Anna-Maia Templeton

I am a person-centred counsellor offering short and long-term counselling to adults and young people. 

Sometimes life becomes hard and we can become stuck in some difficult feelings. Led by you and working at your pace we will gently hold and explore any issues and difficulties you may be experiencing. I hope that in offering you my empathy, warmth, and acceptance you will feel that nothing is too small, too big or too awful to talk about. My counselling is person-centred, focusing on the belief that if we are given empathy and unconditional positive regard within an accepting and transparent therapeutic relationship, we all have a tendency towards growth and a capacity to flourish

I have a BA(Hons) in Person-Centred Counselling from the Metanoia Institute (awarded by Middlesex University) and a Post-graduate Conversion Diploma in Adolescent and Schools Counselling.

I am an 'Approved Counsellor' for Metanoia Institute trainees on the BSc Person-Centred and Pluralistic Counselling course.

I have experience as a Macmillan Family Therapist for Cancer and Palliative Care in South and West Hertfordshire and managed the Bereavement, Listening and Talking Therapies service at a local hospice.

I continue to work extensively with cancer patients and their families navigating the distress, anxiety and adjustment that often surrounds diagnosis and treatment. I can provide psycho-oncology support for individuals, couples and families. 

I also have many years of experience working in a school setting, supporting young people with issues such as self-harm, anxiety and depression. I feel that my work in schools has given me an insight into the pressures and stress young people may face in life. I aim to offer young people a safe, confidential and holding space in which to explore their issues.

As a member of the Â鶹ԭ´´, I ensure that I have regular supervision, training and support from my colleagues so that you can feel confident in our work together.

My private practice is in Bovingdon, near Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Chesham and Amersham. I work in a purpose-built therapy room offering comfort and confidentiality. There is ample off-street and on-street free parking. 

I am also qualified to offer online and telephone counselling.

I offer a 30-minute free consultation before our first session. This gives us the chance to see if we are a good fit for each other.

The only time I take notes is during our first session together. We will spend a little time contracting for safety and confidentiality and then I like to do an informal assessment. This is as much to assess if I have the right skills to help you as to find out what you would like help with. This assessment forms the basis of our therapeutic relationship.

We can then either agree to work on a short-term basis, usually in blocks of 6 sessions with a review, or in a more open-ended way with no fixed time frame and continuing to review our work regularly. 

I provide training to clinical and allied health professionals on the following topics:

Loss, grief and bereavement

Suicide Awareness

Conducting psychological assessments

I also have experience in delivering level 2 supervision to oncology and palliative nursing teams and bereavement listening volunteers.

I provide training to service users on 'Living well with Cancer', and how to manage stress and anxiety during diagnosis and treatment.

I have also provided training in schools to pastoral leads and parents on:

Managing exam stress

Early identification of disordered eating and emerging Eating Disorders

Communicating with teenagers

My private practice is based in south-west Hertfordshire. 

You can expect down-to-earth, collaborative and relatable training to enhance your staff's knowledge of mental health issues within their working environment.