Ali Harris, Counsellor, Psychotherapist & ADHD Therapeutic Support Provider

Therapist Directory Listing Category: Psychotherapists and Counsellors

About the Therapist

About the therapist:

Like most therapists I came to train as a therapist through my own positive experience with therapy - it helped me to better understand myself and although that was a tough process, I really wanted to learn how to help other people the way I myself was helped. I took a long training, it took me 10 years, working with clients along the way.

For the last 15 years or so I have helped other people to beat depression, reduce their anxiety, boost their self-esteem & confidence, manage change and defeat self-sabotaging behaviours.

I also provide ADHD therapeutic coaching and support, which makes up a lot of my work these days, and which as an ADHDer myself, I particularly enjoy.

I was trained to work psychodynamically, but that doesn't mean much to most people - what matters is that I am trained to listen to you, hold space for you and offer you a way to disentangle confusing feelings, experiences and situations so that you are better able to work out how you go to where you are now, where you'd like to get to and how you'd like to get there.

Sexual identity:

Queer

Gender identity: Female

Gender history: As assigned at birth

Non-monogamy: No

Intersex: No

Neurodivergent: Yes

Personal pronouns: She/her

Qualifications - Links to websites:

I’m a fully qualified counsellor and psychotherapist, my website is here, and those fancy little letters after my name (MBACP) mean that I’m a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy.

I hold the following qualifications:

Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling, University of Hertfordshire( 2012)

Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling, The Counselling Foundation (2018)

Advanced Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling, The Counselling Foundation (2020)

I also hold the relevant insurances and am in regular supervision with a senior colleague, who provides professional oversight into my private practice.

I have spent the best part of 15 years building up a pretty extensive wealth of knowledge and experience in helping people talk about their difficult thoughts and feelings.

Qualifications - Additional:

Award	Awarding body	Year of award

Experience and approach:

Here's my philosophy:

Therapy isn't magic; it can't change the past, but it can help you change how you FEEL about the past, which can in turn change how you feel in the present AND, if you want to, can change the trajectory of your future, for the better.

Therapy can't (usually) directly alter your current circumstances - BUT it can help you to work out how to change your circumstances for the better, by helping you to understand how you ended up in the position you're in, and how to work out how to create something better for yourself.

Therapy can't (and shouldn't,) turn you into someone else but it CAN help to you become the most empowered, confident version of yourself (as dictated by your vision, not mine.)

We meet up once a week for 50 minutes and we talk about whatever's on your mind at the moment, no matter how big or small that might be. As we talk, we start to figure things out together. It's a partnership, a professional, boundaried but entirely REAL relationship that is for you and about you, which will start when you say and end when you say and will only go on for as long as YOU find it useful.

I have had experience working with gay, lesbian and trans clients and am supported to do this by undertaking relevant courses post-qualification to stay current so as to better serve my clients.

So, if you are thinking about having some counselling, you are into self-compassionate curiosity; enjoy open-minded, transformational, emotional explorations; you're keen on radical self-acceptance and you're not averse to hanging out with someone qualified, professional, experienced (but also warm, friendly and a bit sweary,) we should talk - why not book your free hour's chat with me now and let's see if we can work together!

Approaches: