Ruth Williams - Counselling & Clinical Supervision In Leeds

Qualifications

BA (Hons), PG Dip. in Counselling & Psychotherapy, LCPD Diploma in Clinical Supervision and LCPD Cert. in Couples Counselling.

About Me

My Practice is based in North Leeds in a peaceful and discreet location.  I offer counselling to individuals and couples, as well as clinical supervision to therapists, coaches and healthcare workers.  I can see people in-person or online, and for some individuals, walking consultations work extremely well.  Due to changes within my professional commitments, I am no longer able to offer 'open-ended' counselling contracts.  I can, however, offer fixed-term individual counselling, or couples counselling contracts.  I also offer pre-diagnostic screenings for neurodiversity, and if required I can provide a post diagnostic counselling package.

For further information about pre-diagnostic screenings, please click here.

I am trained in the Relational approach and work in an integrative way, using a range of humanistic models which allow me to cater for the individual needs of clients and couples.  In addition to my professional training as a counsellor, I have a lifetime of my own lived experience within a family of mixed neurotypes.  Over the past twenty years, I have attended a wealth of courses aimed at supporting autistic people or those with co-associated conditions, such as ADHD.  At Aspire, we offer a series of interactive 'live' courses, which I deliver with my colleague, Deborah Wortman.  Our training courses are specifically written for therapists, coaches and healthcare workers, who wish to develop their knowledge and skillsets to support neurodivergent clients and or their service users.

These 'live' courses provide in-depth knowledge of neurodivergence, and stimulate interesting group discussions due to their interactive nature.  To read more about our courses please visit the 'Training' section of this website.

Clinical Supervision

I offer supervision to therapists and coaches to support their work with neurodivergent clients, as well as their general practice work.  I also provide 'ad-hoc' supervision to counsellors who have their own regular supervisor, but may require some additional expertise to assist withh the work they are doing with neurodivergent clients.  Supervision can be accessed online, in-person at my North Leeds practice, or outdoors for those who prefer this way of working.

My Beliefs

I believe that the therapeutic relationship is central to the counselling process, helping clients to explore ways in which they relate to themselves and others.  The therapeutic alliance is based upon equality and trust, enabling individuals to feel respected and safe. This balance helps to facilitate psychological growth and provides a platform on which clients can work towards making positive changes within their live

Post Diagnostic Counselling

Ruth recognises the importance of creating a low intensity environment, free from distractions and noise.  She helps to develop strategies for those who experience a range of difficulties including:-

  • Disorganisation
  • Procrastination
  • Impulsiveness
  • Mood Swings
  • Memory & Concentration Problems
  • Executive Functioning Difficulties
  • Intrusive Thoughts
  • Emotional Dysregulation.

Partners, parents and family members may request support for themselves to help improve their relationships with loved ones and to learn strategies to help them cope with some of the challenging behaviours they encounter.

Neurodiversity in Women and Girls

I receive increasing numbers of enquiries from female clients who believe they could be autistic and/or may have ADHD.  This may not have previously been picked up due to the different presentation which exists for women and girls.  Anxiety, depression and feeling overwhelmed are, for some people, ‘secondary symptoms’ of undiagnosed conditions.  Failure to pick up the correct reasons behind some of these difficulties, can lead to a series of continual misunderstandings, emotional and physical burnout, and sometimes result in misdiagnosis.

I help my clients to find explanations for confusing behavioural responses and together we identify resolutions and strategies to address these challenges.  It can be a great relief to begin to understand and make meanings for traits which may have caused years of confusion and misunderstandings.  When a person stops blaming themselves and begins to accept who they are, they can start to build a more positive future.

Walking and Talking Sessions

I offer walking sessions for clients & supervisees who prefer the multi-sensory experience of being outside.  This can help some individuals to feel less inhibited and enhance the 'self-discovery' process.

I have recognised that people who engage in this type of outdoor work, often achieve dramatic shifts in their thought processes, which can aid creativity and allow individuals to discover new ways to deal with some of the challenges they encounter.  Walking in parallel with nature’s visual distractions, enables us to look forwards rather than at one another; which for some, feels more comfortable and less intense.

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