Marie Willis

Hi, I’m Marie, and a very warm welcome to my profile. I specialise in helping people who are struggling with anxiety, stress and overwhelm or who are feeling ‘stuck’ and  unable to move forward in their life, to find solutions and live life with greater ease ,enjoyment and confidence. I work online to give clients the best possible flexibility, enabling them to bring about positive change in their own comfortable space. From my experience working with clients, online therapy is every bit as effective as meeting in person.  I am an Accredited Hypno-C.B.T. Therapist and an Anxiety Uk. Approved Therapist. Hypno-C.B.T. is a unique and powerful therapeutic integration of C.B.T. (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), Hypnotherapy and Mindfulness to help you change the way you think, feel and behave. Substantial research now shows that for between 70% -90% of clients, cognitive and behavioural therapies are more effective when integrated with Hypnotherapy. Hypno-C.B.T. also integrates Mindfulness into the therapy. Mindfulness teaches us how to live more fully in the present moment thus avoiding rumination and to learn how to extend self-acceptance and self-compassion to ourselves. Once we learn how to accept ourselves, the potential for growth and change becomes significant. Hypno-C.B.T. is a therapy which is accredited by the British Psychological Society. It is also evidence-based, which means that it is based on what has been proven in scientific research to actually work. How we can work together: We work collaboratively since you are the expert on you! and I will help you to develop the knowledge ,skills and confidence to help yourself. You will find an environment of warmth, compassion and empathy; a safe place of trust, where you will feel heard and understood without judgement. A place where you can also enjoy the process of change as you move forward. Therapy is practical and focussed. I work with you to help you understand what is maintaining the vicious cycle of anxiety, stress and overwhelm and I develop a plan with you to help you break that cycle. My aim is to teach you to become your own therapist, not reliant on me or tied into long time therapy. Hypno-C.B.T. is thus regarded as a ‘brief’ form of psychotherapy. We can all experience times in life when we are finding it difficult to cope:  It might be anxiety or stress to do with work or a general sense of overwhelm in day to day living. It could be a phobia which holds you back. Maybe sleep issues and insomnia are having a negative impact on your life. It could be that you are having difficulties in social situations and want to feel more at ease and able to enjoy yourself. You might want to increase your levels of confidence or there might be things you want to do in your life, goals you wish to achieve but fear holds you back. You might be at a time of transition in life - Going to -or Leaving -university,Career-break, Retirement, Empty Nest Syndrome etc and looking for ways forward. Whatever form your problem takes, you instinctively know that the time for change has come-but you might be uncertain as to how to proceed. Taking the first step: If this resonates with you, I can help you. We can work together to help you manage your issues ,increase your confidence and bring about the positive changes you wish to see in your life. Acknowledging our difficulties can often be the hardest step and the fact that you are reading this shows that the first and hardest step has already been taken. You are now at the stage of looking for possible solutions. You are in the right place. Engaging in therapy can be the greatest gift of self care that we give to ourselves to lighten our load and allow us to start to find greater ease, contentment and enjoyment in our lives once again. The most important aspect of therapy is that you feel comfortable working with your therapist and therefore I offer a free thirty minute phone or zoom consultation where you can decide whether you’d be comfortable working with me and I can check whether my approach will be suitable to help you achieve your goals. For further information. e-mail me:- [email protected] Call me for a chat Tel: 07976-890610 or visit my website:- www.mariewillistherapy.com   My Story For over twenty five years, I worked in the Education Sector as a teacher and in a Senior Management role. It was a hugely rewarding career and I felt greatly privileged to be involved in the nurture and education of the next generation. Nevertheless, working in this environment also allowed me to see first hand how pressure and a sense of stress and overwhelm could impact on career, family and work-life balance. I could also see the same issues presenting themselves with people working in other professions. As a result of this, one of my particular interests is in helping people to find effective ways to deal with the inevitable demands, stress and pressures of the workplace and to find a sustainable work-life balance whilst retaining the passion and purpose which brought them into their job in the first place.Other key interests are helping people find workable solutions for general life stress, overwhelm and anxiety ( I am an Anxiety UK Approved Therapist) and helping people as they forge new directions in their lives. Due to the passion which I felt for teaching and which I feel for my therapy work, I have a great interest in helping people to reflect on their values and what is important to them in the way they live their lives. A question I often ask is - What would you really want to do and achieve if the fear of moving forward towards your dreams and goals was removed? Day to day living can take over and we don’t give ourselves the opportunity to stop and reflect on how we might reach our potential. Therapy can be the gift which we give ourselves to allow this exploration to happen. Through working together, using the tools of Hypno-CBT, you can take the time to explore and develop your greater potential. Amongst others, I have worked with people in the NHS, the Education Sector, Students, those dealing with social anxiety, people wanting to find ways to more effectively deal with the ups and downs of life, those struggling with phobias, people wanting to increase motivation and confidence and people wishing to instil new healthier lifestyles. It is always a pleasure and privilege to see the changes that people make in their lives and their delight in their achievements. If you feel you would like to have a chat about working together, then get in touch. I will be delighted to talk to you.