Welcome
My name is Nicola Woods, I am a psychotherapist and EMDR therapist based in Hackney, London and providing online therapy sessions throughout London, UK, and Europe. I am passionate about the power of psychotherapy in helping us develop greater self-awareness, compassion and acceptance. It supports us in moving away from living our lives in survival mode to thriving in life and being able to access more joy and freedom.
How I work?
Starting therapy for the first time can feel like a daunting experience, it takes a lot of courage to start on this journey. I will meet you where you are with kindness, compassion, acceptance and non-judgement. We will work together to explore and unpack the patterns of thought and behaviour that are preventing you from living your life fully and authentically.
I work in a mindful, embodied and relational way. We will pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and body sensations without judgement, by bringing awareness in the present moment to the coping mechanisms and relational patterns that may have once kept you safe as a little one but are now a hindrance in adulthood.
I support clients experiencing a wide range of difficulties such as anxiety and panic attacks, depression, trauma, a sense of feeling lost, addiction, childhood developmental trauma such as emotional and physical abuse and neglect, and sexual abuse, sexual assault, PTSD, working with feelings of fear, anger, despair, loss and shame, obsessive and intrusive thought patterns, imposter syndrome, working with a strong inner critic, tendency to be a people pleaser, struggling with work/life balance, stress and burnout, social anxiety, issues with intimacy and relationships, peri-menopause and menopause, bereavement, grief and loss, bereavement of a beloved pet.
About Me
My background prior to training as a Psychotherapist is in the corporate world, as an Organisational Development Consultant working with senior leaders across multiple industries supporting them in designing and implementing culture and change programmes, to improve and enhance the employee experience. I also work with leaders as a Transformational and Leadership coach.
Through my experience, I have an acute understanding of the stresses and challenges of the corporate world. My own personal therapy helped me recover from stress, burnout and anxiety and provided a deeper awareness to my relational patterns.
Qualifications & Experience
I have a Professional Certificate in Counselling Skills from Maynooth University, Ireland, an MA in Mindfulness based Core Process Psychotherapy from the Karuna Institute. I’m a fully accredited member of the United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy (UKCP) and adhere to their ethical codes of conduct and practice.
I have also completed all parts of EMDR Europe Accredited Training from The EMDR Academy and am currently working towards accreditation with EMDR Europe.
Mindfulness Core Process Psychotherapy
Core Process Psychotherapy (CPP) is an integration of both Buddhist and Western psychological principles and practices. CPP is one of the original mindfulness-based approaches to therapy, directly informed by Buddhist psychology and is greatly influenced by its principles and practices with a focus on mindfulness, developing greater self-awareness, compassion and acceptance.
By working in the present moment, CPP can help facilitate the process of moving beyond our conditioned sense of self and become more authentic through awareness and compassion. It teaches us that at any given moment we have the potential for healing. It is with greater self-awareness that we can have more self-acceptance and learn that we are “enough” just as we are.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR utilises the natural healing ability of your body. After a thorough assessment, you will be asked specific questions about a particularly disturbing memory. Eye movements, like those during REM sleep, will be recreated simply by asking you to watch the therapist’s finger moving backwards and forwards across your visual field or a bar of moving lights. The eye movements will last for a short while and then stop. You will then be asked to report back on the experiences you have had during each of these sets of eye movements. Experiences during a session may include changes in thoughts, images, and feelings.
With repeated sets of eye movements, the memory tends to change in such a way that it loses its painful intensity and simply becomes neutral memory of an event in the past. Other associated memories may also heal at the same time. This linking of related memories can lead to a dramatic and rapid improvement in many aspects of your life.
EMDR can accelerate therapy by resolving the impact of your past traumas and allowing you live more fully in the present. It is not, however, appropriate for everyone. The process is rapid, and any disturbing experiences, if they occur at all, last for a comparatively short period of time. Nevertheless, you need to be aware of, and willing to experience, the strong feelings and disturbing thoughts, which sometimes occur during sessions.
Sessions and Fees
Weekly Online Psychotherapy: My fee is £80 per session. Sessions are 60 mins and are usually at the same time every week.
EMDR: My fee for the first EMDR session is £120, the first session is 90 minutes and sessions are one hour thereafter.
I offer an initial 30-minute meeting, free of charge, so we can start to explore what is bringing you to therapy at this time, how we would work together and see if I am the right therapist for you. It is an essential step in the healing process to find the right therapist for you.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how I work, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment.
You can also call me on +447985 914417 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
All enquiries are usually answered within 48 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.
© Nicola Woods
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