Caroline Scol

As an experienced counsellor and psychotherapist, I have had the privilege of supporting people through many different stages and challenges in their lives. I understand that reaching out for counselling can sometimes feel like a big step. You may know exactly what you would like help with, or you may simply know that something doesn’t feel right and that you would like things to be different. Either way, you don’t need to have everything worked out before getting in touch. At the heart of the way I work is my belief that you are the expert on your own life. My role isn’t to tell you what to do, but to work alongside you, helping you understand what is happening for you, recognise your strengths and explore changes that feel meaningful and achievable. I work with people experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, stress and overwhelm, low mood and depression, relationship difficulties, trauma and difficult past experiences, low self-esteem and confidence, work-related pressures, parenting challenges and significant changes in life. Over the course of my career, I have worked across a wide range of settings, including mental health services, private practice, education, community services and specialist residential care. I have worked therapeutically with adults, children and young people, including people experiencing complex trauma, abuse and difficult life experiences. My career has also included clinical leadership, safeguarding, service management and supporting other professionals through clinical supervision and reflective practice. Working in such varied settings has given me the opportunity to support people from many different backgrounds and circumstances. It has also reinforced something I feel very strongly about: behind every difficulty, diagnosis or set of circumstances is an individual person, with their own experiences, strengths, needs and hopes for the future. I am an integrative therapist, which means I don’t believe that one approach suits everyone. Our work is individual to you. Depending on what you need, our sessions may involve talking and reflection alongside practical or creative approaches that can help you understand yourself differently, develop new ways of coping and begin to move forward. I believe that a good therapeutic relationship should feel safe, genuine and collaborative. I will listen without judgement, but I am also a proactive therapist. Where it may be helpful, I will offer observations, ideas, questions and different ways of looking at things. Therapy with me is something we do together. Sometimes people come to therapy because life has become difficult. Sometimes they come because they want to understand themselves better, make a change or discover what might be possible next. Whatever has brought you here, we can start from where you are. I offer a free 15-minute initial consultation so that we can talk briefly about what has brought you to counselling, what you are hoping for and whether I might be the right therapist for you.