The most important choice that you will ever make in therapy is choosing the person with whom you want to work.
It’s vital because the success of the therapy depends largely upon whether you and your therapist are able to create a strong working relationship and that is only possible if there is trust, respect and honesty in the relationship. If not, then it can be an uphill struggle. That is why I am inviting you to spend a little time finding out about me and my work so that you can decide whether you think I could be the therapist you are looking for.
My aim is to offer a friendly, professional and meaningful service. I draw upon many years of experience and comprehensive professional training. Please see below for detailed information regarding my training and qualifications.
I provide short and longer-term therapy for a wide range of issues, to help clients live more completely. I sincerely believe talking things through and exploring your issues can help. I can offer you a secure, accepting and non-judgement environment, in which you can express any issues or concerns you may have, past or present.
Sometimes by exploring painful and difficult experiences, we can begin to make sense of what has happened, and come to understand the affect it may be having upon us and our well-being.
Very often we find it difficult to express intense feelings, such as anger, embarrassment, grief, guilt and hate to our friends and family. I can offer you space and time to express and explore such feelings, in a safe supportive place.
My approach is not about giving advice or taking away your autonomy; it is about helping you to understand yourself and your situation, whilst providing the tools to enable you to build up your self-esteem, and empowering you to be able to make choices and decisions that are right for you as an individual. It is about offering support and understanding to enable you to deal with life changes or simply coming to terms with life events.
I trained at the University of Derby and gained a BSc (Hons) Psychology and Literature degree. I have graduated with a Merit in my M.A. in Counselling Studies from the Chester University. I also, hold a diploma in theory and practice of Counselling, an Advanced diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy and a Post Graduate Certificate in Counselling Supervision, which is for Senior Practitioners, and means that you supervise the work of other therapist. I am currently studying for my Professional Doctorate Counselling and Psychotherapy Studies at Chester University. I am Accredited with EMDR UK and Ireland as an EMDR practitioner – trained to work with children from nursery age through to adults. I offer consultation for other EMDR therapists working with all age groups.
My training meant I worked in various counselling and hypnotherapy agencies before I sent up private practice. I learnt my craft with Cruse Bereavement Care in Shropshire and Wellness Centre in Wrexham.
What else… oh yes …. I am listed on www.thelongboathome.co.uk which is a national network of therapists who offer reduced cost work to ex-services personal and their families. We are now linked with ‘Help for Heroes’ and ‘Walking with the Wounded’.
Professionalism
I hold a Professional doctorate in Counselling and Psychotherapy
I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). As such I am bound by their ethical framework and subject to their Professional Conduct Procedures.
I am Chartered Psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS).
I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) which manages the Data Protection Act.
I hold Enhanced Disclosure Certification from the Criminal Records Bureau.
I hold Professional Indemnity Cover in line with BACP Professional Codes of Conduct.
My hypnotherapy work is bound by the ethical framework of the National Council for Hypnotherapy and their Professional Conduct Procedures.
My work is regularly supervised and I maintain a diverse and on-going programme of professional development to ensure I have a full understanding of current industry practice.
Training, qualifications & experience:
- Couple and Family Counselling Certificate (Institute of Counselling)
- EMDR & Major Depressive Disorder – Derek Farrell
- EMDR and the Autism Spectrum - Caroline van Dies
- COFRA 121 – StopSO Training Compassion Focused-Risk Aware 1-to-1 Therapy programme for managing sexual risk
- Accreditation (BACP) and EMDR UK and Ireland
- MA Counselling Studies (Chester University)
- Post Graduate Certificate Counselling Supervision (University of Chester)
- Working with Narratives and attachment based EMDR program to work with children and parents
- The World of Stories and Symbols - An Introduction to the EMDR Sand tray Protocol
- Intergenerational Trauma - An Attachment Based EMDR Program to Work with Children and their Parents.
- Working with Complex Trauma, Dissociation and Failures of Integration in Children and Adolescents using EMDR Therapy
- Working with medically traumatised children and adolescents
- EMDR consultant training
- Working with medically traumatised children and adolescents
- Certificate in Working with Sexual Offenders – CORST
- Eating disorders awareness workshop
- Eating disorders in counselling practice
- Training for facilitating therapeutic groups (Chester University & Cruse Bereavement Care)
- Specialist Children's Hypnotherapist training (Lynda Hudson)
- Diplomas in Clinical Hypnotherapy (Delwyn Hypnotherapy)
- Advanced Diploma in Hypnosis (Delwyn Hypnotherapy)
- Hypnotherapy Practitioner Diploma (Delwyn Hypnotherapy)
- Foundation Course in Bereavement Care (Cruse Bereavement Care)
- Diploma in Counselling Theory and Practice.( Walford and North Shropshire College)
- Certificate in Counselling Skills (Walford and North Shropshire College)
- Post Graduate Certificate in Education IT (Sheffield Hallam University)
- BSc Psychology and Literature (Hons) (University of Derby)
- Child Psychology, Mental Illness, Life Span Psychology, Advanced Cognitive Psychology, Advanced Social Psychology, Research Methods and Statistics, Psychology of Counselling, Cognitive Neuropsychology, Psychology of Addiction, Psychology of Childhood Disorders
Publications
Swinden, C. (2017) What do we tell the children: the dilemma of therapist self-disclosure when working with young people. BACP Children & Young People Journal
Swinden, Colleen. (2018). The Child-Centered EMDR Approach: A Case Study Investigating a Young Girl’s Treatment for Sexual Abuse. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. 12. 282-296. 10.1891/1933-3196.12.4.282.
Barron I., Bourgaisze C., Lempertz D., Swinden C., Darker-Smith S. (2019) Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) for children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder: A rapid systematic narrative review. Journal of EMDR Practice and Research Journal of EMDR Practice and Research Vol 13 Issue 4, DOI: 10.1891/1933-3196.13.4.270
