Therapeutic counsellor in Kingston upon Thames

Therapeutic counsellor in Kingston upon ThamesTherapeutic counsellor in Kingston upon ThamesTherapeutic counsellor in Kingston upon Thames

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Navigating the twists and turns of life – relationships, work and the expectations of family – can take a toll on our mental health. Sometimes we all need a bit of help to see a way forward. As a registered BACP therapist I offer a space for you to explore your world – both past and present – and find your own path.

Find out more

About me

Head and shoulders photograph of Sarah Dyson, a middle aged woman with long dark hair and blue eyes.

How I work

I use a person-centred approach to counselling, which allows clients to talk things through at their own pace and in their own way. I aim to listen without judgement, providing a warm and confidential space where people can be themselves and explore their problems. I won't tell you what to do, but I can help you to see your challenges from a different perspective and encourage you to develop a kinder and more accepting sense of self. I have a particular interest in neurodiversity.

Qualifications

I am a qualified integrative counsellor, having successfully completed a CPCAB Level 4 diploma in therapeutic counselling at Kingston College (as well as achieving my Level 3 and Level 2 awards there). I am also continuing my studies with a Level 5 qualification in counselling children and young people. 

What I offer

Face-to-face counselling

Experience with neurodiversity

Experience with neurodiversity

An older woman talks to a younger woman in a therapeutic setting. Both are smiling.

Therapeutic counselling provides a supportive environment for you to process and heal from traumatic experiences. At your own pace, I can help you make sense of complicated feelings, move forward and improve your emotional health.

Experience with neurodiversity

Experience with neurodiversity

Experience with neurodiversity

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I believe that experiencing life as a neurodivergent person causes trauma. Whether you are living with the challenges of neurodivergence yourself or parenting neurodivergent children or young people, I will listen with empathy and compassion.

Adults and young people

Experience with neurodiversity

Adults and young people

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Counselling offers a calm and judgement-free space to explore and manage symptoms of anxiety, panic and emotional dysregulation so that you can identify triggers, become aware of patterns and ultimately develop coping strategies. 

About Sarah Dyson Counselling

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Therapeutic approach

As a psychotherapeutic counsellor, I help clients gain a deeper insight into the issues that are troubling them and anything that may be holding them back in life, while building a strong and supportive relationship. My integrative training allows me to draw on a wide range of therapeutic approaches, including relational, psychodynamic and existential counselling, as well as creative techniques and CBT tools.

The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change."

Carl Rogers, On Becoming a Person

Other areas of experience

Anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression

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There is no overnight cure for low mood and depression, but person-centred therapy is an evidence-based treatment for those experiencing symptoms. Making sense of past events and suppressed emotions can help you rediscover hope and find new ways of relating to the world.  

Stress management

Anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression

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An overloaded nervous system can take a long time to recover so it's important to understand what causes you stress and what you can do to relieve it. Counselling can help you foster self-awareness and self-compassion – and enable you to develop resilience and a sense of self-worth.

Young people

Anxiety and depression

Young people

A group of five young people look out from a hillside overlooking a bay at an orange sunset.

Moving from childhood into adolescence is a difficult time – but new technology, Covid, climate uncertainty and the cost of living have combined to make life tougher than ever for young people and their families. Having open, honest conversations can really help.

More about me

Professional associations

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and I adhere to its ethical framework and guiding principles. I am also a member of the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health (ACAMH).

What I offer

I offer face-to-face (in-person) sessions of 50 minutes in Kingston upon Thames at £60 per session. 

Experience

I have been counselling adults since July 2024 and I am currently also seeing clients at a local service for young people aged 11-24 and at a secondary school in the borough of Richmond upon Thames. I spent two years volunteering in a therapeutic provision for young people struggling with social and emotional difficulties and have undertaken professional training in mental health, safeguarding and neurodiversity. 

Neurodiversity

I have worked with neurodivergent adults and young people – both diagnosed and undiagnosed – and I am sensitive to the challenges they and their families face. I am particularly interested in the long-term trauma caused by living with undiagnosed neurodivergence and its links with anxiety, depression and gender identity.

Other qualifications

  • NCFE CACHE Level 2 certificate in understanding mental health first aid and mental health advocacy in the workplace
  • TQUK Level 2 certificate in understanding mental health in children and young people
  • TQUK Level 2 certificate in understanding autism 
  • BA (Joint hons) French/art history (2:1), University of Leeds

Safeguarding courses

  • Safeguarding Level 3 for counsellors and psychotherapists (online)
  • Safeguarding Children Level 2 (online)
  • Safeguarding Children Level 1 (online)

Professional development

  • National Autistic Society course (Teen Life) on dealing with autistic teenagers
  • Tony Attwood – Autism; Managing Feelings of Anxiety, Sadness, Anger –ACAMH (online)
  • Tony Attwood – Autism; Making Friends – ACAMH (online)
  • Tony Attwood – Managing Anxiety in Autistic Children and Adolescents – ACAMH (online)
  • Tony Attwood – The Profile of Abilities in Autistic Girls – ACAMH (online)
  • Existential Therapy – a non-pathologising way of supporting people, with Professor Emmy van Deurzen, Jo Watson, UKCP Reg Psychotherapist, A Disorder for Everyone (AD4E) (online)
  • BACP Children, Young People and Families conference 2024 (online)
  • Ending the Therapeutic Relationship, with Yvette Feyisayo, Kingston Women's Centre
  • Between Life and Death: Working with Chronic & Acute Suicide Risk, with Jenny Collard, Kingston Women's Centre

We each carry our wounds in our own way; there is neither sense nor value in gauging them against those of others.”

Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal

Frequently asked questions

Please reach me at sarahdysoncounselling@protonmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Counselling is a form of talking therapy. It is a confidential way to explore your life, feelings and problems, gain insight into past and present issues and improve your mental wellbeing. Reputable counsellors are qualified and professionally trained and should be registered with a professional body such as the BACP, UKCP or NCPS. 

If you are open to talking about what is bothering you, and the problems you have experienced in your life, counselling can be very helpful. It has proven particularly beneficial for those suffering symptoms of anxiety and depression, but can also be useful in overcoming traumatic experiences, bereavement, grief, panic, burnout/exhaustion, self-harm, OCD and suicidal thoughts. 

Counsellors are not the same as psychologists, psychiatrists or advisors – they won't diagnose you, medicate you or tell you what to do – but, with experience and understanding, they can help you figure out what you feel and why, what you would like to do, and help to guide you through difficult times. You can expect to be listened to with kindness and empathy – not hurried or dismissed – and supported for as long as you feel it is beneficial. You will not be pressured into anything that does not feel right for you. Sessions last 50 minutes (what is sometimes known as a 'therapeutic hour'). 

Before starting, we would have an initial consultation to see if we would like to work together and assess whether counselling is appropriate for your needs. If we decide to proceed, we would usually agree an initial number of sessions (perhaps six), after which we would review. If we both felt it would be beneficial to continue we would. There is no pressure to continue if you do not think counselling is right for you, but it is always best to have a proper ending, over a couple of sessions, to finish safely.

I offer short-term counselling (six-12 sessions) or longer-term (open-ended) counselling, depending on your requirements or wishes.

Get in touch

Get in touch to request a call

We can discuss your needs and decide if we would like to work together.

Sarah Dyson counselling

Based in Kingston upon Thames, UK

sarahdysoncounselling@protonmail.com

Drop me a line!

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How to find me

Warm space containing two armchairs, cushions and a rug in a room with two tall windows.

We are located at

The vestry, St John the Evangelist, 

Grove Lane, Kingston KT1 2SU.


Please call or email first to make an appointment as there will not always be someone available to see you and the room may be in use by others.

A map of Kingston upon Thames with St John's Church on Grove Lane marked.

Directions

We use the side door (the entrance nearest to the Spring Grove pub on Bloomfield Rd). Please knock on the side door and I will come and get you. Toilet facilities are available.


There is parking space for one car available on request at the back of the building. Please let me know before you arrive if you would like to make use of the parking space.

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Copyright © 2025 Sarah Dyson counselling - All Rights Reserved. Illustrative therapy images by iStock by Getty Images. Original photography by Will Drane and Sarah Dyson. 

Portraits by  Jo Campbell www.jocampbell.co.uk (head and shoulders) and Anne-Sarah Huet www.photofeel.net (standing, three-quarter length.)

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