Welcome
My name is Gudrun (pronounced good-rune, they/her) and I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. Working integratively means that I aim to adapt the way I work to the person in the room, drawing from psychodynamic, existentialist and person centred theory among others.
My practice embraces diversity of gender, relationship style and sexuality, and is sensitive to disability, intersectionality and cultural diversity. People need different things in order to feel safe and understood and I aim to meet each client where they are at, and to work at a pace appropriate to the individual.
Over the past seven years I have worked with a broad spectrum of people including those struggling with addictions, neurodivergent clients, students at the university of Sheffield and people from low socioeconomic backgrounds accessing counselling for the first time. I have experience working with clients who were facing bereavement and issues of identity and sexuality. I've also worked with clients who weren't certain what it was they were bringing to therapy specifically but could tell that they were unhappy and felt that they might benefit from support.
A member of the Sheffield Therapy Collective based on Bank Street in Sheffield City Centre, I provide inclusive, accessible and supportive counselling and psychotherapy both face to face and online.
I am a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP) and abide by their standards and ethical guidelines.
Current Availability
At the moment I have space for new clients on Wednesdays and Thursdays, both during the day and in the evening.
About Me
My own experience as a client at different stages of my life has shown me that in order to understand ourselves we in turn need to feel seen and understood.
I find that a safe and confidential space is necessary to be able to face whatever brings us to counselling, and I feel honoured to share in the often messy, chaotic and non-linear processes that unfold in the therapy room.
My understanding of the role of counselling is to encourage a sense of agency in life, an increased freedom of choice rather than being confined to established patterns.
As well as seeing clients in private practice I also currently work at Sheffield Mind. Prior to completing my counselling qualification I worked for Shelter England, the NHS and in the charity sector.
I am able to offer counselling and psychotherapy in both English and German.
Questions About Counselling
Regardless of whether you have previously accessed counselling, there may be a number of questions you have. If your questions aren't answered below or you would like to discuss further, please be sure to get in touch with me.What kind of therapy do you offer?
My way of working is called “Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy”, meaning that rather than drawing exclusively from one way of working with people, I integrate different ideas and theories into my practice in order to best meet the circumstances and context of the person in the room with me. However, I am no art or drama therapist, so we will primarily be talking
It is important to me to practice in an anti-racist, LGBTQ+ inclusive, gender affirming and disability conscious way.
Online or in person?
I have extensive experience in working both face to face or using various online platforms and am happy to try to accommodate your needs in this regard.
What happens in the first session?
The purpose of a first session is generally to get an impression of what working together might be like and come to a decision of whether we want to move forward.
To start off, we would have a look at what brought you to therapy and what it is you want to achieve in order to be able to work out what length of therapy and style of working might suit you. It's been proven that the main determining factor in efficacy of therapy is the therapeutic relationship. To aid this, I aim to work transparently, explaining the process to you as we go and regularly checking in so as to adjust as and when required.
Together, we will go through the counselling agreement to ensure that there is mutual understanding of the more structural aspects of counselling like confidentiality, record keeping, costs, and cancellations.
Towards the end of the session there will be time to decide how we want to proceed – whether that is personal therapy, or signposting and referral appropriate to your needs and situation.
Number and frequency of sessions
Sessions are generally weekly as counselling is a continuous process that benefits from regularity and continuity, but different intervals can be negotiated. The number of sessions is flexible and can be discussed in the first session – I have experience working in both short and long term formats, and there will be opportunity to review what works best for you and your circumstances.
Costs and length of sessions
The cost for a first session is £30, and after that £50 per 50 minute session.
Location
My practice is at 38 Bank Street, Sheffield, S1 2DS. Please contact me for information about accessibility and parking.
Contact
Please get in touch using the contact form below – alternatively call or message me on +44 (0)7848 878307