Counselling for relationships, overwhelm and life's transitions
Individual counselling and couples counselling in Bristol, for people who want to understand what is really going on - not just manage it.
You may be managing better than anyone realises. And exhausted by it.
Something brought you here. Perhaps you have been feeling anxious, overwhelmed or quietly stuck for longer than you would like to admit. Perhaps your relationship has become strained in ways that are difficult to articulate - a slow disconnection, a recurring argument, a distance that has opened up between you.
Sometimes there is a clear reason - grief, infidelity, divorce, trauma, menopause, a diagnosis that has changed everything. Sometimes it is harder to name than that. You just know that something is not right, and that pushing through on your own is no longer working.
This is where counselling begins - not with answers, but with the space to look honestly at what is happening beneath the surface.
You deserve more than someone who just listens.
Good therapy asks the right questions. It makes the connections you have not quite made yourself. It holds you with warmth and with enough honesty to be genuinely useful.
That is what I offer.
Celia.
Individual and couples counselling in Bristol
Individual counselling is for anyone who feels they are carrying something they would rather not carry alone. That might be anxiety, grief or trauma. It might be a diagnosis - ADHD, ASD - that has shifted how you understand yourself. It might be menopause, or a major life change, or simply a quiet sense that the patterns of your life are no longer working.
Sessions are face-to-face, thoughtful and unhurried. Together, we look at what is happening now, what may be sitting beneath it, and what might need to change.
Individual counselling
Couples counselling is for people who want to understand what has gone wrong between them - and whether it can be repaired.
You may be facing a crisis: infidelity, separation, a breakdown in trust. Or something quieter - less closeness, more conflict, the feeling that you are no longer quite reaching each other. Whatever has brought you to this point, the work is the same: to slow things down, speak honestly, and begin to understand what is actually happening between you.
Couples Counselling
This may be right for you if…
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You are holding a great deal together and beginning to feel the weight of it
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Your relationship has changed in ways that concern, confuse or hurt you
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You have been through something significant and have not fully processed it
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You suspect that something from your past is shaping your present, and you want to understand how
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You are at a crossroads - in your relationship, your career or your sense of who you are
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You want support that offers depth and honest challenge, not just coping strategies
What I can help with
People come to me with a wide range of difficulties. Some arrive with something specific - a relationship in crisis, a loss they have not processed, a diagnosis that has changed everything. Others come with something harder to name: a low-level sense that something is not right, that the patterns of their life are no longer working for them.
The issues I work with most often include anxiety and overwhelm, relationship difficulties and communication problems, infidelity and separation, grief and loss - including miscarriage and baby loss - trauma, PTSD and CPTSD, perimenopause and menopause, neurodivergent presentations including ADHD, ASD and AuDHD, addiction, OCD, chronic pain, bipolar disorder, and major life transitions such as redundancy, retirement or relocation.
These areas often overlap, and the work is rarely about one thing in isolation. If you are unsure whether what you are carrying is something I work with, the simplest thing is to get in touch.
"Working with Celia transformed our relationship. She's deeply insightful, guiding us to the core of our challenges with warmth and wisdom."
"When I started I was so lost and confused - but it has enabled me to be more positive and optimistic about life. I would highly recommend the service."
"Celia brought so much clarity, peace and structure into my feelings, emotions and life in general."
How I work
I don't work from a single fixed method. My training spans several different therapeutic approaches, and I draw on whichever feels most useful for the person in front of me. What stays consistent is my interest in the bigger picture - not just what is happening now, but how your history, your relationships and your sense of self may be quietly shaping it.
I work with warmth and with directness. I don't simply reflect your words back to you. I listen for the subtleties - the patterns, contradictions and emotional shifts that can reveal something important - and I will ask questions, make connections and gently challenge where that feels useful.
What you need to know
I have two clinics where counselling sessions take place in person:
Bristol - The Old Co-op, 38 Chelsea Road, Easton, Bristol, BS5 6AF - a quiet, first-floor space with free parking on Chelsea Road and all adjacent roads, 24 hours a day. What3Words - ///elbow.saying.sport
Easily accessible from Lawrence Hill train station (10 minute walk), Stapleton Road train station (7 minutes walk) or Kilburn Street bus stop (3 minute walk). I am also within easy reach of the M32.
Clevedon - Domus House, 28 Old Street, Clevedon, BS21 6BY - with free parking. What3Words - ///cabin.supper.year
Your individual counselling session will last 50 minutes and a couples counselling session lasts an hour. I see clients Monday to Thursday, with longer days on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Individual sessions are 50 minutes; couples sessions are one hour.
Fees are structured to reflect your situation and are on a sliding scale based on income:
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Individual sessions: £60 / £65
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Couples sessions: £80 / £90
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Key worker rate: £45 for individual sessions (NHS, social care, education, emergency services and local government - proof required). Standard fee applies for couples therapy session.
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Private health insurance referrals are subject to separate fee arrangements. Please contact me directly to discuss this further.
I don't offer video sessions. Telephone sessions for individuals are available in some circumstances - please ask.
I see people from across Bristol but many are from the areas of Easton, St George, Greenbank, Bedminster, Ashley Down, Southmead, Temple Meads, Brislington, Knowle, Eastville, Cotham, Kingsdown, Montpellier, Saint Pauls, St Werburgh’s, Kingsdown and Southville.
