About me
I grew up in the Lake District and read English at Cambridge University. I then worked in the theatre for a number of years as a performer and writer, and found using drama was a powerful way to help people deal with difficult emotions. I wanted to work with people who would not usually come to the theatre so I next worked, for some years, for a health authority, doing outreach around sexual health and HIV with “hard to reach” groups, including sex workers and drug users.
I found having my own therapy so transformative and helpful at this time that I decided to train and in 1996 I began my 4 year training in Intergrative Psychosynthesis at the Revision Centre for Counselling & Psychotherapy in West London. My training was strongly influenced by Jungian therapy, with its place for the soulful and imaginative. The training also drew on psychodynamic approaches, which explore how our early experiences shape us, and the humanistic perspective, which emphasises the “here and now” and the importance of authentic and respectful relating between counsellor and client.
Since receiving my diploma I have worked as a counsellor with a wide range of clients, in both the short and long term, in a variety of settings. I have been an accredited counsellor with the British Association of Counsellors and Therapists since 2001, and am also a fellow of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapists, and am an experienced group facilitator, supervisor and trainer. I worked for many years as a counsellor and trainer for Survivors UK, which is a London based service for men who have experienced rape or other sexual violation, and my book about this area, ‘Helping Male Survivors of Sexual Violation to Recover‘ was published by Jessica Kingsley in April 2018.
I am also the co-editor of and contributor to ‘Transformation in Troubled Times’ published by TransPersonal Press in September 2018.
I currently combine my private practice in Plumstead, London SE18, as a counsellor and supervisor, with my training role on the diploma course in Integrative Transpersonal Counselling at Revision in North West London. In 2020 I became a Fellow of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, in recognition of my contribution to the profession in the last twenty years. I am also a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy.
To make an appointment or a query, please call: 0773 1656 682
or email me at info@sarahvangogh.co.uk
