Donna Wood

People often wait a long while before beginning the therapy that can greatly benefit them.  It can feel stressful to consider talking to someone that you don’t know. That is why I can offer you a free, short online or telephone chat or a single paid appointment with no obligation to continue afterwards. You can see how you feel. I offer short and long term therapy to suit you and a combination of Face to Face, Online therapy, Telephone therapy and Walk and Talk Therapy. You can choose the therapy setting that suits you.

I trained in Relational Integrative Therapy. This means that we would be working very much together, informed by different psychological approaches to individually suit you. You may be experiencing over-anxiety, depression, stress, anger, bereavement, having trouble with relationships or social situations. I have helped many people with these issues and I can help you too so that you can feel happier, more positive and lead a more fulfilled life.

We would take time to settle into our working relationship so that you can feel the trust that you need in order to speak about whatever is bringing you to counselling. I have completed a wide variety of training and can offer you different therapeutic ways to look at your life past and present in order to find a better way forward which you can maintain.

Over the last few years I have successfully supported many clients, diagnosed or self-identifying  neurodivergent Autism /or  ADHD with a range of issues. I feel passionate about this work professionally and I can relate to this via personal experience in my own family.

I can provide the type of safe, non-judgemental, gentle, therapeutic space where we can take time to understand you and how you feel, perhaps about this as a newly discovered part of yourself or something you have been aware of for a long time but you have not yet fully explored.

I offer face to face appointments and also Zoom appointments; some clients like being in their own homes/places of work where they can choose how they sit, choose light and sound levels, maybe move around, use something to fidget with to aid concentration etc. Others appreciate the walk and talk therapy that can I offer locally for some of their sessions. This type of therapy is known to decrease anxiety for many, being in a green, relaxing space and with the reduced level of eye contact which can enable the ability to focus better on what is being discussed.

I work with a very broad variety of adult clients of all ages where an awareness of equality, diversity and inclusion will be apparent during therapy. I have previously worked with more clients identifying as men but have noticed in the last two or three years that the number of my neurodiverse women clients is growing. For many people, blending in with others by masking can sometimes be a positive choice but often this can create anxiety, be exhausting and overwhelming and lead to burn out at some point.  I offer this therapeutic time where you can safely explore what has been happening for you.

Neurodivergent Couples Therapy:

I have neurodivergent family members in my own family and understand the frustrations of trying to understand one another that can arise This experience and knowledge can enable me to understand different people’s perspectives.

Sometimes couples arrive feeling that they might just have to put up with things the way they are if they are to remain together but may feel like they are not understood individually, feel abandoned, feel exhausted from trying to get through, unsuccessfully, to the other. This can result in shut down, feeling stuck.  We can work together on better ways to communicate, more understanding of each other and seeing differences as a potentially good thing.

• Considering a diagnosis or post diagnosis support
• Supporting partners and partners to understand Autism /ADHD
• Understanding self and other people
• Self-esteem
• Identity and gender
• Forming relationships
• Separation, loss of relationship, divorce
• Trauma – specific events and day to day trauma building over time
• Anxiety, stress, depression
• Masking, overwhelm and burnout
• Decision making and inertia
• OCD
• Disordered eating
• Bereavement

Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy

Postgraduate Certificate of Education BA (Hons)

Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) – accreditation ensures you are working with an experienced therapist

On-line and Telephone Counselling Certificate

Certificate in Transactional Analysis

Attachment in Relationships Certificate

Working with Attachment Styles Certificate

Training Certificate from Cruse Bereavement Care

Trauma, dissociation, sexual abuse and attachment course {PODS)

Sleep, deprivation: habits, solutions, strategies course

Coaching Certificate

Bereavement Counselling Certificate – Cruse Bereavement Care

Bereaved by Suicide Certificate

Psychological Impact of Covid Certificate

Polyvagal Theory Introductory Course

Attended Aspire Consultancy’s Monthly CPD Group focusing on Neurodiversity and now take part in monthly supervision discussion with Ruth Williams, Aspire Autism Consultancy

Best Practice when Supporting Autistic Clients Course – Aspire Autism Consultancy

ADHD in The Therapy Room – Aspire Autism Consultancy

Neurodiverse Couples Counselling Course – Aspire Autism Consultancy

Understanding ADHD – Futurelearn                                                         

Different together: Autism Spectrum and Neurotypical Partnerships conference – Tony Attwood delivering

Autism and Eating Disorders Training Conference (National Autistic Society)

Counselling Clients with ADHD Certificate

Understanding Autism, Futurelearn Course, University of Kent

Certificate in Autism Masking

Working with Autism Certificate