Dorothy Fennel

Weekly, in-person sessions available on a Tuesday or Thursday during working hours. A comfortable setting in my home in St Werburghs.

I aim to answer queries on my next working day - these are usually Tuesdays and Thursdays.

In-person, feminist-informed counselling for women, based in St Werburghs, Bristol BS2.

I am warmly relational, with a broadly psychodynamic focus, integrating related theories and techniques, such as mindfulness and self-compassion practices, inner child work, trauma treatment theory, and feminist counselling principles. Open-ended and time-limited options are available.

I have been a counsellor for over 10 years, and have specialised in supporting women throughout my working life. I have worked with a diversity of women and a range of issues during this time. I offer a warm and welcoming relationship, rooted in female solidarity and trust.

As a feminist I have always been passionate about the provision of specialist mental health care for women, as it is my belief that different groups of people face different, albeit intersecting, challenges.

There are many ways in which being born female may have influenced the challenges you may be facing - physical health issues, the burden of care of children and older relatives, domestic and sexual violence, inequality at work and the ways in which sexist and racist beauty standards may have influenced your self-esteem and relationship with your body. All of these elements will be acknowledged and considered as we explore your emotional life and present difficulties.

Additionally, I am a primarily psychodynamic counsellor, which means that we will generally be exploring your psychological landscape with reference to your past experiences and childhood. Our early life and relationships can unconsciously shape our sense of ourselves and create patterns in our core beliefs about ourselves, our behaviour and way of relating. Sometimes we find ourselves feeling stuck or at a point of crisis, and psychodynamic counselling offers an opportunity to understand and untangle inner conflicts and areas of distress in a way which can bring both solace and change.

If you are interested in working with me, please drop a line here, via my website or on WhatsApp. If I have suitable availability, we can set up an initial appointment. This will be an opportunity for us both to establish if we are suited to working together and discuss any related practicalities.

I look forward to hearing from you.