Claire Baker: Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

I am an experienced, ICO-registered Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Accredited Member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy), abiding by the BACP’s Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.

Experience:

In 2016, I founded Clarity Counselling to provide in person psychotherapeutic counselling from discrete and comfortable therapy rooms in Brighton and Hove. In early 2020, I completed additional training to offer online and telephone sessions in response to the pandemic. I continue to offer all three types of sessions.

In January 2024, I achieved BACP Accreditation through rigorous assessment and evaluation to meet the BACP’s higher standard as a competent, ethical and independent practitioner.

Since 2021, I’ve worked part-time as a Counsellor and Clinical Case Manager for a busy Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), offering counselling to people from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including medical, health, government, legal, financial, media/journalism, hospitality, construction, academic, education and charitable/non-profit sectors, to name a few.

From 2015-2016, I was an honorary counsellor in training at Emmaus, a charity offering holistic support to people who have experienced homelessness.

I have over twenty years experience working in mental health and homelessness prevention services across the country, supporting people from diverse backgrounds, often living with and in extremely challenging conditions.

I take a non-binary and non-pathologising approach to human diversity, including health, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender, sexuality and relationships. I am a firm believer in the benefits of self-compassion to our overall health and wellbeing.

I love to travel and spent some years living and working abroad. I see parallels between travel and counselling/psychotherapy, in that both involve the courageous, often challenging process of stepping out of our comfort zone to explore new territory.

How I work:

Sessions with me are non-directive, in that I do not advise, diagnose or tell you what to do. Rather I will listen, without judgement, so you can explore your experiences and feelings and find your way. Where I feel it could help us develop a greater depth of understanding, I may share my own thoughts, questions or reflections with you.

My therapeutic approach is underpinned by humanistic and existential theory and philosophy, which acknowledge the inherent paradoxes and dilemmas of being human. It is a respectful approach that encourages compassionate curiosity about your experience of yourself (i.e., within your mind, body, relationships, society and the wider world). This increases self-awareness, which then tends to unearth new perspectives and ideas about how to address the challenges you may be facing.

I hold a special interest in the interconnection between mental health, physical health, environment and life experiences. Also, in how we make sense of ourselves and our lives when things have not ‘gone to plan’, when we’re struggling with loss, ambivalence and/or uncertainty, and how we navigate through this.

Membership of professional bodies:

• BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) – Accredited Member (MBACP Accred)

Qualifications:

• PGDip Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling – University of Brighton
• NCFE Level 3 Award Counselling Skills and Theory – Brighton City College
• NCFE Level 2 Award Counselling – Brighton City College
• BSc Hons Sociology – University of Bristol

 Additional training and CPD:

• Trauma-informed Practice – CiC Wellbeing
• Neurodiversity Awareness – CiC Wellbeing
• Understanding GDPR – Ingeus
• The Impact of Involuntary Childlessness on Sexual Intimacy – COSRT
• Racism in the Therapeutic Space – CiC Wellbeing
• Cultural Competency – CiC Wellbeing
• The Art of Living – Emmy van Deurzen via Brighton Therapy Partnership
• Polyvagal-informed Trauma-response training – The Wilbury Clinic
• Broken Threads: the impact of trauma on patient and practitioner – Brighton Therapy Partnership
• How to Work Creatively with Trauma – SCAP (Sussex Counselling & Psychotherapy)
• The Impact of Trauma – Zoe Lodrick
• Understanding Non-Binary Gender Identity – CiC Wellbeing
• LGBTQ* Awareness – Sussex Rainbow Counselling via SCAP
• Trans Awareness – The Wise Project, YMCA & CiC Wellbeing
• Safeguarding Children – Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB)
• Safeguarding Adults – Brighton & Hove City Council
• National Domestic Violence Support – National Centre for Domestic Violence
• MARAC – Rise
• Domestic Violence & Abuse: The Impact on Children & Young People – LSCB
• Working with Young Survivors of Sexual Violence and Abuse – LSCB
• Child Sexual Exploitation – The Wise Project, YMCA
• Human Trafficking – The Wise Project, YMCA
• Working with Voices – Sussex Recovery College
• Peer Supported Open Dialogue
• Mindfulness (8 week course)
• SafeTALK suicide awareness – Grassroots Suicide Prevention
• Understanding & Working with Self Injury – Grassroots Suicide Prevention
• Health Awareness – Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH)
• Behaviour Change – RSPH
• Mental Health and Human Rights – British Institute for Human Rights
• Focusing – Greg Madison, University of Brighton and SCAP
• Person Centred Theory – University of Brighton
• Attachment Theory – University of Brighton
• Existential Theory and Philosophy – University of Brighton
• Existential Wellbeing Counselling – EdX
• Gestalt – University of Brighton
• Transactional Analysis – University of Brighton
• Brief Solution-Focused Therapy – University of Brighton
• How to Deliver Counselling Online – BACP & Open University

Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

Brighton & Hove