About Me
Hello!
My Name is Kirsty
I have aspired to become a counsellor since I lost two loved ones in 2012 and I spent a few years going through challenging emotions, various mental health problems, as well as family relationship problems. This has led me to always have the passion to work within roles where I am able to help others.
Before I began my counselling journey, since 2015 I have worked within the health and social care sector. I have undertaken work as a residential care home worker and later proceeded to work as a support worker, for vulnerable adults. During this time, I have also undertaken work within the security industry, where I have worked in different sporting venues and festivals over the years.
In the year of 2019, I began my counselling journey through accessing the introduction to counselling course. During the pandemic in September 2020, I began the Foundation Degree in Counselling. I found both the introduction and foundation degree helped me to learn new experiences and opened my eyes to the counselling world. During the foundation degree, in the year of 2021, after the pandemic I received counselling and that helped me to work through my bereavement and other past problems.
I found the counselling to be affective and it made me want to have the chance to obtain more knowledge. The expanding knowledge gave me a passion, which has led me to learn about becoming an integrative counsellor and learning new ways, in which I can help clients.
My Experience
While studying the FdA counselling degree I worked in various different support worker roles for different companies. This role also gave me the thirst for wanting to know more knowledge within the world of health and social care.
I have volunteered for the Jac Lewis Foundation and have worked with clients in bereavement, abuse, various mental health such as depression/ anxiety, burnout, loneliness, low self-esteem, neurodiversity, self-harm, suicidal thoughts and stress.
I am currently working with Mind and using the skills of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy when working as an active monitoring practitioner.
Qualifications
- Introduction to counselling- In 2019 I began to learn about the basic elements of becoming a counsellor. This allowed me to begin to develop any knowledge of the counselling world.
- Foundation degree in Counselling- In 2020 trained to become a counsellor in a three-year part time academic foundation degree. This degree is registered with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). This course gave me to the high standards of training, where I was able to gain an understanding and knowledge of the counselling world. A requirement for this academic degree was for me to undertake voluntary training with the Jac Lewis Foundation. I volunteered for the Jac Lewis Foundation for about three years and worked with clients in bereavement, abuse, various mental health such as depression/ anxiety, burnout, loneliness, low self-esteem, neurodiversity, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and stress.