Bereavement Counselling in Cambridgeshire and Essex

About Me As a person-centred therapist, I am committed to a relationship in which you will be deeply heard and accepted without judgement. Together we will work to find the meaning of the loss you have experienced, to challenge narratives, build resilience, nurture self- compassion and awareness, and most importantly, to find new ways forward. The success of the process lies within the therapeutic rapport and being able to express your deepest concerns in a safe and supportive environment. I believe that everyone has a natural drive towards contentment and fulfilment but there may be many difficulties along the way and sometimes these can be hard to define and understand. Counselling can help you to identify more clearly the issues you are facing and so start to facilitate therapeutic change and ultimately guide you towards the acceptance of your loss. Grief can become a way back to health. Gemma Van Rensburg (MNCS, ACCPH Accred)

 Confidential Our sessions will be held in the strictest confidence. You will feel safe and supported to freely express yourself. During our time together I will be sensitive, genuine and open.

 Emotional support I will always offer genuine empathic understanding, warmth, acceptance and deep respect. You will feel emotional support throughout the counselling.

 Online sessions I offer online sessions as an alternative to face-to-face counselling. Many people enjoy the fact they can access the support from the comfort of their own home

Testimonials I believe the best way to demonstrate the benefits of counselling is to look at what my clients say about me. I am proud of the counselling service I provide and the reviews from my clients reflect this.

Understanding Grief Few things compare to the pain of losing someone you love. Grief is a natural, yet painful response to the loss, it can cause many different symptoms and affect people in many different ways. There is no normal way to grieve and no right or wrong way to feel. Grief affects us emotionally and physically. You may have feelings of shock, numbness or pain. You may feel anger or guilt. These feelings may not be there all the time and powerful feelings may appear unexpectedly. Grief can cause physical sensations or feelings. You might notice that your throat or chest feels tight or heavy. You can also feel sick to your stomach. Other physical feelings that you can experience while grieving include dizziness, headaches, numbness, muscle weakness or tension, pain, and extreme tiredness. You may be more likely to feel unwell or become ill. Grief may occur in waves, with intense feelings that last a few hours or days. Between those times, you may feel like things are more normal. You may feel like you are recovering from your loss and getting better but then the intense feelings come back. Over time, you may notice these grief cycles lessen as you adjust to your loss. Instead of experiencing grief all the time, you may just experience it around certain dates, like holidays, birthdays, or other important events. Adjusting does not mean you care less about your loss. It simply means that the grief is not as new to you.

Why choose me? Talking to others who have gone through similar experiences of bereavement can be enormously beneficial. Not only have I undergone specialist training in this field, but I have also navigated my own journey with grief and found my way again. I am a qualified nurse too with a background in emergency medicine and education.

What to expect I offer an initial online or on the phone free consultation (20 minutes optional) before we commence face to face sessions, you will have a chance to make sure you feel comfortable with me as your counsellor, and I can confirm I have the skills and expertise to support you. It will include introductions, answering any queries you might have and a chance for you to tell your story and explain the difficulties you're experiencing. I will be looking to work with you in a way that suits you and helps you to get the most from each session. We can then decide whether we would like to work together. My standard fee is £60 per 50-minute face to face therapy session. Therapy sessions can be held in English or Spanish. The length of the work will depend on your requirements and can range from just one or two sessions, a period of six sessions, or often longer.

Contact Please feel free to contact me at any time. I can be contacted by phone, text, WhatsApp. email or using the contact form below. Your messages will be treated in the strictest confidence and in- line with my privacy policy.