Most people who get in touch are managing on the outside. It's underneath that something isn't right, and often it has been for a long time. You don't need the right words for it, or a reason that sounds serious enough. We can start with a phone call and work it out from there.
No cost, no commitment. Just a conversation to see whether I'm the right person for you.
Isabel Orioni
Counsellor, psychotherapist
and clinical supervisor
“I wasn't there to help you when the damage was done, but I'm here to help you now, and I will give you my best.”Isabel Orioni
Some know exactly why they're here. Others just know something isn't right. Both are a good enough reason to get in touch.
Something that happened a long time ago and was never really talked about. You don't need to have a name for it, and you don't have to be sure it was bad enough to count. I spent seven years at a charity supporting survivors of abuse, and worked in crisis support at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre.
When your child has gone quiet, or angry, or just stopped being themselves, and nobody can tell you why. I've worked as a school counsellor with ages four to eighteen, as a child psychotherapist specialising in autism, and I currently work in a specialist school with children whose behaviour comes from trauma or attachment. Where words are hard to find, we use drawing, stories and poems instead.
When it isn't really one person's problem, but one person is getting the blame for it. Systemic and attachment-informed work looks at what happens between people rather than deciding who the difficult one is. My postgraduate training in this is from the Tavistock and Portman Clinic.
For couples having the same argument on a loop, or who've stopped having it and gone quiet instead. A neutral room, and someone who won't take a side. More about couples counselling
Adoptive and fostering families carry things other families don't, and it's hard to explain them to people who haven't done it. I've worked as a Child and Family Psychotherapist with an adoption agency, and I'm training as a foster carer myself with Hampshire County Council.
For counsellors and therapists rather than clients. I supervise others in the profession, particularly those carrying abuse and trauma caseloads, and I hold a certificate in the clinical supervision of that work.
Some people come for six weeks with something specific. Others stay ten or twelve weeks, and some stay longer while something bigger is worked through. There's no set length and no pressure to commit to one. We can talk about what would suit you.
Sessions are in person, and there is parking available.
I trained as a person-centred counsellor and psychotherapist and have been in practice since 2010. Before private practice I spent seven years at a charity working with survivors of abuse, worked in crisis support at a Sexual Assault Referral Centre, and counselled children in schools. There isn't much that would shock me, and nothing you say will be the worst thing I've heard.
My work is person-centred, systemic and attachment-informed, which in plain terms means three things. I won't be diagnosing you or handing you a programme to follow. I'll look at the relationships around you rather than treating you as a problem on your own. And I'll take seriously that how you learned to cope, very early on, is usually still running underneath. You set the direction and I go at your pace.
Not everything can be said out loud, particularly when it happened a long time ago or when someone is very young. So alongside talking I work with illustration, dreams, stories and poetry, whatever gives the thing a shape it can be looked at.
Alongside private practice I work as a family therapist at a specialist SEMH school, with children who have autism and ADHD, and with behaviour that comes from trauma or attachment rather than from choice. I also supervise other counsellors, and I'm a mum of four, which is its own education.
My practice is in Westbourne, a few minutes from the seafront. Families, couples and young people come to me from across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch.
Shared with permission, exactly as they were written.
“When I no longer made sense to myself, Issi listened. She acknowledged my uncertainties and fears, encouraging me to sit with them without the need to fight them or shut them down. She showed me the peace I was seeking could be found by accepting the past and ‘what is’. She helped me to understand the responsibility was not held by the child I once was, and taught me to hold myself with compassion.”
Adult client“Thank you so much for all the support you have given our daughter. It has made such a difference to her, and how she views her family problems. I think you have set her up for life.”
Parent“Issi has been such a valuable emotional support for us at school, helping both the parents and children with a wide range of issues. She has made a huge difference to the children's lives.”
School“It gives me a chance to talk to someone I trust and who will help me on everything I'm going through at school and at home. Telling someone how I feel is a big thing for me and it has to be someone kind and who I trust. It was originally hard at the start, but it has helped and I feel more comfortable in school and has got all my worries off my mind.”
Young person“I've found it helpful to talk about how I felt. I feel like I now understand the reasoning for my ‘wall’ and I can deal with it.”
Young person“It has helped me with my anger and helped me talk about the loss in my family and also family issues. I'm able to take a breather before getting angry, and also realising why I may have trust issues.”
Young personWritten by a client
So with love and trustMind Garden Counselling client
and nurturing hand,
Just like a flower you will find,
You too can bloom and you will blossom,
In the garden of your mind.
Payment by cash, cheque or bank transfer on the day of your session.
Before you book anything, we can have a short conversation on the phone at no cost. You can ask whatever you need to, and see how it feels to talk to me. Plenty of people find that the hardest part is the first call, so there's no charge for it.
If you need to cancel, please give at least 24 hours' notice, otherwise the session is charged in full.
And a few they often feel silly asking, which they shouldn't.
We start with a free phone call. You tell me a bit about what's going on, I tell you how I work, and we both get a sense of whether it fits. Nothing is booked at the end of it unless you want it to be.
If you do come in, the first session is an hour and it's mostly me listening. You won't be made to relive anything, and you can stop at any point. Some people spend the first session talking about something else entirely, and that's fine too.
That's very common, and it isn't a problem. Plenty of people arrive knowing only that something isn't right. Part of the work is finding the words for it, and that can take a few sessions.
Where talking is difficult, particularly with something that happened a long time ago or with younger people, we can work through drawing, stories, dreams and poetry instead.
Yes. What you bring to the session stays between us. There are a small number of legal exceptions, mainly where there's a risk of serious harm to you or someone else, and I'll go through those with you at the start so you know exactly where you stand before you tell me anything.
There's no set number. Some people come for around six weeks with something specific. Others stay ten or twelve weeks, and some stay longer while something bigger is worked through.
You're not committing to a block, and we can review it whenever you like.
Yes. I've worked as a school counsellor with ages four to eighteen, as a child psychotherapist specialising in autism, and as a Child and Family Psychotherapist with an adoption agency.
If you're a parent wondering whether counselling would help your child, the free phone call is a good place to start.
Then you say so, and we stop. Counselling only works if you feel safe with the person sitting opposite you, and that isn't something you can tell in advance from a website. There's no contract and nothing to get out of.
If I'm not the right fit, or if what you need is something I don't do, I'll try to point you towards someone who does.
My practice is in Westbourne, Bournemouth, and yes, there's parking available. I'll give you the full address once we've arranged a time.
Payment is by cash, cheque or bank transfer on the day of the session.
If you need to cancel, please give me at least 24 hours' notice. Less than that and the session is charged in full, simply because the time has been kept for you.
You don't need to explain everything, or know what to call it. A sentence is enough to start with. I'll come back to you as soon as I can, and if I'm not the right person I'll try to point you somewhere that is.
