Welcome to Rachel Feaver Counselling and Psychotherapy
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website. My name is Rachel Feaver and I am a Psychodynamic Counsellor and Psychotherapist in Market Bosworth, Leicestershire. I offer a quiet, confidential space where we can think together about what is going on in your life. My aim is to support you to understand yourself and how you function and interact in your world.
I am one of few therapists in the area who offer psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy. Alongside talking therapy, I can offer the possibility of combining gentle yoga and mindful movement, mindfulness and breathwork, to those who are interested in exploring the connection between mind and body.
Is therapy for me?
People seek counselling and psychotherapy for many different reasons. They may have suffered long term difficulties with depression, relationships, feelings of low self-worth and low self-esteem.
Others may have experienced abuse, emotional, physical or sexual. Some may not know how they feel, but rather experience the pain of “not feeling right”. They may have a general feeling of dissatisfaction which they cannot explain. Often people come to therapy wondering why they are stuck in repeating patterns in life, in relationships, at work, in their family, and why their life feels unsatisfying.
Often people may have developed behaviours which are causing difficulty in their life. They may eat for comfort and nurture, or avoid food. Some have overwhelming anxiety which may be making their life hard.
Why Psychodynamic Therapy?
There are many different types of therapy. The Psychodynamic approach to therapy looks at the problem or difficulty the person seeking help is experiencing, and explores the deeper origins of that difficulty.
Experiences from our distant or recent past influence the way we relate to others, the way we see ourselves and the way we believe others see us. Some of these experiences we remember well, but some are locked away, yet can still lead to problems. Therapy offers a unique opportunity to spend time thinking and exploring the early and more recent relationships, interactions and experiences which may have shaped us, enabling a deep understanding of our current situation in the here and now.
Through the relationship between therapist and client, meaning can be uncovered and brought into awareness, leading to a greater sense of personal understanding and lasting change. This means that over time, by working together, we can reach a greater understanding of you and your life, enabling you to move forward in a direction you are choosing consciously.
Developing a Mind and Body Connection
Our mind and body are intimately connected. When an individual experiences trauma, whether one-off or recurrent, its impact is felt on both emotional and physical levels.
Often it is our body that provides the first indicators of emotional distress, perhaps via stiffness, panic, anxiety symptoms, poor sleep, pain or disturbed hunger cues.
Our experiences can have an enduring impact on our nervous system, producing feelings of acute anxiety, heightened awareness of surroundings and fear of judgement. Talking alone may help us to decode and understand past trauma, but breathwork, mindfulness-based techniques and gentle yoga may take this understanding a step further, offering peace for the body and mind as a whole.
Whilst helping with self-regulation, personal development of mindfulness and breathing practices ensures that the body can find a place of safety and calm, both during and outside of therapy sessions.
The use of yoga and breathwork in counselling and psychotherapy acknowledges the intimate connection between our emotional world and our physical experience. Over many years, psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists and neuroscientists, have explored the impact of trauma on the body and nervous system.
Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist Bessel Van der Kolk outlined this impact of trauma in his popular book "The Body Keeps the Score", further exploring the use of therapeutic interventions such as yoga and mindfulness as ways of accessing deeper feelings in the treatment of trauma. His work is supported by other eminent psychotherapists and physicians such as Peter Levine (Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma), Judith Herman (Trauma and Recovery) and Stephen Porges with his many works on Polyvagal theory.
“After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their lives. These attempts to maintain control (sic) can result in a whole range of physical symptoms. This explains why it is critical for trauma treatment to engage the entire organism, body, mind and brain”
Bessel Van der Kolk
Mind, Body and Food
I have a particular interest in the interconnected relationship between mind, body and eating, specifically, helping people to understand their relationship with food. For most, this relationship is not straightforward and, like any relationship, it requires time and work.
The diet industry, profits from diet culture, selling eating programmes, exercise regimes and surgical procedures. The relationship an individual has with food, and the purpose that food has served and serves for them, is ignored. Without this understanding a shaming cycle of dieting and then perceived failure can develop.
My aim is to offer a space where that relationship with food can be thought about openly, and where shame can be disarmed, whether through talking therapy, as described above, or through a combination approach that involves reconnecting to the body through yoga, breathwork and mindfulness.
About Me
I am an experienced Psychodynamic Counsellor and Psychotherapist, senior accredited through BACP (British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists). My Senior accreditation reflects an ongoing commitment to continuing professional development as well as my commitment to practice with integrity and within the ethical guidelines of BACP.
I gained my Masters in Psychodynamic Counselling from the University of Leicester in 2013.
I have developed a particular interest in the connection between mind and body, and I have completed extensive training in dealing with different aspects of trauma from neurobiological and somatic, to attachment theory standpoints.
I have a 200hour yoga teacher training certification, alongside a course in Mindfulness Based Stress reduction and engage in regular personal practice of both.
I began my working career as a hospital doctor and General Practitioner, working in medical field for a total of 14 years. Throughout this time, I was privileged to work with hundreds of patients, many of whom were grappling with the impact of their psychological health on their physical body, or with the psychological impact of their physical ill health.
I hold full indemnity insurance and have enhanced DBS clearance.
My location
I am based in Suite B1, Swan House, The Park, Market Bosworth, Leicestershire, CV130LJ and am easily accessible from the surrounding areas such as Nuneaton, the Midlands, and Warwickshire.
What to expect from an initial consultation
The initial consultation lasts for an hour. This is a chance for you to think about what has brought you to therapy. We will think together about whether what I am offering is the right approach for you, and whether you wish to consider incorporating mindfulness, breathwork or yoga into our work together.
The most important part of the initial consultation is whether you feel that I am someone who you may wish to work with, and whether I feel that I can help you. Sometimes this conclusion can take more than one session, in which case I might suggest up to four sessions to work out our best course of action.
Fees
Initial consultation
The initial consultation costs £75 and lasts for 1 hour.
Further sessions
If we decide to continue our work together, sessions are weekly and last for 50 or 60 minutes each.
Ongoing sessions cost £65 for 50 minutes or £75 for 60 minutes.
Our work may be talking therapy alone or may incorporate mindfulness practices, breathwork practices and yoga; this is a choice we will make together.
I will ask you to sign a working agreement which outlines arrangements around breaks such as holidays and cancellation.
GDPR
Please click on the link to access my GDPR policy.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.
You can alsoa call me on 07794420736 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
© Rachel Feaver Counselling and Psychotherapy
powered by WebHealer