Take back control of your emotional and psychological wellbeing with online counselling
With Mary Prime @ Flourishing MK - Counselling and Wellbeing Service
It is very common to go through ups and downs in our everyday lives, as being human and juggling multiple roles and priorities in life is hard work.
However hard you try to cope there may be times of overwhelm where you are struggling to manage stress, feelings of anxiety, or depression.
Where do you turn for emotional and psychological support?
Each of us can experience hard times, you may have lots of friends and family members around you but it can often feel difficult to keep going over the same things with them. Maybe you feel you are a burden to the people around you, or you don't want to worry them.
Maybe you have been to the GP and they have prescribed medication for your symptoms, but the medication is not suiting you and you would like to explore other options for your mental health and wellbeing.
Whatever your reasons for coming across my website I would like to share some more information about myself and the way that I work as a counsellor in the hopes that it will reassure you that there is help out there, help that is accessible and affordable.
My hope is that through the process of counselling with a qualified professional you can be supported to turn life's difficulties into a starting point for personal growth and self-development. Then you will feel empowered to work towards a life where you are more comfortable in yourself and can fulfill your full potential.
I'm a qualified Person-Centred Counsellor with hundreds of hours of experience working with clients who have experienced multiple issues. A new area of interest for me is supporting Autistic clients, especially those diagnosed as adults, or adults who are exploring the minefield of going through the assessment process. Whilst I cannot diagnose you as Autistic, I can support you through this process and help you to manage the impact that this may have on your identity. After a lifetime of not fitting in and struggling, receiving a diagnosis of Autism can be life-changing.
I have supported many clients through bereavement and other losses in life. I enjoy supporting clients who are living with with chronic pain and other long-term health conditions. I also work with carers and clients who have mild to moderate mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. This expertise is supported by my work as a Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner in an NHS Talking Therapies service.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic I moved my counselling practice online. This was after additional training in online counselling. I offer sessions via Zoom, Teams or Skype. I also offer telephone sessions if this would be your preferred way of connecting with me.
There are multiple advantages to working online, including:
* Being able to access support from me via the comfort and safety of your own home.
* You don't have to travel to access sessions which can be helpful for clients with mobility issues, or no easy access to a car, or public transport.
* Flexible session times to work around your schedule.
* You can access sessions from wherever you are in the country.
* Confidential and discrete access to counselling support via your preferred medium (Online/ telephone/email).
Please reach out for support if you need it and take the first step towards a stronger and empowered future, where you can develop the life that you want to live.
My Story
Mary Prime:
I was drawn towards training as a counsellor in my early thirties after experiencing chronic pain and periods of anxiety and depression. Throughout my counselling training and my experience of working with the many clients that I have worked with I have drawn on my lived experiences to offer enhanced empathy and understanding to the clients experiences.
Following a diagnosis of Autism and ADHD now in my early forties this answered a lot of questions for me regarding various struggles that I have had throughout my life. Now finally things have started to make sense. I regularly read audio books and do research on these conditions with the aim of sharing this knowledge and personal lived experience with the clients that I am working with. I know for some people it can be a huge relief to work with a professional counsellor who truly understands what they are going through on a daily basis.
I first qualified in 2018 after studying a diploma in person-centred counselling. Enhancing my knowledge and professional skills is a really important aspect of my counselling practice. I have a certificate in online counselling skills which I achieved in 2020 and am currently studying towards a degree in Counselling and Psychology with the Open University. I believe that change is possible at any stage of life and with or without a disability, or long-term health condition. I will always strive to encourage my clients to take any opportunity available for self-growth and personal development.
I set up my private practice in Milton Keynes with the aim of providing affordable and accessible counselling to my clients. I know how vital the support from personal counselling can be and still access my own personal therapy to continue on my journey of self-awareness and self actualisation. In person centred therapy we are always on a lifelong journey of personal growth and actualisation.
I have a particular interest in working with clients who are living with chronic pain and other long-term health conditions. This was developed after living with my own chronic pain condition for ten years and experiencing first hand the difference that personal counselling, alongside medical treatment and other self-care practices can make in pain management and eventual flourishing, where you can live the life that you want alongside your condition. Many clients have found it helpful to know that I truly understand the huge physical and emotional toll that chronic pain can have on your mind and body.
I have been working as a qualified Person-Centred Counsellor in various voluntary charitable organisations since 2018, working with clients on either a short, or long-term basis. My current voluntary placements include working with the charity Harmless, based in Nottingham, United Kingdom (https://harmless.org.uk/) and Hitchin Counselling Service, based in Hitchin, United Kingdom (https://www.hitchincounsellingservice.org.uk/).
I enjoy helping clients to identify and work towards achieving their personal goals in therapy. In a warm, gentle, non-judgemental and supportive therapeutic relationship clients are enabled to work through the issues that are causing them to feel stuck, lonely, depressed, anxious..... I take great pride in being alongside and supporting my clients as they make progress and develop the life that they want to live.
I also have experience in working with carers and with people who have experienced bereavements and other major life changes.
As a counselling professional and a person I enjoy working creatively. If you wish to you can have the opportunity to work with creative mediums as part of the counselling work. Working with creative mediums as part of the counselling process can enable a greater depth of self-exploration.
I look forward to meeting you to see how we could best work together in therapy and helping to support you in achieving your personal goals. Please get in touch to learn more.
Person-Centred Counselling
Person-centred counselling provides the support that you are looking for in a safe, non-judgemental space. You will be encouraged to come as you are. There is no set agenda for each session, so we will be able to explore whatever is on your mind. We can then tailor each session to your unique needs and enable you to rediscover and develop your inner resources.
Read on to find out more...
One-to-One Personal Counselling
Rediscover your 'self' with person-centred counselling
With so many different types of counselling available in current times, it can then be difficult to know what each type is, what the therapy involves and how it might help you.
The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) gives some really useful information about Person Centred Counselling and how it might help you. Read on to discover more...
Person-centred counselling is one of the humanistic modalities or approaches to counselling. It was founded in the 1940s by the American psychologist Carl Rogers who believed that, given the right conditions, a person can reach their full potential and become their true self, which he termed ‘self-actualisation’. This actualisation process is innate and accessible to everyone.
To help you achieve self-actualisation, the person-centred therapist will offer a therapeutic relationship characterised by the following conditions:
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unconditional positive regard (UPR) – accepting and valuing you as a unique individual.
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congruence - being honest and transparent in how they experience you and your world.
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empathic understanding – seeing what you describe from your viewpoint as if they were you.
When you’re attending counselling sessions with a person-centred counsellor, you’ll be encouraged to bring your own issues to the session – what it is that you want to talk about. The counselling is led by you and not directed by the counsellor, as you are the expert in yourself.
This can be difficult to get used to at first, especially if you are not used to talking about yourself and your feelings with another person. Many clients, with no prior knowledge of counselling, believe that the counsellor will sort their problems out for them and tell them what to do. No counsellor can do this for you, however, what a person-centred counsellor will do is help you to explore your own issues, feelings, beliefs, behaviour, and worldview, so you can become more self-aware and achieve greater independence from what you believe you 'should' be doing, based on others views and opinions.
If like me you enjoy watching videos to discover more, please see the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnCNN5Sxeec
Vidyamala Burch - Mindfulness for Health
“You can be in pain, but you need not suffer”
Vidyamala Burch is a particular hero of mine. Her work creating the 8-week Mindfulness for Health was what helped me to turn my life around when I was early on in my chronic pain journey.
If you haven't heard of Breathworks, or of Vidyamala I would highly recommend you check then out. For more information about mindfulness based pain management please see: https://www.breathworks-mindfulness.org.uk/mbpm
Schedule a Session
The first steps to starting your counselling journey will be to contact me to schedule an assessment session.
This will give us the opportunity to meet. During the assessment I will ask you some questions about yourself, including some personal details about your medical history, your previous experiences of therapy, your family relationships and any other important relationships in your life.
I will ask you about what has been happening for you both recently and in the past and the reasons that you would like to access counselling. Together we can decide if counselling with me is right for you at this time. If it isn't then we can look at other agencies, or services that may suit your needs better at this time. You will be given time and space to ask me any questions that you may have.
Sessions are offered on a sliding scale from £35 - £45 per hour. I would ask you to choose the fee that is most comfortable for you to pay and this is the price that you will pay for the assessment session and any further sessions that you have with me.
Sessions can be on a short-term basis, or on a longer-term arrangement. Depending on your goals for therapy and what it is that you would like to work on in therapy.
I run my online counselling practice from Milton Keynes, in the United Kingdom.
Please reach out to me via my email: flourishingmk@outlook.com
My mobile number is: 07525592121
Please note that I am not always available to answer calls. The best way to contact me is usually via email, or text. Then I will get back to you as soon as I can.
I can be found on Social Media, on Facebook and Instagram. Please like and follow my accounts if you would like to see counselling-related content.