Lorna Betts BA (Hons) Dip. couns, MBACP
Hello, I’m Lorna and I am a qualified counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK’s leading body for talking therapies. I am also a Mum of two teenage children.
Before training to be a counsellor, my job choices always led me to working with people - after attending University I spent time working as a Care Assistant, firstly for a young, disabled person and then in a residential home for the elderly. I also worked for the National Charity, Parentline Plus as a call taker – this gave me more insight (and built on my own experience as a parent) into family life, both from an adult and a child/teenager perspective. It was, however, becoming a secondary school teacher and teaching pupils in schools in different regions – Leeds, Bradford, North Wales and Peterborough – which particularly opened my eyes to many of the situations facing young people.
My growing interest in Emotional Health led me to retrain as a therapist and I have been counselling now for coming up to 15 years. Working for the charity CASY (Counselling and Support for Young People), I have counselled in schools across Grantham and South Kesteven and in the communities of Newark and Stamford working with adults, young people and children (aged 11 plus. My past work with Victim Support, Parentline Plus and counselling staff in schools have all helped to inform my work with adults. I have been working within the Broad Street Practice, Stamford, since 2018.
With adults and young people, I work therapeutically , one to one, with themes such as (but not exclusively):
- - Family issues (divorce, bereavement, relationships)
- - School problems (bullying, effects of social media, exam pressure, peer groups)
- - Personal issues (relationships, identity, confidence, anger, anxiety, low mood, self harming behaviour, suicidal thoughts, addictions, health problems, trauma, abuse.)
The therapeutic relationship, which I believe to be central to change, is an especial focus of my work as my interests lie in the relational nature of people.
I share the values and work to the principles held by the BACP, as set out in the Ethical Framework for Good Practice. My aim is to help those I work with to access their resilience, wisdom and common sense so that they can journey towards a fuller and more emotionally healthy life.
I regularly attend training for my Continuous Professional Development and to keep up to date with policies. I hold a current enhanced DBS Certificate and am trained in safe guarding.
My professional qualifications include a BA Honours degree, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education, a C.P.C.A.B. Advanced diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and Certificates in training to work therapeutically with children and young people.