About Counselling

Counselling can bring many benefits. Most importantly it can reassure you that you are not alone, and will give you the opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings in a safe environment. The hope is to help you make life something to be enjoyed rather than endured, and counselling can help you build resilience and give you the tools and resources to better deal with the challenges that life throws at you.

People seek counselling for various reasons and at different times in their lives.

It may be that you want to:

Take back control of your life and invite more choice

Explore traumatic events or life changes that have affected you, such as a bereavement or childhood trauma

Change the direction of your life to be more positive and fulfilling

Learn new tools to deal with conflict, uncertainty and to build resilience

Realign the connection between your mind and body finding a healthier balance

Travel deeper into yourself to understand more about who you really are

Access your inner potential to grow and develop

Address the stress in your life to improve your mental health and wellbeing

Undertake a journey of soul searching and exploration around the purpose and meaning of life

Starting counselling can seem daunting or scary, so it is important to be clear about why you wish to embark on this journey in this moment and also to recognise that it is a process that can take time. Whatever has brought you to this point – stresses at work, relationship problems, struggling with your mental health and well being, or perhaps a lack of confidence – it is where you go from here that matters.

Choosing the right counsellor for you

It is important that you choose the right counsellor to journey with you: someone who you feel you can learn to trust and open up to. I would suggest you approach two or three different counsellors and have an initial conversation with each of them. Ask the counsellor lots of questions and ask yourself if you can imagine talking more regularly with them. Can you see yourself opening up and sharing with them the things that are really important to you?

Beginning counselling for the first time?

The decision to commence counselling is often spurred on by a desire to change, or sometimes it is simply about understanding who you are and what you need right now.

Coming back to counselling?

Perhaps you have had counselling in the past and something has changed in your life that has led you to consider coming back to counselling? This can often happen and I have experience of working with people in this situation. Whatever your reasons, I would be happy for us to discuss this further.

” A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

– Lao Tzu

Why Choose To Journey With Me?

My style of working is to pay particular attention to you the individual and our relationship as client/counsellor. I bring many qualities to the sessions including integrity, warmth, confidentiality, empathy, and the ability to listen and to make people feel relaxed and comfortable. My experience in life and in counselling is rich and varied, I draw on this experience to inform the counselling process and facilitate growth.

I value and understand the diversities within society and I work within a non-discriminatory framework and without judgement. I welcome and have worked with people from all backgrounds respecting every individual’s identity, gender, sexuality, religion, culture, ethnicity, age or disability.

Taking The First Step

On first contact, we will organise an initial assessment to ensure that your particular needs, expectations and goals are identified. This will be charged for as a normal session. We will also discuss a timeframe for you (either short or long term). It will give us a chance to decide if we will work well together and to clarify if counselling is right for you.

Flexible Fees

Counselling is an investment in you. However, I appreciate that some people are in a better financial situation than others. For this reason I offer a limited number of spaces for reduced cost counselling to those earning a lower income. Please mention this when you enquire so we can discuss this in more detail and I can inform you of current availability.

Short Term & Long Term Counselling

I recognise that each person’s needs are different. This is why I offer both short and long term counselling. The length of your commitment will depend on your reasons for choosing counselling and also on the work that unfolds as we proceed. We will review and assess the work we have done and determine and agree the next steps regularly as we progress.

If you have any questions or you would like to explore the process of counselling further then please contact me here.

” You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Meryem Hassan – Journeys Counselling

It is this philosophy and a passionate wish to help others create the lives they aspire to live, which led me to study Psychology and gain a BSC Hons in 2002, and then become a qualified and practising counsellor in 2010. Over the last 20 years I have worked in the field of mental health and wellbeing with young people and adults from many backgrounds and different cultures. I have actively worked as a senior manager across the voluntary, public and private sectors with the most vulnerable, as well as with people needing direction and support. This includes those who have experienced relationship difficulties, as well as domestic, physical, sexual and mental abuse. Throughout this time, one thing that has never ceased to amaze me is how the power of healing and of human will can change lives. I work in accordance with the BACP ethical framework for good practice undertaking continued training to keep my knowledge and skills up-to-date and attending regular clinical counselling supervision with an experienced psychotherapist/supervisor. My private practice, Journeys Counselling, is a professional and confidential counselling service accessible to people living in the Central and North London areas that wish to have face-to-face counselling. Offering the choice of Skype or telephone counselling enables us to work together wherever you live or work.

The specific approach I use in counselling is known as Integrative Psychosynthesis. In essence this approach highly values the significance and power of the relationship between the counsellor and the client. This is a journey we will make together in a collaborative relationship that can be very healing and rewarding.

What approach do I use?

I focus on you and your unique situation. I will work with you both empathically and intuitively, paying attention to what is both spoken and unspoken.

Using the Integrative Psychosynthesis approach allows me to incorporate different perspectives into our sessions that will suit you and the current situation you face, often addressing past history, childhood, family or cultural experiences as well as what is happening for you in the here and now.

As well as addressing the present and the past, Integrative Psychosynthesis also gives particular emphasis to the aspects of counselling that focus on your hopes, dreams and aspirations. We may incorporate other perspectives such as visualisation or Mindful CBT, or we may simply address experiences as they unfold within the sessions.

Qualifications and memberships:

MBACP

Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Reg No: 041482)

BSc Hons Psychology

July 2002 University of East London (UEL)

Diploma in Integrative Psychosynthesis Counselling

December 2010 Re-Vision Centre for Integrative Psychosynthesis

Certificate of Mindful Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

January 2011

” The descent into the depths will bring healing.”

– Carl Jung

Session Information

I offer three types of counselling:

Face-to-Face

Face-to-face sessions

Come and see me for face-to-face sessions at Spiral Holistic Therapy Centre in Islington, London.

Skype

Skype sessions

Maybe you are overseas a lot with work, or just can't make it to the practice in person - Skype may be the best option for you. It is a great alternative to a face-to-face session in person!

Telephone

Telephone sessions

Not in London? Don't have access to Skype? Don't worry, we can conduct our sessions over the telephone, from the comfort of your favourite chair.

Short-term versus long-term counselling?

At the initial assessment we will explore whether short term or long term counselling is most appropriate for the issues you want to address.

What is short-term counselling?

This would be for a minimum of twelve weeks with sessions once a week. This is often appropriate if you want to focus on a specific issue, for example a work related anxiety, or a recent bereavement.

What is long-term counselling?

This would be for a minimum of six months or longer with sessions at least once a week. Staying in counselling for a longer period of time often enables you to focus on more than one issue and achieve a deeper awareness and understanding. This would be more suitable for working with depression, anxiety, stress, eating disorders, phobias, self-esteem, confidence, abuse, and identity issues, including gender or sexual orientation, to name just a few.

Can I park near your practice?

Parking is restricted Monday to Friday 8.30am-6.30pm & Saturday 8.30am-1.30pm
Please note that there are additional restrictions when Arsenal are playing a home match: Monday to Friday 6.30pm-8.30pm, Saturday 1.30pm-4.30pm, Sundays and Bank holidays noon-4.30pm. (See www.arsenal.com for more details).

There is one hour free parking on Holloway Road in bays, two hour free parking in the Waitrose car park for customers, two hour pay and display parking bays on Loraine Road and Hornsey Road, and all day pay parking at the Sobell Centre (entrance on Hornsey Road opposite Arthur Road).

What is accessibility like at Spiral?

Accessibility is as follows:
To the 2nd floor - 34 steps; to the 3rd floor - 51 steps.
There is limited use of the ground floor with partial wheelchair adaptation.

Please contact me if you require any further information.

How long does a session last?

Each session I do with a client lasts for a maximum of 50 minutes, unless a double session has been booked, which lasts for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Where is your practice located?

You can currently see me for face-to-face sessions at:

Spiral Holistic Therapy Centre
2 Shelburne Road
Islington
London
N7 6DL

Spiral is a corner building and the front door is in Annette Road.

How often do I need to have sessions?

Usually I will ask you to attend once a week at a regular time. I do not offer less frequent sessions, as I believe counselling works best if you engage with your issues regularly. More than one session a week can be arranged if we agree this would be appropriate for you.

What public transport options are there to get to Spiral?

Spiral is very accessible by many forms of public transport including tube, rail and bus.

The closest London Underground stations are Holloway Road and Finsbury Park, or the nearest Rail station is Drayton Park.

Buses that run nearby are route numbers 17, 29, 43, 91, 153, 253, 254, 259, 271, and 393.

What if I can't make it to Islington?

As an alternative option I offer Skype and telephone sessions at various mutually convenient times during the week. If this counselling method is preferable to you then please mention this when we first speak.

Contact Me

If you would like more information about my work or counselling in general, I would be very happy to discuss any questions you may have.