Anna Graves

Anna established Direct Counselling UK in 2007 with the aim of providing a professional, safe and accessible counselling service for the global community and online users who wished to learn more about counselling, the counselling process, training resources and employee counselling for corporate business.

Professional Membership and Qualifications

Anna has been providing a therapeutic counselling service since she began practising in 2004. She became a MBACP membership with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) in 2006 and is a BACP Accredited and UKRCP Registered Independent Counsellor, so you can be sure you are receiving a professional, therapeutic, competent service from an accredited therapist that delivers a service in line with the BACP Code of Ethics For Good Practice In Counselling And Psychotherapy (updated February 2010).

Anna graduated with a MA in Humanistic Counselling from the Centre For The Study of Human Relations at the University of Nottingham in 2006. Prior to achieving her post-graduate degree, Anna completed the Advanced Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory in 2005 and the Advanced Certificate in Counselling Skills and Theory in 2002. At Diploma and Post Graduate level Anna specialised in providing therapuetic support to Adolescents and Young People. Additionally, Anna completed the Post Graduate Certificate in Person Centred Supervision at Temenos (Sheffield) in 2010 and now provides counselling supervision to counsellors in practice.

Anna develops her therapeutic knowledge and skills by completing additional training on an annual basis. She has completed training in Attachment Theory, Working With Trauma and Brief Focussed Therapy. This ensures you receive a therapy service that is relevant and informed by recent advances in psychotherapy.

Theoretical Approach and Experience

Anna works with individuals, couples and groups – so whatever your current situation or reason for seeking therapy you can be sure that help is at hand. Anna is trained in a number of different Humanistic Counselling techniques, so in addition to the ‘talking therapy’ you are free to use a variety of techniques to develop insights, awareness and answers to the questions that you bring.

Anna uses image therapy, art therapy, SFBT (Solution Focussed Brief Therapy) and therapeutic writing in her practice as well as ‘embodied empathy’. Embodied empathy can help increase awareness between your emotional, physical and psychological experiences and develop your understanding of why you are seeking help.

You are free to choose what you think will work for you and will not be directed towards a particular model or therapeutic approach. Working in this way values your individuality and together you can explore why you would like your life to be different and how this can be achieved.

Beginning her counselling practice in 2004, Anna has provided counselling to pupils and students in mainstream and private education and higher education, workplace counselling to employees for a local authority and has experience of providing long term and brief therapy to clients from 8 – 80 years of age, from diverse cultures and backgrounds on a wide range of issues.

Following her graduation, Anna began working privately in 2007. Holding her own caseload of private clients of various ages and needs, she provides telephone and face-to-face counselling to individuals, couples and groups. Additionally Anna provides counselling to UK and international students, addiction therapy for recovering addicts and workplace counselling for employees.

 

Mediation

In addition to her counselling work Anna is a trained mediator. She completed her mediation training in 2002 and received mediator competency from Mediation UK in 2004. Anna has provided neighbour mediation and community mediation to build safer communities, and mediation to offenders and young people who are at risk of becoming homeless.

Anna has provided training to offenders and pupils in education using techniques from systemic counselling to raise awareness of conflict and reduce homelessness. Anna has helped showcase mediation as an effective tool for conflict resolution through discussions on local radio, articles in local newspapers and an article case study profiled in The Guardian newspaper.

This mediation article was printed in The Guardian on 22.10.03 in response to the introduction of the Antisocial Behaviour Order (ASBO) and demonstrated how mediation could be used to help resolve conflicts between neighbours in dispute. The case profiled in the article was worked by Anna Graves (mediation worker) and Jean Hart (mediation co-ordinator), both mediators for Nottingham Mediation Service.