Claire Parris Counselling
COUNSELLING & PSYCHOTHERAPY IN Guildford & bagshot, Surrey
My approach
My approach is grounded in attachment-based psychotherapy, which places the therapeutic relationship at the heart of the work. I aim to provide a safe, consistent, and compassionate space where you can feel seen, heard, and understood. From this foundation, we can explore difficult emotions, past experiences, and current challenges, helping you to develop greater self-awareness, emotional resilience, and a stronger sense of self.
I have a particular interest in working with people who are navigating loss, illness, and life transitions. My experience includes working within hospice and hospital settings, supporting individuals affected by cancer and life-limiting conditions, as well as those facing bereavement. I understand how profoundly these experiences can impact identity, relationships, and emotional wellbeing, and I offer a space where these complexities can be held with care and sensitivity.
Alongside this, I work with a wide range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, neurodiversity, and the emotional impact of significant life changes such as menopause or shifts in identity and purpose.
I attend regular clinical supervision to support my work. Your identity is always protected, and no identifying details are shared.
Whatever brings you to therapy, my aim is to walk alongside you with curiosity, empathy, and respect—supporting you to better understand your experiences and to find a way forward that feels more manageable and meaningful.
How therapy can help
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
Living with or beyond a cancer diagnosis can bring profound emotional, relational, and existential challenges. I have extensive experience supporting individuals and their loved ones through diagnosis, treatment, remission, and end-of-life care.
Grief can feel overwhelming, complex, and isolating. Whether your loss is recent or from many years ago, I offer a space to process and make sense of your experience at your own pace.
You may feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected. Together we can explore the underlying emotional patterns and develop ways to support greater stability and self-understanding.
Significant life changes—such as illness, menopause, relationship changes, or shifts in identity—can unsettle our sense of who we are. Therapy can support you in navigating these transitions with greater clarity and compassion.
I work with individuals who identify as neurodivergent, offering a thoughtful and respectful space to explore identity, relationships, and lived experience.
Difficult early experiences can impact how we see ourselves and relate to others. I support clients in developing a more secure and compassionate relationship with themselves.
Whether you are struggling with intimacy, trust, or communication, we can explore patterns in your relationships and work towards more fulfilling connections.
You might be coming to therapy with a clear issue, or simply a sense that something doesn’t feel right. Whatever brings you, I will work alongside you with care, curiosity, and respect.
Creative writing for therapeutic purpose
Creative writing can offer a powerful and often unexpected way of making sense of our inner world. Sometimes, thoughts and feelings can feel too complex, too overwhelming, or too difficult to say out loud. Writing provides a gentle alternative - a space where expression can unfold at its own pace.
In my work, if appropriate, I may invite you to use creative writing as part of the therapeutic process, if it feels right for you. This might include journalling, letter writing, poetry, or reflective exercises that help give shape to experiences that can otherwise feel unspoken or unclear. You don’t need to be “good at writing” - this is not about grammar or performance, but about expression, curiosity, and self-understanding.
Creative writing can be especially helpful when working with grief, loss, life transitions, illness, or identity. For some, writing letters to parts of themselves, to loved ones, or even to their past or future selves can open up new ways of processing and integrating experience. It can also offer a sense of continuity and meaning where life may feel fragmented. I always work at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you, and together we can discover whether this approach supports your journey.
© Claire Parris Counselling
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