Hello my name is Lindsay Westwood. I am professionally qualified with a Masters degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. I have a background in psychology, creative practices and tattoos. I have trained in the Person Centred Relational Model of therapy which allows for an exploration of the various challenges and issues life throws at us. I am accountable to the BACP Ethical Framework and offer a safe, confidential, non judgmental, therapeutic, counselling relationship. I believe people have their own innate drive for growth and have their own knowledge within. This process allows individuals to make the unconscious conscious and find their own answers.
I have over 600 hours of counselling experience. Over the last year I have gained experience working closely with young people and their families where my style of working has grown and developed to accommodate individual needs in many different ways. Though trained as a Person centred therapist I feel my practice has become more eclectic as I draw upon all of my learning and tailor my practice to the presenting issue. I have experience working with grief through the pandemic and have specialist training and experience working in areas such as the effects of adverse childhood experiences, anger, sexual abuse, stress and anxiety, the effects of substance misuse in families, and online sexual risk.
Throughout the pandemic I focused my work on helping clients work through their grief and loss, while the ongoing threat of the pandemic further complicated many areas of their life. I have provided the necessary conditions for exploration and provided psychoeducation to allow for an understanding of the process of grief, and a gateway to self acceptance.
I continually take opportunities for continued professional development and have spent much of that time studying the various models of trauma and working with mindful awareness and the different configurations of self. I will continue to learn with every client and promise to have empathy, integrity, honesty and safety at the forefront.
I also provide inner child workshops where adults can nurture the less serious part of themselves, bringing play and fun back into their lives; mindfulness practice groups where you can learn to use your breath to work with your body and mind to find inner peace.
I aim to offer a safe, confidential, therapeutic, counselling relationship that is relaxed and without judgement.
Sometimes we can feel 'stuck' and unsure of our direction in life which can impact our mental health. I will listen to you and work with your own individual needs, help set and maintain goals that are achievable and assist you to learn new coping strategies if this is what you need. It is important for me that I make you feel comfortable to explore different areas of your life from your past, present and future, find more clarity in your decision making, know why you are making particular choices, learn to trust yourself again and feel empowered. I believe people have their own innate drive for growth and have their own knowledge within. Through the help of a genuine therapeutic connection, the process of therapy allows for you to make the unconscious, conscious and gain access to your own answers .
I hope you have gained some understanding of me and the therapy I offer. It takes courage to seek a more fulfilling and happier life and to take the first steps by reaching out for a therapist and seek change.
If you are ready to take that step, I am here to support your journey.
I look forward to working with you.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Intimacy-related issues, Eating disorders, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Bipolar disorder, Depression, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Abandonment, Adoption and Foster Care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Blended Family Issues, Body image, Cancer, Caregiver issues and stress, Chronic pain illness and disability, Codependency, Commitment Issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with Natural or Human-Caused Disaster, Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic Violence, Drug and Alcohol Addiction, Eating and Food-Related Issues, Emptiness, Family Problems, Fatherhood Issues, Fertility Issues, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Hospice and End of Life Counseling, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Money and financial issues, Mood disorders , Narcissism, Obsessions, Compulsions, and OCD, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Postpartum Depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and Discrimination, Process addiction (porn, exercise, gambling), Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-Harm, Self-love, Sexual Assault and Abuse, Sexuality, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young Adult Issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy
BACP Therapist - Registered Member MBACP #388805
These quotes represent just a few of the many positive reviews that we have received for Lindsay Westwood. We don't pay anyone to provide their review and they are all made voluntarily. Some people's experience receiving therapy with BetterHelp might be different.
Lindsay has really helped me look at my anxious moments differently and has given me so many resources and skills to help calm me in times of high stress. Anxiety is something ive struggled with for a long time, but I’ve never understood the “hows” and “whys”, which added to the stress of it! Now that i have the skills, thanks to Lindsay, to see these moments as an opportunity to breathe and take some time for mindful thinking, the heightened moments are much more manageable.
Written on Nov 30, 2023 after therapy with Lindsay for 4 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Amazing and fabulous match. Lindsay 5 stars
Written on Oct 23, 2023 after therapy with Lindsay for 2 months on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, addictions, family conflicts, trauma and abuse, self esteem, coping with life changes, and adhd
Very understanding
Written on May 14, 2023 after therapy with Lindsay for 2 weeks on issues concerning stress, anxiety, relationship issues, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related issues, self esteem, and coping with life changes
Extremely reliable and patient
Written on May 17, 2022 after therapy with Lindsay for 2 weeks on issues concerning depression, stress, anxiety, relationship issues, self esteem, anger management, and career difficulties