About Caroline

Counselling is about building a trustworthy and safe relationship between you and your counsellor, so choosing the right therapist for you is important.

Let me introduce myself, my name is Caroline Velarde and I am a French citizen who has lived in the UK for many years so I can offer therapy in both French and English.

Experience and interests:

I started my working life in the Banking industry before training to become a therapist, which allowed me to be very familiar and understand high pressure in a competitive corporate industry that can result in anxiety, stress, confidence and low self-esteem issues.

I also have years of experience and interest in disability and special needs, especially people who are carers to someone with a disability, often resulting in a loss of identity.

I am also very interested in helping people who have a disability and provide them with validation and acknowledgment of their feelings.

I am a well travelled person, having grown up in France and lived in the UK for many years. I am curious and passionate to talk to people from a wide and diverse range of culture and interests.

I am experienced in working with clients with a wide range of emotional needs including low self-worth, anxiety, depression, relationship issues, adverse childhood experiences and the impact of trauma.

Modality of therapy:

I am trained as an Integrative therapist, which means that I draw on a number of modalities and will tailor sessions according to my client’s needs. Familiar with Person-Centred, Psychodynamic therapies, Attachment Theory, Inner Child work, and more, I will help you explore your past and present, your authentic needs and your behavioural patterns.

Qualifications:

I am a qualified counsellor and psychotherapist and an accredited member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), which is the professional association for members of the counselling professions in the UK.

I graduated with a CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

TQUK Level 2 Certificate in Understanding Children and Young People's Mental Health (RQF)

Testimonials:

"It's difficult to sum up how beneficial I found my sessions with Caroline. She created a very open environment that allowed the conversation to flow while asking thought-provoking questions. Throughout the period, Caroline sent podcasts, articles, and information, which helped improve and grow my understanding further on particular themes and subjects. Overall, the whole experience gave me a greater understanding of myself, and I would highly recommend Caroline for those seeking answers and a deeper understanding on themselves and human behaviour". 29 year old client.

"It has been really lovely and productive having sessions with Caroline. She has been very understanding all along and knew how to make me feel comfortable from the very beginning, since I had no experience at all with therapy. I feel like I now have the tools to move forward and am already seeing an improvement regarding the subjects discussed in our sessions!" 25 year old client.

"Counselling was the only outlet as someone to trust and Caroline was the only one there, thank you for being there". 63 year old client.

"Caroline was helpful and listened to me carefully, I felt comfortable and in a safe place to talk openly". 27 year old client.

"I have really benefited from the support over the year and I am really grateful for Caroline helping me through my second time of PND, she's been amazing". 33 year old client.

"I feel much more confident in myself and my ability to handle the challenges of life. I now have much more insight into my own feelings and feel more in control in how I respond to situations. I am able to create boundaries from the feelings of others and do not feel the same degree of guilt in doing so. I'd like to say a big thank you to Caroline for her kindness and the confidence she has helped me with". 26 year old client.