Rate Rebecca Lazaro

Hi, I'm Rebecca Lazaro, I'm a qualified therapeutic counsellor. I have an Integrative Person-Centred approach which means I regard you as an individual with unique life experiences that have shaped and created your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and I offer my therapeutic relationship, based on trust and realness, through which you can grow and feel stronger being you. I aim to help you to make sense of your experiences and to empower your authentic self.

Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who isn't connected to your life in any other way, someone with a fresh perspective who can provide a safe, confidential space where you are free to express yourself, accepted for who you are, so that you can process your difficult thoughts and feelings about your life situations.

My role is to listen to whatever problems you are experiencing, without judgements or expectations. You can bring all the worries on your mind and issues that trouble you, past, present or future. You have control of directing the content and pace of your processing throughout our sessions. Through exploring together, I will focus on feelings, pick up on beliefs, notice themes, and gently challenge you to shine a light on the unlit areas.

In my person-centred approach, the therapeutic relationship between counsellor and client is one based on equality, that is, you and I are two people working together on the same level, there is no power imbalance between us. I work therapeutically beside you, I offer you my empathy and understanding, my total acceptance of you and your experience so you develop the confidence to find your own way forward. The therapeutic relationship can help you experience a healthy, respectful relationship, learn what it feels like to be able to trust, feel safe, and be completely yourself.

I am a trauma-informed practitioner so I understand that many people who have experienced trauma of some kind in the past often struggle in adulthood with their emotional wellbeing, dysfunctional relationships, negative thoughts, dysregulated feelings, self-destructive behaviours, drug and alcohol addiction, self-harm and suicidal thoughts, and/or anxiety/mood/personality disorders. Trauma comes in many different forms and is experienced uniquely by each individual, and I am mindful of holding you safely at all times.

I have training in other approaches, such as Emotion-Focused Therapy, Psychodynamic and Attachment Theory, Transactional Analysis, Existential Therapy, Family & Relationship Therapy, and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, that I may draw from and integrate into our sessions if I feel something may be appropriate/beneficial for you. So really it depends on what you bring to therapy and what you want to gain from it, I will be guided by your needs.

Some clients come to therapy expecting to be told what to do, given solutions to solve their problems quickly. While I can offer some coping methods for immediate issues, such as emotional regulation or distress tolerance, Person-Centred Therapy is a longer-term process, in that it takes time to make lasting changes to your personality and behaviours. At least 8 sessions are recommended for the therapeutic process to be effective.

As your therapist, I offer you a therapeutic relationship in which you feel safe and trusting enough to be open and honest about your difficult feelings and emotions, help you come to understand yourself better with support and guidance, to discover your own solutions which work best for you and are more likely to ‘stick’. I can help you reflect on what you've experienced, process unresolved trauma, offer different perspectives, identify patterns, recognise triggers, and make connections between past and present events, that all help to increase your self-awareness so that you can make better choices and changes for the future.

Background:

I have a BA in Psychology with 20yrs work experience supporting adults and young people with a variety of mental health issues in clinical and residential settings. I have worked with people with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders, acquired brain injury, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, personality disorders, self-harm, and eating disorders. I have also worked in several drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres and my most recent employment was as an addiction recovery counsellor. I am mixed race and also a member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Professional Membership:

I am a Registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and adhere to their standards for ethical practice, am bound by and accountable to their conduct procedures to ensure I work in the best interest of each client.