Suzanne O'Leary

I currently have availability on Monday to Thursday evenings from 5pm.

Hello, I am Suzanne, a psychotherapeutic counsellor based in Brighton and Hove. 

I am trained as a person-centred counsellor, which is a humanistic approach to therapy, rooted in the idea that within the context of a safe and trusting relationship, a person can begin to heal from painful experiences and re-build a sense of self-worth, safety and trust in themselves and their interactions with others.

I believe that we all have the inner wisdom and resources that we need to heal from painful experiences, but trauma can mean that we stay stuck in survival mode, where we repeat patterns or unhelpful coping mechanisms, or struggle to cope with new situations, or even face the day.

Counselling can be understood, not as ‘fixing’ or diagnosing anything, but as a way of making sense of our experiences and exploring the ways we learnt to cope, or even survive. By telling our story in our own words, we can begin to understand ourselves better, which can help to reduce a sense of isolation, shame and self-blame that abusive experiences can result in.

Counselling can help us to makes sense of what we have been through and understand the strategies we used to keep going which may no longer serve us. It can help to unravel and reframe certain narratives and the stories that we tell ourselves, such as that we are to blame or that something that happened to us was our ‘fault’.

With years of experience directly supporting survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse, I have a deep understanding of the complexities and long-term impact of relational trauma, as well as the profound and lasting effect of feeling unsafe or unseen in any relationship.

A therapeutic relationship can guide you towards a path where you understand and accept yourself, and offer compassion towards the part of you that was hurt and still hurts. When we do this, we feel more self-determining and able to face life’s challenges. 

I have a background in supporting survivors of domestic violence, sexual abuse, adverse childhood experiences and toxic relationships.

My approach is narrative-based; you tell your story where you want to begin and I will be alongside you, offering a therapeutic perspective and theoretical framework, where it seems appropriate, based on my training, professional experience and understanding of relational trauma and adverse experiences, which may help to bring a fresh perspective on things and deepen your understanding of youself and your resilience.

I offer a free initial 15 minute chat for you to ask questions about my approach and assess whether you think we could work together. If you decide to proceed to a full 50 minute session, this would be on the phone, in person or online.

In our first session we will discuss any previous experience of counselling you may have had, and what you may/may not have found helpful.

We will explore your expectations for our work together and identify the main areas of your life that you would like support with.

We will look at your support network and current coping mechanisms and anything else you could put in place to help you to feel supported during the counselling process.

We would arrange to meet on a regular day and time and agree when we will review our work together so that you feel fully in control of the situation and whether it is meeting your expectations.