
Luisa Saunders
Registered Member MÍø±¬ÃÅ
Contact information
- Phone number
- 07398362690
Therapist - Longfield
Features
- Flexible hours available
- Wheelchair accessible office
Availability
I am based in Kent and offer counselling via online (Zoom or Teams), telephone (mobile or landline) and face to face options in my private practice based at Longfield Polyclinc (part of Harley Healthcare Group PLC). My sessions are 45 minutes long.
My availability is flexible. I work face to face on Mondays and offer online/telephone therapy on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I offer therapy during school term time only. There is perhaps the option to attend online/telephone therapy during the school holidays, but this will need to be agreed mutually and in advance.
I would be happy for you to contact me via phone, email, through my website or via my LinkedIn or Facebook pages.
I aim to get back to you within 48 hours unless I am on a period of annual leave. I do not offer an emergency crisis service.
About me and my therapy practice
Would you like to address issues affecting you and do you seek a place for understanding how you can support your own development and change? Would you like this for your child? I welcome anyone that needs counselling and work with children (age 6+), Young People and adults.
I am both a qualified teacher (PGCE) and a qualified therapist (PGDip). I have 20+ years direct experience working with children, young people and adults in education and more recently as a psychotherapeutic counsellor. Safeguarding and inclusion are key threads that have woven through my work over the years. Additionally, I have held voluntary positions indirectly influencing work with children, young people and adults as Parent Governor (primary), Staff Governor (Further Education) and Patient Safety Partner (NHS). I have experience working in the NHS sector as a counsellor offering short term therapy in 6 or 12 week blocks and in the Further Education sector offering both short-term intervention and longer-term intervention therapy. Additionally, I currently offer services as a Children and Young Persons therapist with the charity Mind contracted out to Further Education Colleges. I regularly undertake Continuing Professional Development Training recording this to present at any potential audit from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (Íø±¬ÃÅ). Given substantial experience in internal and external quality assurance within education I recongise the importance of seeking feedback and testimonials on my practice at the end of the therapy so that the Client voice continually shapes the services that I offer.
If your area of need (including language) would be better signposted onto another more suitable service a discussion about this would form part of the initial assessment and triaging service.
Practice description
I offer face to face, online and telephone integrative, individual therapy. I provide a safe, confidential, non-judgmental space to explore issues, respecting the privacy of those issues that you do not wish to bring into therapy. I combine a range of modalities linked to my experience both in education and psychotherapy. I draw on a range of techniques suited to your individual needs to support therapy having been trained in, and gained experience of, integrative eclectic approaches. Primarily this includes:
Creative therapies (crafts, activities, games). Cognitive (acceptance and challenge of thoughts, emotions, behaviours). Mindful awareness of somatic physical impact (meditation/breathing activities). Person Centred (encouraging your connection to your own insights and strengths). Psychodynamic (seeking possible connections with known and unknown events often stemming in childhood that impact core beliefs and values). We can discuss dreams if this is an issue that you would like to address. Mindful awareness of societal, cultural, intergenerational, religious (and more) impacts on your core beliefs, values and identities. Existentialism (Accepting free will, choice, consequences, accountability and responsibilities). Solution focused therapy (acceptance and commitment to helpful coping strategies and goals. Positive reframing and encouraging positive affirmations).
I offer mostly short intervention therapy in blocks of 6 or 12 weeks. Upon request we can consider how beneficial longer-term therapy would be for you after the first few sessions. Alternatively, should therapy not be economically viable now, I can offer single session therapy in some cases. I do not offer couples, group or family therapy.
I am the founder of a counselling and psychotherapy private practice called Met@Morphosis. Please check out my website (coming soon). Please check out the services that I offer at the Longfield PolyClinic on their website.
My first session
When a referral or request for therapy is made an initial assessment will be sent via email to seek the information required to triage the request. The initial assessment would need to be submitted before a session can be scheduled. Should the initial assessment outline that perhaps your needs would be more suited to another service this will be communicated before attending any sessions.
The first session will re-address the initial assessment that you will have completed prior to the session to go over any questions or queries that you may have. We will discuss your expectations and what I can offer and note your goals for therapy. Once again, at this phase, should you or I believe that perhaps your area of need is better suited elsewhere, we can discuss this and I can support signposting. Should we both agree that therapy with me sounds a viable option then we will also discuss a mutually agreed contract for therapy at the first session.
Following initial assessment and contracting a space is offered for you to talk through the reasons that bring you to the therapy room. Honesty and openness at this stage (if you are able to) is conducive to better outcomes particularly on short-term therapy. This space is also time for us to get to know each other and, ultimately, for you to decide if you would like to work with me.
The assessment may be completed again at an interim phase of any longer-term therapy to reflect on your progress and outcomes. All therapy (apart from Single Session Therapy) will include an ending assessment.
Quals:
Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling
Master of Research in Education and Social Science
Post Graduate Certificate in Education
BA Hons Modern Foreign Languages and Education
Level 4 Award in External Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
Level 4 Certificate in Leading the Internal Quality Assurance of Assessment Processes and Practice
Level 4 Diploma in Child Psychology
What I can help with
Abuse, ADD / ADHD, Anger management, Anxiety, Autism spectrum, Cancer, Child related issues, Cultural issues, Depression, Disability, Health related issues, Identity issues, Loss, Menopause, Mood disorder, Neurodiversity, Personal development, Phobias, Post-traumatic stress, Redundancy, Self esteem, Self-harm, Sexual identity, Stress, Trauma, Women's issues, Work related issues
Types of therapy
Cognitive, Creative therapy, Eclectic, Existential, Humanistic, Integrative, Person centred, Psychodynamic, Solution focused brief therapy
Clients I work with
Adults, Children, EAP, Older adults, Young people
How I deliver therapy
Long term sessions, Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Short term sessions, Short-term face-to-face work, Single session therapy (SST), Telephone therapy, Time-limited