My name is Hazel Gordon. I am a qualified and experienced counsellor based in the Cavehill area of Belfast, where I have a small private practice.
I provide long-term and short-term counselling for adult individuals and couples. I work with people from all over Northern Ireland and from all walks of life. Clients come to me with a diverse range of problems and troubling issues that they want to explore in a way that lets them move forward in their lives.
Hazel Gordon, MBACP
As a qualified counsellor, I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and abide by its Code of Ethics and Practice.
We all experience times of difficulty in our lives. Life events and relationships can sometimes feel overwhelming. For some people, talking with a well trained and experienced professional can help make sense of those troublesome and troubling times. While counselling is not a one-size-fits-all sort of activity, there are some constants from the clients’ perspective. Clients want to feel safe, they want to know they are seen and heard, they want to know that their specific needs will be addressed.
Making the decision to see a counsellor is a big step to take. Please read on to find out more about how I can help.
As a counsellor, it is my job to create a safe and confidential environment that enables you, or you and your partner, to reflect on the difficulties or problems you are experiencing. We will explore your situation in a way that often leads to fresh perspectives and a new understanding. Counselling is not about giving you solutions or advice, but helping you to help yourself. Working alongside individuals and couples at challenging times of their lives is key to the provision of my effective and ethical practice.
I have been formally trained in three different approaches to this work: person-centred, systemic and psychodynamic. Different ways of thinking about counselling and therapy have given me a wide theoretical base to draw on, depending on whichever is most appropriate at the time, and whichever is most relevant for the clients’ needs.
Counselling takes place in a safe space, where you can meet with someone who will listen with sensitivity and empathy – and without judgement.
Counselling gives us a set of tools we can use to help gain a better understanding of what’s causing these problems – and how you can move towards managing or resolving them.
Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
feelings of stress or anxiety
panic attacks
relationship problems
grief, loss or bereavement
trauma and post-traumatic stress
abuse
depression
problems with confidence or self-esteem
anger management
issues relating to sexuality
difficulties at work or in retirement
problems with family or school life
Couples Counselling as a speciality
I’ve had further and specific training enabling me to work with couples. The sort of issues my couples clients often want to reflect on, explore and resolve include:
communication problems
inequality
childhood trauma
affairs
control
parenting/co-parenting
separation/divorce
difficult in-laws
sexuality
domestic violence
fertility
work/life balance
stress
adapting to life-stages
blended families
My previous work in community development, community adult education, further and higher education and disability training and research, together with the high-quality and broad-based training I received in Belfast and London, provide a rich life experience that is useful in my counselling practice.
Counselling Qualifications
Advanced Diploma in Couple Counselling
Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling
Other Qualifications
M.Phil by thesis
Advanced Diploma in Education (Further Education)
BA (Hons) Psychology
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an Initial Appointment.
Please Call, Text or WhatsApp me on 07814938336 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
I work from a quiet cul-de-sac in the Cavehill area of Belfast. Ample parking is available and public transport is less than a 10-minute walk away.
During the Covid pandemic I have been working online using Zoom, with both individual clients and couples. I will return to face-to-face sessions when safe, however, I will also continue to work online as many clients have discovered that online meetings are a convenient and effective alternative.
Availability: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
Individual and couple sessions last 60 minutes.
The fee for all sessions is £55, whether attended by individual or couple.
Please note that if you want to cancel an appointment I require 48 hours’ notice, otherwise you will still need to pay for any sessions missed.
The rationale for the Initial Appointment is twofold. First of all, It gives you an opportunity to find out more about the counselling service I offer. It also gives us an opportunity to talk about the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right counsellor to help.
I can be reached at
Many therapists tend to view counselling as short-term work, when someone has a problem that can be looked at and discussed in a clearly-resolvable way. This work often requires undertaking sessions for a certain number of weeks, to explore, discover and clarify a way forward. Therapy is a word often used to describe long term work that tends towards substantive issues that may be life changing at a deeper level. The terms counselling and therapy are often used interchangeably.
Whether counselling or therapy work best as a short- or long-term option depends on the client though, and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling can prove helpful as a continuing, longer-term option, or therapy can help resolve an issue in just a few sessions.
There’s no fixed or ideal length of time for the counselling process; it varies from person to person and will often depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. While I can work on an open-ended basis with clients, I find it is helpful for us to both agree before we start on undertaking a certain number of sessions and reviewing where we are at once we reach that point. You are able to decide how long your therapy will last, and in return my aim is to make sure therapy continues for only as long as it is of benefit to you.
This depends on what your needs are. Some people find that after only a very few sessions they have some clarity and focus and are ready to end the therapy. Other people value the ongoing support and relationship with me and will continue to come for weeks, months, or even years. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to therapy.
I don’t carry a waiting list. Availability depends on how busy I am and on your availability. There is always a bottleneck for evening sessions, so if you can be available during daytime hours, you are more likely to get an Initial Appointment more quickly.
Confidentiality is one of the main ways in which counselling or therapy differs from many other forms of helping – for example, talking to friends or family can rarely offer the same degree of confidentiality as talking to a counsellor. Because of this confidentiality, you will find that – as you get used to coming for therapy – you are freer to talk about whatever you wish to.
Counsellors and therapists can’t offer 100% confidentiality: there are situations ‘there are situations where I will not be able to keep confidentiality. For example, if you disclose issues relating to child protection, a threat to harm yourself or others, or if you have committed or intend to commit a crime. Breaking confidentiality is very rare.
It is important in counselling that you feel able to talk about whatever is important to you. You may want to bring up issues you would rather not have a family member or friend listening in to. And, sometimes, family and friends are part of the underlying issue you want to explore. When people ask this question they might be anxious coming to a session alone, or they are anxious for the person who is thinking about the person thinking about counselling. Anxiety about starting something you have not done before is normal. You don’t need to talk about anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. However, you do need to be able to talk about whatever is important. For this reason, I do not see clients accompanied by family or friends.
©2022 Hazel Gordon M.Phil, BA(Hon),Adv.Dip.Ed,Adv.Dip.CouplesCounselling
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