SARAH R
ADHD COUNSELLOR
SUBSTANCE MISUSE THERAPIST
YOUTH SPECIALIST
PARENTING SUPPORT
DIAGNOSED ADHD
LOCATION ~ IG10
Sarah is a fully qualified counsellor and works with an integrative approach to support her client’s many differing needs.
She was diagnosed with ADHD as a young adult – after years of struggling with school and education. Thankfully, with the guidance and support of some positive influences in her life, she was able to overcome many of the challenges she’d faced and started her career in Youth Work by volunteering for a small local charity who worked with youngsters who were homeless and disadvantaged. She mentored young people who were at risk of school exclusion. Sarah was encouraged by her manager to apply to study a degree in Youth Work and Community Development at Ruskin College in Oxford.
The idea of studying after such a horribly negative experience of school and education felt daunting, but with the belief, support and encouragement of some wonderful people, she took a leap of faith and was surprised to find that given the right nurturing and positive environment, she was able to engage in education in a way that had never been possible before.
Here began Sarah’s understanding of human beings ability to grow, develop and change, given the right conditions. Being stuck with a label that was ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ or ‘trouble’ or ‘hard work’ had really held her back and it irritates Sarah that it’s often these same opinions and judgments that prevent people with ADHD from reaching their potential.
Sarah is passionate about providing ADHD clients the opportunity to challenge these common beliefs and perceptions and to support people to thrive by recognising their own strengths.
A key part of Sarah’s work with clients, is around developing and understanding their presenting issues and behaviours; enabling them to become more self aware around these often damaging and destructive patterns.
Sarah is able to use both her personal and professional experience, integrating her approaches, to tailor the therapy to each clients’ differing need.
Sarah is trained in Motivational Interviewing which is hugely helpful to clients moving through stages of ambivalence, low-motivation and low self-belief. It helps to increase their confidence in their ability to change.
Since qualifying as a Youth Worker, Sarah has worked for various organisations, with both young people and vulnerable adults from all walks of life. She has experience working with young people at risk of exclusion and those already excluded from school, young offenders, people with addiction issues, including drugs, alcohol and gambling. She has worked in prisons and residential drug and alcohol rehabs and in the community.
Sarah’s work with offenders in prison and residential rehab started with forming strong relationships built on trust, mutual respect and unconditional positive regard with her clients, something that most of them had not experienced before. From this point, her work was to identify and explore their motivation to change. Then came building self-esteem and supporting clients to form belief in themselves and their ability to change as well as exploring underlying issues which had driven their damaging and often chaotic patterns of behaviour. Her work also included identifying issues with communication and relationships, both of which are key to forming and reinforcing the robust support network needed to maintain the recovery process.
Sarah is a strong advocate of people with ADHD and feels very passionate about supporting them to turn what is commonly seen as a disorder, into what she believes can most definitely be a super-power.
Sarah is also happy to work with parents and has valuable experience as a parent to her own son who has Combined ADHD, ASD and Tourette’s. She is also an accredited 5 Step Practitioner, supporting those affected by a family members addiction.
Qualifications
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling 2022
- Affinet accredited 5 Step Practitioner 2022
- Suicide first Aid 2022
- Adfam Working with Affected Others in Addiction 2020
- Foundation Level in Group Analysis, The Institute of Group Analysis 2018
- Introduction to Complex Trauma and Trauma Informed Care 2018
- Drugs, Alcohol and New Psychoactive Substance Awareness 2018
- Advanced Overdose Intervention and Prenoxad Injection Training 2017
- Motivational Interviewing 2017
- Application of basic CBT and Person Centred Key-working Skills in Addiction 2016
- Level 3 Training in Motivational Interviewing 2014
- Group Work Skills, Level 3 2014
- Level 2 Mentoring 2012
- Facilitating Restorative Practice 2008
- Foundation Degree in Youth and Community Work, Ruskin College, Oxford 2007
SARAH R
ADHD COUNSELLOR
SUBSTANCE MISUSE THERAPIST
YOUTH SPECIALIST
PARENTING SUPPORT
DIAGNOSED ADHD
LOCATION ~ IG10
Sarah is a fully qualified counsellor and works with an integrative approach to support her client’s many differing needs.
She was diagnosed with ADHD as a young adult – after years of struggling with school and education. Thankfully, with the guidance and support of some positive influences in her life, she was able to overcome many of the challenges she’d faced and started her career in Youth Work by volunteering for a small local charity who worked with youngsters who were homeless and disadvantaged. She mentored young people who were at risk of school exclusion. Sarah was encouraged by her manager to apply to study a degree in Youth Work and Community Development at Ruskin College in Oxford.
The idea of studying after such a horribly negative experience of school and education felt daunting, but with the belief, support and encouragement of some wonderful people, she took a leap of faith and was surprised to find that given the right nurturing and positive environment, she was able to engage in education in a way that had never been possible before.
Here began Sarah’s understanding of human beings ability to grow, develop and change, given the right conditions. Being stuck with a label that was ‘bad’ or ‘naughty’ or ‘trouble’ or ‘hard work’ had really held her back and it irritates Sarah that it’s often these same opinions and judgments that prevent people with ADHD from reaching their potential.
Sarah is passionate about providing ADHD clients the opportunity to challenge these common beliefs and perceptions and to support people to thrive by recognising their own strengths.
A key part of Sarah’s work with clients, is around developing and understanding their presenting issues and behaviours; enabling them to become more self aware around these often damaging and destructive patterns.
Sarah is able to use both her personal and professional experience, integrating her approaches, to tailor the therapy to each clients’ differing need.
Sarah is trained in Motivational Interviewing which is hugely helpful to clients moving through stages of ambivalence, low-motivation and low self-belief. It helps to increase their confidence in their ability to change.
Since qualifying as a Youth Worker, Sarah has worked for various organisations, with both young people and vulnerable adults from all walks of life. She has experience working with young people at risk of exclusion and those already excluded from school, young offenders, people with addiction issues, including drugs, alcohol and gambling. She has worked in prisons and residential drug and alcohol rehabs and in the community.
Sarah’s work with offenders in prison and residential rehab started with forming strong relationships built on trust, mutual respect and unconditional positive regard with her clients, something that most of them had not experienced before. From this point, her work was to identify and explore their motivation to change. Then came building self-esteem and supporting clients to form belief in themselves and their ability to change as well as exploring underlying issues which had driven their damaging and often chaotic patterns of behaviour. Her work also included identifying issues with communication and relationships, both of which are key to forming and reinforcing the robust support network needed to maintain the recovery process.
Sarah is a strong advocate of people with ADHD and feels very passionate about supporting them to turn what is commonly seen as a disorder, into what she believes can most definitely be a super-power.
Sarah is also happy to work with parents and has valuable experience as a parent to her own son who has Combined ADHD, ASD and Tourette’s. She is also an accredited 5 Step Practitioner, supporting those affected by a family members addiction.
Qualifications
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling 2022
- Affinet accredited 5 Step Practitioner 2022
- Suicide first Aid 2022
- Adfam Working with Affected Others in Addiction 2020
- Foundation Level in Group Analysis, The Institute of Group Analysis 2018
- Introduction to Complex Trauma and Trauma Informed Care 2018
- Drugs, Alcohol and New Psychoactive Substance Awareness 2018
- Advanced Overdose Intervention and Prenoxad Injection Training 2017
- Motivational Interviewing 2017
- Application of basic CBT and Person Centred Key-working Skills in Addiction 2016
- Level 3 Training in Motivational Interviewing 2014
- Group Work Skills, Level 3 2014
- Level 2 Mentoring 2012
- Facilitating Restorative Practice 2008
- Foundation Degree in Youth and Community Work, Ruskin College, Oxford 2007