Meet the Therapist: Sandra Horne

Sandra Horne is a therapist in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire

What attracted you to become a therapist?

I have worked with the public for over two decades in different sectors and have always enjoyed helping people find solutions to their problems. And having experienced quite a variety of life lessons myself over the years, it seemed a natural transition to retrain in a variety of talking and holistic therapies so I could continue to help people in a professional capacity.

Where did you train?

I started training in Ayr Ayrshire in 2006. Firstly, with Andrew Johnstone when I completed Reiki 1. Reiki 2 was with Barbara Davis.

I attained my Advanced Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT & CBT techniques through Motivation Coaching with Mathew Ferguson. My further training includes: Kinetic Shift with the UK Hypnosis Academy, OldPain2Go Steven Blakes mythology, Shamanic Power Retrieval with Stephen Mulhearn, kids and soma mindfulness teacher training with Michael Bready of Youth Mindfulness.

Can you tell us about the type of therapy you practise?

Help can be quick and effective when the session is structured to suit the client's needs. With the range of therapies I use, I don't always need to know the client's problem, if the issue is just too painful to talk about. But if the client is happy to tell me their story, it helps me quickly identify issues and problems they may not even realise they have so we can work on finding quick and effective, focused solutions.

I use NLP or CBT in our first conversations to start changing the way they may think about certain events, then we would incorporate some energy work into the session such as Kinetic Shift to release stress or anxiety or Reiki to help move any blocks. The client is then open and ready to start rebuilding his or her self-belief and self-confidence through hypnosis and motivation coaching.

Out of all the therapies you use, is there one that stands out?

I have found hypnotherapy to be unrivalled and unsurpassed in quickly dealing with emotional or physical trauma.

What sort of people do you usually see?

A lot of my clients suffer from trauma, depression, anxiety and stress.

Couples with relationship issues both same and mixed sex are next on the list. In the first session both partners in the couple will participate and this is then followed by individual sessions where they feel more able to open up without antagonising or hurting their partner.

What do you like about being a therapist?

I love knowing that all the ups and downs that life has thrown at me and all the training I have undertaken can really make a difference. It is a massive adrenalin rush, when you know you have helped someone turn the corner and start looking forward instead of looking inward or backwards.

What is less pleasant?

The fact that I have to charge, I would love to do free sessions all the time but obviously I have to pay my bills also and I believe there has to be an exchange of some kind.

How long you've been with welldoing.org and what you think of us?

I have been with welldoing.org for just about a year now and the information and articles that they put together are so informative and relevant that I often file relevant articles for use in my own practice,

Do you ever suggest books or apps to clients?

I always like to give clients some follow up material or advice to help them stay positive and on course when they are not in session. I recommend the NHS apps library, Calm or Headspace.

What you do for your own mental health?

I am really busy and happy most of the time helping others which is so rewarding, so my mental health is normally pretty good these days. However, I know how easy it is to become off-balance so I try and make sure I treat myself once every couple of months by, for example, eating chocolate and bingeing on Netflix on Sunday yes, we all have our indulgent moments! I know this is maybe not what you were expecting but being good to yourself in whatever way that means to you is so important.

I also love gardening, but only if it's nice and warm. I live by the sea and most weekends I borrow my grandkids and their mad spaniel and walk along the beach.

But what I love most after a busy week is just peace and quiet with a good book.

I also practice mindfulness to bring me into the present moment which helps me stay grounded.

You are a therapist in Kilmarnock and Girvan in Ayrshire. What can you share with us about seeing clients in those areas?

I work in Kilmarnock and Girvan face-to-face, but at the moment, I do Skype or phone sessions.

I think the issues my clients come with are the same the country over, and it does not matter greatly if you are rich or poor.

What's your consultation room like?

The room is very private, quiet and homely, and the client has a big comfortable recliner to lie on and nice soothing music is always playing in the background.

I find the recliner is better even for reiki than a therapy table as it helps clients feel more natural and at ease.

What do you wish people knew about therapy?

I wish people appreciated how effective therapy can really be, and how it is alright to sometimes need an outsider's perspective to help get your feelings and emotions back in order and help you start living life again, on your terms.

What did you learn about yourself in therapy?

When I started my training, I thought I had already dealt with all of my insecurities and issues. Part of the training was to practice on each other, this is when I discovered that I still had some serious issues and blockages that needed to be removed before I could move forward. The benefit of this was discovering how effective each of the different types of therapy could be on working with different issues.

Facebook

Contact Sandra here

Meet more welldoing.org therapists