Hannah Hay, therapist, offering affordable counselling and psychotherapy based in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion. Contact email: iokuoktherapy@gmail.com
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About Hannah and iOKuOK Therapy
Qualifications & Training/Professional Development
Therapy session options & Fees
Contact details & Steps to arranging therapy
Privacy outside the therapy sessions
CLICK HERE FOR NEW WEBSITE 2024
About Hannah and iOKuOK Therapy
Hello, I’m Hannah, a therapist offering affordable counselling and psychotherapy and I am based in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, West Wales. The sections below will give you an idea of who I am, the philosophical and ethical basis of the therapy services I provide, the qualifications I hold and ones I am training towards, and the session options I have available for in-person and online clients.
I am passionate about meeting people just as they are, offering warmth and kindness and sharing knowledge that stimulates and empowers our life force energy so that we can make conscious choices that move us out of stuck places. I have personal experience and empathy with people managing life alongside such challenges as anxiety and panic attacks, cyclical depression, debilitating mental and physical fatigue, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, voice-hearing, and internal disturbance and struggle that is manifesting as unexplainable/undiagnosable physical pain. Like many people’s Book Of Life, my story has a colourful and socially acceptable cover with many light and loving moments and tales of joy, connection and fulfillment… but some of the chapters also include experiences of abuse, trauma, loss, and grief. Engaging in various therapy modalities over the last decade has given me an insight into what is available, some offered me short and medium term relief and others planted the seeds for real change, but studying for my degree in Psychology With Counselling really cemented my desire to train in Psychotherapy so that I can go deeper than counselling with my clients when needed. I believe in, practice and witness daily, the power of connecting to, listening to, and responding with understanding to what our bodies feel/do when we explore our stories and wounds with care and compassion. Here we learn how to navigate our emotions and bodily responses without shutting them down or getting consumed by them – an invaluable tool for processing the past, engaging with the present, and facing the future with confidence and self-trust. And finally, I am learning ways to live and work with (instead of within) the tones and traits of my unique neurodivergences in a neurotypical world, and I am enjoying sharing these tools and resources with relevant clients.
Ethos, Modality & Ethics
I provide counselling and psychotherapy sessions informed, in the main, by the modality of Transactional Analysis (TA). TA provides us with a useful way of understanding our communications, attachment styles, relationships with ourselves and with others, and for gaining awareness and autonomy around our internal conflicts and patterns. The core philosophies of TA are that people are OK, everyone has the capacity to think, people decide their own destiny and these decisions can be changed (Eric Berne, 1966). In essence this means that relationships in the therapeutic space are founded upon the philosophical assumption that people have value, worth and dignity, self-acceptance for who they are and acceptance for others in the here and now, that they can decide for themselves what they want from their lives, and that changes to those decisions are an appropriate element of growth and development.
The therapy space I offer is held as an equal meeting place where, together and when you feel safe and ready to do so, we can explore your story and the chapters of your life so far, where we can get to know you and honour your feelings around your experiences. The style of therapeutic relationship I endeavour to cultivate is one of open communication, where you can tune into your authentic voice without fear of judgement and develop your self-awareness in a co-compassionate space to utilise your own wisdom to make conscious choices and changes in your inner and outer worlds.
My professional practice is evolving, as are the activities and services within it, in accordance with the stringent ethical and professional guidelines stipulated by UKATA (UK Association for Transactional Analysis), UKCP (UK Counselling & Psychotherapy), and ITAA (International Transactional Analysis Association) with whom I am registered as a Trainee Therapist and/or Student as appropriate. I hold the required Professional Indemnity & Public Liability Insurance and can provide evidence on request.
Qualifications & Training/Professional Development
I am currently in clinical training with, and supervised by, Transactional Analysis Cymru Ltd in Brynberian, Pembrokeshire where I am a psychotherapy trainee working towards an accredited Level 7 (Masters) in Transactional Analysis Counselling & Psychotherapy and, in a few years time, a qualification as a Certified Transactional Analyst (Psychotherapy). I also have a First-Class Honours degree in Psychology with Counselling (BSc Hons) and have completed various additional short courses in Counselling Skills using TA, Adlerian Counselling, and a TA101. Alongside developing my own private practice, I am in clinical Placement with The UK Counselling Network (UKCN) where I am part of an extensive team of trainee counsellors and psychotherapists who support UKCN in providing low-cost online therapy across the UK. I also regularly attend further courses and CPD training in focused mental health topic areas (such as trauma, addiction, self-harm, suicide and mindfulness) in Transactional Analysis and other therapeutic modalities.
I have a TSTA qualified Supervisor constantly supporting my private client work, and I engage in my own weekly personal therapy with a qualified TA Psychotherapist. The rationale behind continued personal TA therapy alongside clinical Supervision is that I can address my own challenges and stresses, as well as ground the theory and therapeutic methods via direct experience of TA, and it enhances my empathic awareness as a client – all of which shapes my approach as a therapist. In other words, I walk the talk!
Therapy session options & Fees
The therapy session timing includes 5 minutes at each end to, first, settle in gently and, after, to aid a contained, grounded finish. For individuals, weekly sessions at the same time and day each week are recommended because the routine anchors the commitment to yourself and helps build an important boundary and safe space around your therapy sessions. Sessions are bespoke and continuously co-created between us, depending on what you wish to work towards within the therapeutic relationship. During your first session we will decide on an opening Therapeutic Contract and start to determine a focus for our work together; sometimes it is helpful to establish a time frame but nothing is fixed or rigid, we work collaboratively throughout.
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In-person 1:1 Talk Therapy (at my practice address)
– attend your face-to-face talk therapy session in my home-based therapy room**.
This therapy session offers a one-to-one talk therapy approach where you will have the opportunity to sit comfortably in my cozy armchairs in a homely environment with a hot drink and speak face to face about your current and previous challenges, explore your ways of relating to yourself and others, reflect on patterns of behaviour and choices that might be limiting your full expression, and gently unearth your desired changes so that together we can identify, utilise and develop the tools and resources that bring healing and cultivate your sense of agency and autonomy.
In-person 1:1 Sew-Co Therapy (at my practice address)
– attend your face-to-face creative therapy session in my home-based therapy/sewing room**.
This therapy session offers a creativity-based approach to exploring your story and working with mental health challenges, using machine-sewing as a medium for co-creative connection, physical and mental engagement, and personal development. Machine-sewing can provide many metaphorical gifts in the form of challenges that represent other struggles in life as well as successes that represent growth and healing. Beginners to experienced sewists welcome; machine provided.
In-person 1:1 Walk & Talk Therapy (outdoors)
– meet at an agreed nature space in Penrhyncoch or Aberystwyth for your session.
This therapy session offers the opportunity to spend time in nature, to connect to yourself and the environment around you, and speak about your current and previous challenges, patterns of behaviour and choices, and your desired changes in a contemplative space. Being in nature during your therapy session can help reduce overwhelm from stress, anxiety, depression, and anger, and can leave you feeling more grounded and nourished.
Online 1:1 Talk Therapy (via Zoom)
– attend your one-to-one therapy session via the internet from anywhere in the world.
This therapy session offers an online one-to-one talk therapy approach where you will have the opportunity to connect with me via Zoom and speak face to face about your current and previous challenges, explore your ways of relating to yourself and others, reflect on patterns of behaviour and choices that might be limiting your full expression, and gently unearth your desired changes so that together we can identify, utilise and develop the tools and resources that bring healing and cultivate your sense of agency and autonomy.
**Please note, my home workspace is not pet-free. I have a Labrador dog and two cats, and they will be around during your session. During online sessions, my dog does occasionally bark if anyone knocks on the front door. For in-person sessions, whilst I can provide a clean and private therapy room to hold your session in, the rest of the house is the home I share with my two adult daughters, so the bathroom and kitchen are shared areas. You are welcome to use our family bathroom but, if you’d prefer, there is a public toilet at the BP petrol station 0.4 miles away (perfect to pause at on the way in and/or out of Penrhyncoch).
Fees
My fee is £45 per 1 hour session for individuals or £65 per 75 minute session for couples, payable by BACS prior to the session commencing. If you are unable to attend your session, please give as much notice as possible via email in advance or by text if urgent. A 7 day cancellation notice period is required to avoid paying the full fee. If you are due to have an in-person session and there is an unexpected problem with transport, I am happy to offer your session via Zoom. If I cancel your session, I will always give as much notice as I can, and no fee will be due. For the weeks where you or I are on planned holidays or unavailable, these will be agreed in advance, and no fee will be due.
Contact details & Steps to arranging therapy
I prefer to communicate via email in the main, as this is the best way to keep track of our interactions. My email address is iokuoktherapy@gmail.com and I endeavour to check it regularly each day and respond within 48 hours. Clients also have access to my mobile number for emergencies once sessions have commenced.
If you are interested in arranging therapy sessions with me, I offer a no-obligation introductory Assessment Session on Zoom for £45 where we can get to know a little about each other and decide if and how to proceed. Simply email me at iokuoktherapy@gmail.com with a short introduction to yourself, your contact details, and an idea of your availability for the Zoom chat and we’ll take it from there.
My regular therapy session days are Tuesday to Friday. To check current availability for in-person or online sessions you can take a look at my diary here. If you cannot see a time that works for you, please email your day/time preferences and we can discuss if holding you on my waiting list is appropriate for you.
And, finally, a little note about confidentiality and privacy outside the therapy sessions
Ceredigion county is a small world with connections extending far and wide into surrounding counties so, if you are also resident in West Wales, there is a possibility we may see each other out in the community or find ourselves in local social situations. If this happens, I will likely smile at and acknowledge you (because I am, by default, a naturally friendly human who has lived in Ceredigion for over 20 years) but please note I will endeavour to maintain a “casual acquaintance” stance to preserve your privacy. My internet and social media presence, if any, will never divulge any identifiable information about my clients.
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“Belonging is the innate human desire to be part of something larger than us. Because this yearning is so primal, we often try to acquire it by fitting in and by seeking approval, which are not only hollow substitutes for belonging, but often barriers to it. Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” Brené Brown