Nicole Bender

Tuesday 9-7pm

Wednesday 11-7pm

Thursday 11- 7pm

I offer weekly and bi-weekly sessions - 50mins

EMDR - 90mins

Hello,

I am a Specialist EMDR Trauma Psychotherapist. I have been a therapist for 15 years. I have worked in various settings including substance misuse charities, the criminal justice system, social services, and mental health teams. I was a therapist with the Priory group, working with the addictions treatment team supporting residential patients.  

I have my own private practice and I have also delivered critical incident debriefing to many organisations and have facilitated trauma and stress management training to the humanitarian and construction industries.

My original counselling training was traditional dialogue therapy. Whilst working in these organisations, especially when working with people in addiction, my passion to understand trauma deepened.

Over the last 10 years I have trained in the following trauma modalities and attended various trauma seminars and conferences to create a blend of psychology with a mind/body approach.

• 1 Year - studying at the Sensorimotor Institute, which helped me understand the link between the mind and the body and how to work with trauma symptoms and emotions held in the body.
  
• Understanding Attachment Therapy at the Bowlby Centre.
  
• I gained specialist Trauma Training L7 PG Diploma at the Naos Institute.
  
• Trauma certifications in Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) part 1,2&3
  
• 1 Year studying Compassionate Inquiry with Dr Gabor Mate.
  
• Additionally I hold a Reiki Master's certificate and I am currently studying the Andean Medicine Wheel. Which blends psychology with spirituality and takes a minimum of five years to complete.
  

This combination of training and my own personal experience of these therapies enables me to have a wealth of knowledge to work holistically by creating a safe, trusting and non-judgemental  relationship.

I know that sometimes life is difficult, issues from the past and present can affect us all at anytime and leave us feeling unbalanced. Symptoms may manifest in many different ways, emotionally, physically and mentally. This can leave a person feeling confused, bewildered, or feeling stuck.

Over the years I've worked with many people who were unaware that they were dealing with the effects of trauma. A few examples are: anxiety, depression, addictions, toxic relationships, unmanageable anger, isolation and unexplained physical illnesses. 

Talking to a trained therapist can help make sense of certain, symptoms, difficulties and problems, thereby encouraging you to make positive changes and providing you with some different choices to manage these difficulties. 

In my practice I believe it is important to understand the link between mind and body. I will support you to understand how your mind, body, emotional and nervous systems respond and adapt in times of stress and trauma. By using a blend of different therapies I can support you to release any unprocessed stress or trauma in a safe way.

Coming to therapy may at first seem daunting which is completely understandable. To help with this I offer a free 30 minute phone/zoom call to discuss what has brought you to therapy and what your goals and aims may be. I can also give you more information about how I work. This will help you decide if I am the right therapist for you. There is no obligation to agree to continue at the end of the call.

At our first session you can expect a warm welcome. I'm down to earth and I believe successful therapy is the process of two people working together to achieve the same goal. 

At our first session I will begin by gathering information about your life, past and present.  This can take a few sessions and will help us decide how we can work together and what combination of therapies we can use to best support you.

It is important that you feel safe in our sessions. Trust and connection takes time to build so I ask for a commitment of 6 sessions. Of course if at any point you change your mind I would completely understand and would be happy to refer you to another colleague. 

I work from a log cabin at the rear of my garden, which has a side entrance and off street parking. I am 10 minute walk from Bromley South Station. Good bus links.