Tracy Anderson

I am a qualified Integrative Therapist and member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) with experience of working with children, young people, families and adults including couples. I have worked with children and young people for the past 23 years, firstly as a teacher including working in a specialist Social and Emotional Mental Health Provision (SEMH) for secondary school aged children and in latter years as a therapist. Within my role I work as a school counsellor as well as working in a private practice. Many people often associate mental health as negative, but we can also have positive mental health, with the two often overlapping. I am incredibly passionate about people being able to access support when they are struggling and work hard with clients to develop lifelong strategies to support them beyond the counselling process.

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Working integratively involves a client-led approach, where the focus in every session are the clients’ needs. This approach involves using a range of therapeutic modalities, tailoring therapy sessions according to the person’s presenting and emerging needs. Modalities I work with are Transactional Analysis, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Sand Tray, Imagery and Metaphor work. I have a specialism in early life experiences including early attachments and how they impact on later adulthood, believing that our early experiences form parallels with adolescence and adulthood. I have a range of experience in working with people with anxiety, low mood, neurodivergence, attachment disorders, trauma, eating disorders as well as personality disorders including Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders.

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My approach in counselling involves a psycho-educative approach helping clients to understand the basis of feelings and emotions to build emotional literacy, self-regulation and a toolkit of interventions which can be used beyond the therapeutic process. Work with younger children predominantly involves play therapy which naturally engages the child's inner world allowing expression and articulation of difficulties which can be further explored. Work with older children involves a self-reflective scaffolded approach to build greater autonomy and to develop a toolkit of coping strategies for beyond the counselling process. I also use sand tray work with both children and young people as a non-verbal symbolic approach enabling exploration of unconscious processes, gently bringing them into conscious awareness. I work as collaboratively as possible with parents/carers of the young people I work with.

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Work with adults focuses on a holistic approach in identifying links between current situations and earlier experiences through exploring a person’s life scripts. In having greater awareness of our own life scripts, we are better able to move forward to our more authentic self.

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Work with couples involves a solution focused approach, often shorter term, which looks at parallels between earlier relationship patterns and current relationships as well as exploring communication patterns and awareness of our own and our partners needs.

I am very conscious that entering therapy can be difficult to navigate, I want to reassure you that sessions will offer a warm and welcoming space to you.

• Qualifications and Training:
• ​BSC (hons) Psychology
• Post Graduate Certificate in Education
• Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling
• Couples Counselling
• Thrive Trained
• Enhanced DBS Certificate for working with Children and Adults