Claire Crocker

After a degree in literature, I took a Master’s degree specialising in equalities issues. This gave me an appreciation of the great variety and complexity of the challenges different people face. My studies naturally led to an early career in organisations dedicated to improving the lives of people at work.

More recently I have been a family support worker at a centre which works with families and people facing complex problems including domestic abuse and poor mental health.

I am now in the final stage of a lengthy and thorough professional qualification in psychotherapy through BCPC. My private psychotherapy practice is a natural extension of my work to date.

Difference

Sometimes we can be aware of differences between ourselves and other people which can make us feel uncomfortable and make communication feel difficult. For me exploring these kinds of differences and how we experience them can be an important part of therapy.

I warmly welcome working with clients of all kinds of different backgrounds, wherever you might see yourself to be on the spectrum of sexuality, gender identity, class, racial or cultural background and heritage, and ability/disability.

Individuality

For me psychotherapy is about supporting each client as an individual, with their own unique circumstances and experience, hopes and fears. It is not about applying a set of categories, diagnoses or abstract principles in a generalised way.

Listening

For me good listening is based upon mutual trust, patience, acceptance, empathy and tolerance. Silence also has a place - sometimes it speaks as loud as words. Our relationship is not a relationship between ‘expert’ and ‘patient’, but between two people working together.