Counselling and Psychotherapy, in Dorking, Surrey
BACP Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist, in Dorking, Surrey, (accessible to Reigate, Guildford, Crawley).
Sessions available on weekdays.
Phone:07980 354495.
Email: niki.ridgley@btinternet.com.
Follow @nikiridgley
Welcome to my website. Making the decision to have counselling is a big step and finding a counsellor can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to counselling. It is important to find the right fit for you you; someone you can trust and feel comfortable with, and I hope you find my website reassuring, as well as informative.
I am an experienced and fully qualified BACP Accredited Counsellor, able to help you to explore and process issues in your life that may be causing emotional pain or distress. Talking things through with an experienced counsellor can enable you to resolve issues and behaviours which have become "stuck" and look at new and more helpful ways of managing them. I often feel very moved and privileged when people share with me how helpful and empowering counselling has been for them.
I have experience in counselling adults and young people with a wide range of issues, including:
To view my qualifications and experience, please visit the Qualifications page.
I provide safe, confidential counselling and psychotherapy in Dorking, Surrey, where I can work with you at your own pace. My aim is to help each of my clients to feel secure and confident enough to explore confidentially, any problems or difficulties they may be experiencing, no matter how big or how small. Alongside my private counselling and psychotherapy practice in Dorking, I have worked in various settings, including The Youth Counselling Service (YCS); CATALYST, a drug and alcohol addictions service, and Woking Sixth Form College. I am currently a volunteer for East Surrey Domestic Abuse Service and am trained to deliver The Freedom Programme aimed at helping those experiencing and surviving domestic abuse. To find out more about how counselling can help, please click here to visit the About Counselling page.
My counselling style is "integrative", meaning that I use a combination of counselling approaches, including Psychodynamic, which looks back at childhood issues and past experiences; Humanistic, which works in a person centred way, with issues that are affecting us in the here and now; and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which works by challenging negative thoughts that affect how we feel and behave. This flexibility enables me to respond appropriately to each of my clients' individual needs at any given time. For further information about my personal approach as a counsellor, please visit the Qualifications page.
Many people find themselves struggling with stress and anxiety, which can sometimes lead to feelings of depression, or low mood. These difficult emotions can build up over time, and may affect our relationships with our loved ones, our own health and wellbeing, or how we perform at work. Other life events such as relationship breakdown, bereavement, and ill health, all take their toll on our mental health, and I believe this can impact on other areas of life, such as sleeping, eating patterns and well being. Sometimes we may look as if we are coping well on the surface, but may be using unhealthy coping mechanisms which become unsustainable in the long term. People often tell me that they feel unable to share these difficulties with those closest to them, for fear of burdening them, however they find relief comfort and more helpful perspectives, in talking to a counsellor who is not directly involved in their lives and will not judge or give advice.
When working with my clients I often see how counselling/psychotherapy helps people to explore and understand how past experiences and patterns of behaviour may be affecting their lives in the present. When people experience this insight they are then able to look at making different choices in their current lives. I feel that working with my clients to gain more clarity and control in their lives, helps them to see more positive ways of moving forward. For more information on how counselling can help you, visit the About Counselling page.
I am experienced in counselling adults and young people, on an open-ended basis, or for an agreed time period. If we agree to work together, we can agree an appropriate time scale between us, and review this regularly as our work progresses. For some people, short term or "solution focussed" counselling of six to twelve weeks may be enough; others may feel they want a little longer to explore their issues. For further information visit the FAQ page, and you are welcome to telephone, email or text me if you would like any more details.
My counselling room is welcoming, confidential and comfortable, based within easy reach of Dorking town centre, accessible to Reigate, Leatherhead, Crawley, Horsham, Epsom, Guildford and other areas of Surrey/Sussex. I also offer telephone counselling.
"The ability to have an open forum that allowed my wife and I to speak clearly about our feelings has given us a chance to start anew."
S, (2018).
"Niki is easy to get on with straight away, at the same time as being professional. I felt she really cared about me and I could say anything. She gave me insights I hadn't thought of before, which helped me to heal"
H, (2015).
For face to face counselling, my Counselling and Psychotherapy practice in Dorking is within reach of Reigate, Crawley, Leatherhead, Redhill, Epsom, Guildford, Horsham, and other areas in Surrey/Sussex.
I also offer online therapy via Zoom or Whats App.
If you are looking for counselling a little further afield, my colleague, Gill Brennan, at Gill Brennan Counselling, based in Godalming, is also an integrative counsellor, and offers a similar approach to my own. Click here for more information.