About Claire McCluskey
My Approach
About me
I’m an ex-nurse, having worked in NHS in Northern Ireland and North Wales for 25 years, in the Third Sector/Charity for 15 years and with Corporate Wellbeing Therapy for 2 years.
I am now dedicating my time to my Private Practice - offering a comprehensive range of approaches as an integrative therapist. I work in an attachment and a trauma informed way, with a variety of presenting issues. I work with trauma, relationship issues and life transitions, communication and assertiveness, with mild to moderate mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress and workplace worries. I consider myself to be integrative in my approach, drawing on attachment theory, psychodynamic ideas, systemic (family), Solution Focussed, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing) and Brainspotting. There is no "one size fits all" way of working and can be tailored to suit individual client needs.
Foundational to my practice are the Person Centred conditions:
- empathy
- open / positive
- genuineness
I have trained comprehensively and continued to develop as a therapist since my first counselling course in 1994! With a background in Psychology (BA) and Nurse Training (Diploma), my initial Counselling training was in Person Centred Counselling. Then I followed with generic training (MSc Counselling). I am Relate trained as a Couple and Marital Counsellor and a Systemic Practitioner (Family Counsellor Post Grad Diploma). Further training included Level 7 (Post Grad) CBT modules and EMDR parts 1 through 4. I also have Brainspotting training parts 1 through 3.
Along with these substantial trainings I continue to learn and develop with continuous professional development – I believe every day is a school day and although I have vast experience and qualification I learn so much from my clients daily. I am continually humbled by the courage and trust my clients show by embarking on and continuing their therapy journey. It’s an honour and a privilege to get to accompany them.
About the BACP
I have been a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) since July 2002, an accredited member since July 2004, and a senior accredited member since August 2010. I am also a member of the BACP Workplace Executive (Board Member).
Many counsellors are registered with BACP, and many are accredited by it, but this is not a legal requirement. Counselling and Therapy organisations are now working on minimum regulatory standards towards regulation as professions in the UK to date. The BACP can provide you with a copy of its code of ethics, "Ethical framework", and any counsellor should be happy to tell you about the code they abide by and the complaints procedure of their own professional body - see BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
