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Sarah Metianu, a psychotherapeutic counsellor working with adults in Bedford and online

I offer an initial free, no obligation, 30-minute consultation meeting before we agree to work together. This is because I believe that it’s important for you to feel comfortable with me as your choice of counsellor. This isn’t an actual counselling session but I hope it will give you a good sense of me and how I might work with you. It’s a chance for you to tell me a bit about yourself and what brings you to counselling now, to ask any questions you might have and for us to talk about the process of counselling, for example, what client confidentiality is and what it means for you. Please contact me if you’d like to arrange this.

How I work

Firstly I believe counselling is a collaborative process and my aim is to work with you as an individual so that you get the most out of our time together. I hope to offer you a safe and warm environment, a place where you don’t feel judged in any way. 

I am experienced in life and its pitfalls and have had my fair share of life experiences and hope that that brings a realness and authenticity to me as a counsellor. I have no agenda or investment about what it might be useful for you to talk about, or any decisions you decide to take. I believe you to be the expert in your own life – my role is to work with you, as well as noticing and feeding back to you what I see and sense (maybe things that are out of your awareness), as we work together towards any changes (even if that change is no change) that you chose to make in your life.

Therapy isn’t about giving advice and I won’t tell you what to do. I also feel it’s important to be clear that I don’t ‘heal’ or ‘fix’ people and I have no magic wand available. Instead I can offer you an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings at depth and in an unbiased and non-judgemental way, alongside you with compassionate curiosity and maybe in a way you have never had the opportunity to do before.

My hope for you is that you develop more insight, understanding and compassion for yourself and your situation, and from this place make your own decisions about your life and its direction.

My therapeutic approach is integrative – this means I can be flexible and bring together a variety of counselling theories, which allows me to adapt my approach and draw on the elements that I feel might work best for you. For example, I work with you exploring your thoughts and feelings about what is happening in your life currently but I also believe that the past very much informs the present, and so together we may start to link your current thoughts, feelings and patterns of relating to others, to your earlier experiences, including your childhood.

I have several years’ experience of working psychotherapeutically with adults facing a number of difficulties and concerns, and offer both short or long-term counselling and psychotherapy. 

I also offer the option of sandplay therapy (should you wish to try, no pressure!) Sandplay is a non-verbal way of working using a box filled with sand, toy figures and a variety of symbols to create scenes of miniature worlds that may reflect and give a visual representation to some of your inner thoughts, struggles, and concerns. It’s a gentle yet powerful way of working, and what you build in the sand may show us what with words you may have had difficulty communicating, or even knowing.

I offer face-to-face sessions from my therapy room in Bedford, as well as offering online sessions via Zoom.

Where and how much

My private practice is on St Cuthbert’s Street in the centre of Bedford.

Individual therapy

Sessions are 50-minutes long, and usually once a week at the same time.

  • Standard fee is £60 per session
  • I have two low cost concessionary spaces 
  • £40 reduced rate for student counsellors 
 

Relationship/couples therapy

After qualifying to work with individual clients, I have taken further training in couple/relationship therapy.

Note: I am not offering relationship/couples therapy at this time (July 2024).

 
 
Sarah Metianu Therapy Room

My qualifications

  • Certificate in Integrative Sandplay (Jill Carter)
  • Certificate in Advanced Emotional Regulation Skills (The Grove)
  • Advanced Child Exploitation training (Ivison Trust)
  • Certificate in Couple/Relationship Therapy. Accredited at Level 5 by COSRT 
  • Certificate in Psychosexual Therapy (The Grove)
 
  • Level 5 Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling (CPCAB)
  • Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (ABC)
  • BACP Certificate of Proficiency, Accredited Voluntary Register
  • Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Skills (ABC)
  • Level 2 Award in Understanding Substance Misuse (CPCAB)
  • Level 2 Introduction in Counselling Concepts (ABC)
  • BA Hons: Fine Art
 

I’m a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

Contact me

The Therapy Room, Latrobe Cottage, 21 St Cuthbert’s Street, Bedford, MK40 3JB

Tel: 07923 102865

Email: smetianu@yahoo.co.uk

"THE CURIOUS PARADOX IS THAT WHEN I ACCEPT MYSELF JUST AS I AM, THEN I CHANGE."
CARL ROGERS

© Sarah Metianu 2024

BACP Registered Member 376371