Robbie Gill
Counsellor in Banwell

Hi - it's great to meet you virtually. I'm Robbie, and Welcome to Weston-super-Mare (WSM) Counselling service.

I am proud to introduce you to our website which contains support, information and an outline of the wide range of counselling services I offer.

​If you made it this far; well done! This is the start of your journey to affecting positive change and getting the help and support you seek. FOR FULL DETAILS ABOUT OUR SERVICES, SUPPORT IN SELECTING THE MOST APPROPRIATE THERAPY CHOICE FOR YOU, AND FOR OUR BOOKING SYSTEM< PLEASE VISIT: WWW.WESTONSUPERMARECOUNSELLING.CO.UK

Our client-centred approach is designed to help challenge our thoughts and behaviours, learn to think and act differently, and find the inner peace and wellbeing we all seek. All therapy and approaches require commitment, buy-in and an open-mind in order to change, improve and grow. This process can challenge us emotionally; but in a safe, trusting, and non-threatening environment, we can identify the goals you want to achieve and plan a series of small steps in order to work towards effective and lifelong change.If our services resonate with your needs, I look forward to hearing from you soon!

"Today is the first day of the rest of your life."
(Charles Dederich)

Background & Counselling Qualifications

All reputable counsellors or psychotherapists will provide a client-centred focus. However, the knowledge and experiences of the therapist will vary greatly, and choosing the right person for you is important.

​​My background is in Education; having been a Teacher and Senior Leader of a Primary School, I have over ten years experience as a Class Teacher whose roles also include supporting, mentoring and coaching teachers and leading in schools. In addition, I have worked with children and families from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds and alongside professionals from different multi-agencies including educational psychologists, social services, health care professionals, occupational therapists and speech and language specialists.

​​The work I undertake in WSM Counselling is further aimed at utilising my knowledge and skills in a broader climate with the hope to reach out to people who require help in a time of significant personal challenge. Trained in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Stress, Anxiety and Depression disorders, I am skilled at supporting people experiencing a wide range of personal difficulty to find their inner peace and wellbeing so they can live lives to the full.

Qualifications:
I am a member of the Accrediting Board of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ABCAP), Accredited Counsellors, Coaches, Psychotherapists and Hypnotherapists (ACCPH), and abide by the Ethical Framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Please see - www.bacp.co.uk/ethical-framework for more information.

Certification held:
(Level 7) Masters level equivalent module in Senior Leadership (NPQSL)
(Level 7) Masters level equivalent module in Senior Middle Leadership (NPQML)
(Level 6) First Class Honours Degree in Education
(Level 4) Counselling and CBT Therapy and Psychotherapy
(Level 3) Counselling Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Current CPD: (Level 4) Counselling Children & Adolescents
Additional: First Aid at Work and Safeguarding training up-to-date
Recently undertaken training in Safeguarding (Keeping Children Safe in Education)

My Specialisms

Supporting clients with stress and/or anxiety:
Stress is an adverse reaction we have to excessive pressure or other situations we face in our lives. It can leave us feeling overwhelmed or overloaded by the demands placed upon us. It may be a response to the feeling that we have more work to do than we can fit into our working day, or it could be related to worries about finances, relationships or a change in our circumstances, such as moving house.
Stress is not always bad. It's a normal human response and can be good at motivating us. But if we are feeling overwhelmed by this stress for a long period of time it can impact on our mental and physical health.
A counsellor can help you understand why you feel stressed and find strategies that can help you learn how to cope with stress. Counselling can help you explore the cause of these feelings, understand them and suggest ways of dealings with situations.



Supporting clients with symptoms of depression or low mood:
Everyone has times when they feel low. Depression is when you feel this way for weeks or months at a time and it affects your ability to get on with and enjoy your life. It's a common mental health problem. So, if you have it, you're not alone. Anybody can become depressed and It's not a sign of weakness. Depression and low mood may be linked to feelings of anxiety or stress and without treatment, depression symptoms can affect people for years.
But the good news is there are a variety of treatments that can help with depression, including counselling and other talking therapies. A counsellor can help you explore the feelings you have and accept them.



Supporting children and young people in managing stress and anxiety:
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear that is experienced as a combination of physical sensations, thoughts and feelings. Everyone will feel anxious sometimes, but these feelings will usually subside once a particular moment - such as taking an exam or trying something new - has passed.
Anxiety can become a problem when these feelings don't pass and a young person feels constantly anxious, overwhelmed and distressed. It can also become a problem when previously enjoyable activities or tasks start to make a young person feel anxious. Young people may start to withdraw and limit what they feel able to do.
Modern day pressures and expectations on young people in education, image (including social media) and personal development can manifest emotions and behaviours that are challenging to manage and cope with.
Therapy can help to identify and contextualise the stress and anxiety, and support young people in developing bespoke and practical strategies that can be used to help overcome unwanted overwhelming feelings over time with increasing success.



Supporting clients in relationships, couples and marriage counselling:
All close relationships have their ups and downs. There are so many pressures on our lives and on our time - from family to finances, from children to communication - that many couples can struggle and go through difficult times.
Counselling can provide a safe and supportive space to explore your difficulties and help you find a way through. It will require a positive commitment from both parties and an openness to change. When couples come to counselling, these comforting feelings have often been replaced with pain, conflict and a sense of isolation. Couples therapy provides a safe and supportive space to think about and explore the roots of this disconnection.
The aim is not to point the finger and blame, but to help both parties reconnect emotionally - to listen to their partner differently, learn to communicate more effectively and create, if appropriate, a happier and healthier relationship going forward.
A therapist can support you to understand how to communicate differently, to see each other again through different lenses. It can give you tools to better express yourself and your needs, place boundaries and create healthier relationships.



Mindfulness and Spiritual wellbeing and CBT:
WSM Counselling specialises in long term therapy through developing, nurturing and promoting the spiritual oneness within us in order to find the inner peace we desire in order to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life. In exploring the route to Being, we find ourselves on a quest to recognising that "awareness is the greatest agent of change" (Eckhart Tolle).
This is an exciting therapy that aims to affect lifelong change in our spiritual self and make us more aware, compassionate and alert to our inner Truth; an awakening of the consciousness mind living within an unconscious and un-awakened world.
Together, we will explore the complex mind of the ‘ego' and the delusions it manifests so that we can become more aware of the dysfunctions it creates so that we may become more enlightened to a new way of thinking, believing and living with a deeper spiritual connection to living.



Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT):
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is a talking therapy that seeks to support clients in identifying our negative thought and behavioural patterns and reframing these over time to create a better sense of self and wellbeing.
In a challenging world, we all experience times of immense pressure, difficulties, injustices and experiences that sometimes require us to seek additional help and support with. In doing so, we are not failing or showing weakness, but demonstrating courage and strength in taking decisive and positive action in finding solutions to our problems and improving our wellbeing.
Through a non-judgemental and authentic collaboration, CBT will help to challenge our current ways of thinking and seek to alternative thought processes that help us to think, act and behave differently so that we can learn to accept the past, live in the present moment and look forward to the future without always reaching for it.



Educational Counselling and Educational Coaching:
Never has the educational climate for schools been so challenging. National recruitment and retention figures show that, this year alone, over 40,000 educators have left the profession with one in four leaving within their first 3 years of teaching (Gov UK).
However, help and support is available for educators who want to engage in professional coaching or counselling. Each individual will have their own unique experiences and challenges that they require support with. The Educational Counselling therapy and Educational Coaching are often interlinked; however the counselling process is focused more on individual need and wellbeing, whereas the coaching focuses more on managing specific roles and duties in education. However, please remember that therapy is bespoke and is tailored to the individual and is adapted to suit the needs of the client in all instances.
As an educator, mentor and senior school leader, I have over a decade of experience working with teachers, educators, students, parents and children. With a collaborative approach, therapy can really help to identify and manage the challenges we face with practical strategies and approaches that help us to fulfil our roles to our best potentials.

Educational coaching focuses on:
Managing stress and work-life balance as an educator.
Developing and improving self wellbeing and resilience.
Creating a bespoke action planning for managing career and job roles.

Educational coaching focuses on:
Managing workload.
Goal setting and career progression.
Coaching and managing professionals.
Time management and prioritisation.
Leading CPD.
Managing change.
Managing challenging conversations.
Conflict resolution.

Approach to Counselling & How I Work

In our therapy, I use an integrative eclectic approach. This means adapting evidence based therapeutic strategies, methods, and approaches to suit your need(s) and personality. Through this approach, we collaboratively work together to plan our sessions in order to work towards a specific goal in short-term or long-term therapy. Short-term therapy usually spans between 6 and 12 weeks, and long-term therapy continues until you have reached your intended goal. You are under no obligation to subscribe to a specific number of sessions, however, you will need to consider that therapy is complex and specific to the client; your journey to affecting positive change will be challenging and empowering. You will likely learn and discover much about yourself along the way and this will require commitment and a willingness to be open to self-reflection and change. With the right support, guidance, and encouragement, you will be well placed to reach your goals and benefit from positive, lifelong change.

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The journey to change is not without its challenge. The very nature of therapy often exposes our vulnerable selves and associated feelings and emotions depending on your life experiences and how these have affected you. It may be that you have not fully processed or come to terms with a trauma, experience and/or event from the long-term or short-term past. For others it is managing the challenges of life, relationships, work and emotions in the present. You will be challenged to consider your specific behaviours, emotions and actions from different viewpoints and perspectives, and the impact this has had/is having on you and others. However, at all times through this challenge, you will be guided and supported in an authentic, respectful, safe, and confidential environment.

Life is a challenge for us all; we all have different backgrounds, experiences and challenges to manage. Sometimes, we need to reach out for additional help and support with someone who is non-judgemental, supportive, approachable, empathetic, and knowledgeable of a wide range of therapies and strategies for affecting positive change. Seeking help is the first positive step towards finding your inner peace and improved sense of wellbeing. It may not happen overnight, and it will require commitment and an open mind to change, but you really do have the power within you to find answers and solutions to your problems. Together, we will identify the key challenges, recognise what needs to change, practise, and apply strategies to improve and reframe thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, and finally consider how we can use what we have learned in the wider context of our lives.

Therapies & Rates

Please note the rates detailed below are there to give you an idea of the therapists standard rates, we strongly advise you contact the therapist for more detailed rates and any offers they may have.

Therapy	Appointment Type	Rate
Counselling	In Person	£55 per 50 minutes
Counselling	Online/Telephone	£50 per 50 minutes

Additional Rate Information

FOR FULL INFORMATION, DETAILS, GUIDANCE AND ACCESS TO BOOKING SYSTEM, PLEASE VISIT US AT: westonsupermarecounselling.co.uk ​​Email: westonsupermarecounselling@gmail.com to arrange for a FREE 15 minute (no obligation) 'handshake' by telephone appointment - initial 'meet and greet' and enquiries. All induction sessions for therapy (the initial session) is priced at £40.00 Please note: all bookings are strictly appointment only.