LEONIE GRACE PSYCHOTHERAPY

Welcome!
My name is Leonie, and I am a fully qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor. I offer counselling / psychotherapy sessions both online and face-to-face in Hemel Hempstead. Get in touch if you would like to discuss how I could help you. I offer a free 20-minute telephone consultation. After that, I carry out a 50-minute initial assessment. This is for us to work out together what you are struggling with, how I may be able to support you, and whether I am the right therapist for you. The cost of the assessment is £55, which is the same as my ongoing session rate.

Get in Touch

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

I help people who are seeking change, clarity or a soothing of distress, in many different situations.

I am guessing that you are here because some aspect of your life is not working for you, or you are hoping for a change - maybe big, maybe small. Perhaps you are not seeking change at all, but find your world has changed, leaving you feeling like the rug has been pulled from under your feet.

Perhaps you are struggling with depression and /or anxiety, the legacy of traumatic experience, or the pain of bereavement. Maybe you are struggling in your relationships. Perhaps you do not identify with having mental health struggles, but feel a bit ‘stuck’, unhappy at work or unsure about the direction of your life.

Issues that I commonly work with include:

Depression

Anxiety

Relationship and family difficulties

Panic attacks

Low self-esteem

Stress

Struggling with decisions

Fertility struggles

Baby-loss

Peri-menopause and menopause

Pregnancy, postnatal struggles, birth trauma

Parenting struggles

Bereavement and grief

Disability, ableism, chronic pain

Trauma

Neurodiversity / late-diagnosis of neurodivergence

Neurodivergent parenting

Life-changing illness / surgery

Gender-identity

Experiences of racism

Questioning your sexuality

MY APPROACH

I am trained in a type of psychotherapy called Gestalt Therapy. I offer a warm, empathetic space for clients to process what is happening and has happened in their lives.

I believe we all carry wounds from our lives to a greater or lesser extent. And, just as plants grow towards the light, all humans are capable of healing and growth, given the right conditions and nurturing.

I am non-judgemental and am always keen to hear exactly what clients hope for in therapy, and what is not working for them. You are the expert on your life - not me. Gestalt is a non-hierarchical model, which means that I show up to therapy sessions not just as a therapist but also as a regular human being. I understand that some of the 'unhelpful' patterns you may find yourself in have served a function and have developed for good reason. I will never tell a client to change a habit or opinion - although I will sometimes be quite direct in telling you what I think is going on for you!

I enjoy working in many different ways with clients. Talking is a big part of what we do, but building awareness of our whole body experience, not just the thoughts in our head, is a valuable tool for soothing the nervous system, thereby resourcing us to be regulated enough to move through difficult times and create the lives we want.

WHAT IS GESTALT THERAPY?

Gestalt is a German word which has no precise English definition. It means something akin to ‘form’, with an implication of this form having a "sum greater than its parts".

It is hard to summarise the Gestalt approach – every therapist is different, and I know that I myself have a slightly different approach with every person I meet, based on what they need.

Gestalt therapy is "here and now"-focused. Noticing how we feel right now, and staying grounded in the present (even as we process past events) is key, because healing and change can only happen in the present moment.

I was drawn to train in the Gestalt modality for its holistic characteristics and its beautiful dynamic of balancing individual autonomy / responsibility and the concept of interdependence – sometimes we do need others’ support.

Gestalt does not preach an ultimate “way to be healthy”, rather, seeing ‘dysfunctional’ elements of our patterns in life as ‘creative adjustments’, that have developed for a good reason.

Through nurturing a sense of curiosity and awareness of our unique ways of being, both in relation to the world and to other people, we can broaden our options in life. Then, should we want to, we can begin to subtly shift and change elements of the patterns that have become fixed and sedimented.

ABOUT ME

I am a fully-qualified psychotherapeutic counsellor and registered member of BACP.

In recent years, my clinical work has been based at a Priory Group hospital, Hemel Psychotherapy Practice, Metanoia Counselling and Psychotherapy Service and Buckinghamshire Mind. I currently also work in Private Practice, offering online sessions and face-to-face sessions in Hemel Hempstead.

I am at the start of my fifth and final MSc year training as a Gestalt Psychotherapist at the renowned Metanoia Institute, and am a trainee member of UKCP. I hold full professional insurance, and abide by the ethical principles of UKCP, BACP and Metanoia Institute.

Before training as a therapist, I spent nearly two decades working in Music and Education, firstly as a secondary school teacher of Music and Foreign Languages, then as a professional opera singer and singing teacher. Over the past eighteen years I have absolutely loved working as a professional singer, choir leader and teacher, but, whilst healing from my own adverse life experiences, I began to feel a strong tug towards working in the field of psychotherapy.

Over the years I have learned that my primary passion is humans! I have a deep fascination and reverence for each person's uniqueness. It is a great privilege and honour to work with and get to know every client that I meet.