counselling within many establishments, most recently a residential rehabilitation centre and a local prison, both of which she found incredibly rewarding.
Amy enjoys nothing more than being outdoors trying to grow her own veggies, if not at the allotment, Amy loves just being at home with her children and the family dog.
Likes
- Singing in the Car
- Cups of Tea
- Music
Dislikes
- Rudness
- Bugs
- Traffic
Carla first trained to be a teacher and has BA (Hons) in Educational Studies.
After many years of experience working with children, she decided to become a counsellor. She is now a qualified counsellor with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
As a Person-Centred counsellor, Carla has found that by providing a safe and therapeutic space, clients are able to explore their feelings and gain a greater understanding of themselves and their experiences, which can support them to make positive changes.
Likes
Spending time with her family, including her 3 children and her 2 fluffy dogs
Reading
Going for walks
Dislikes
Animal cruelty
After many years of working with people and animals, Gemma finally achieved what she always wanted to do and became a qualified counsellor. Gemma has always found people could approach her no matter what the situation. Gemma uses the person centred approach to counselling believing that by being present and giving the person a safe, non judgmental space can really aid the person on their therapeutic journey.
Laura initially began her counselling journey 18 years ago and returned to it five years ago. She has a degree in Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy and is currently working towards accreditation.
Person-centred therapy is at the heart of her practice, and she integrates other approaches such as creative therapy, CBT, solution focused therapy, and brief therapy. This allows her to suit the individual needs of her clients.
Laura is passionate about providing a safe, welcoming space where her clients feel heard, can explore their feelings and gain a deeper understanding of themselves. She feels privileged to support them through their personal journeys of growth and healing.
In her spare time, Laura loves creating memories with her husband and son, spending time with friends and family, and being outdoors.
Likes
Long walks with her bouncy Boston Terrier
- Crazy golf
- Going on holiday and weekends away.
Dislikes
Traffic jams
- Spicy food
Thea has been counselling people with different types of mental health issues for the last five years. She has a strong passion and belief in the effectiveness of counselling, allowing each client to go through the counselling process at their own pace and discover how powerful and rewarding it can be.
Thea qualified at the University of Cumbria 7 years ago with a Diploma in Higher Education as a Person Centred Counsellor. She has volunteered with different services throughout her training and since completing her diploma.
Thea also has many years in the care sector working with young people who have learning difficulties and autism. Doing this work made her realise that there was a huge need for more counsellors to help these young adults and made her decide to become a counsellor herself.
She enjoys running and has completed a marathon, also going to the gym and walking the family dogs, who include a very naughty border terrier!
Likes
Running
Going to the gym
Travelling
Dislikes
Cold
People who lie
Being late
Abbie is a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist with a pluralistic approach, ensuring that each session is uniquely tailored to meet the individual needs of her clients. Her deep passion for working with children has inspired her to further her education in professional practice specifically focused on children and young people. Abbie is dedicated to creating a supportive and nurturing environment, where young clients can feel safe to express themselves and explore their thoughts and emotions. Her commitment to ongoing learning enhances her ability to connect with and empower those she works with, fostering resilience and personal growth in every session.
Likes
Hot weather
Routine
Eating out
Dislikes
Being cold
Getting stuck in traffic
Bad hair days
