Welcome to Avanti Counselling & Psychotherapy
A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life
Hello, and thank you for visiting. My name is Amy Swainston and I am a Middlesbrough-based therapist providing online counselling and EMDR psychotherapy throughout the UK.
Welcome to Avanti Counselling &Psychotherapy
Are you struggling with work-related stress or trauma? I specialise in helping people navigate the complexities of work-related stress, anxiety, depression, domestic abuse and trauma, offering compassionate and expert support tailored to your unique needs.
The demands of modern work life can lead to overwhelming stress that affects both personal well-being and professional performance. I provide targeted therapy to help you manage and reduce stress, improve coping strategies, and achieve a healthier work-life balance. Whether you’re dealing with burnout, workplace conflict, or job dissatisfaction, I’m here to guide you toward a more fulfilling and balanced life.
Trauma, whether from the workplace or personal experiences, can deeply impact your mental and emotional health. I offer specialised therapy to support your journey towards healing and recovery. My approach includes evidence-based techniques to help you process and overcome traumatic experiences, rebuild resilience, and restore your sense of well-being.
Why work with me?
With extensive training and experience in work-related stress and trauma, I provide expert guidance to help you address and overcome these challenges effectively.
I tailor my therapeutic approach to your individual experiences and needs, ensuring that you receive the most relevant and impactful support.
My practice is dedicated to creating a safe, non-judgmental space where you can openly explore and address your concerns.
Take the first step
If you’re ready to tackle work-related stress or trauma, I’m here to help you navigate your path to recovery and personal growth. Together, we can work towards achieving greater peace, resilience, and well-being.
I am trained in person centred, psychodynamic, CBT and EMDR therapy and draw upon each approach to ensure sessions are tailored to you. Essentially, research shows us that despite the approach of therapy, it is the power of the therapeutic relationship which creates positive change.
I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship and how powerful and transformative it can be. Being heard, listened to and understood can be the most powerful and validating experience of all.
You may be experiencing severe job stress and find you are worrying a lot of the time but can't pinpoint why, you might want to explore past trauma and how it impacts you today, or you are struggling to make a decision about something.
Therapy is a place to explore, create self awareness and understanding of self in order to progress in your life the way in which aligns to you and your values.
I provide psychological support to Middlesbrough FC First Team and Academy players. I also deliver tailored training to players from my workshop programme to educate and create awareness on mental health and how it impacts physical health and performance.
I am affiliated to Bupa and Nuffield Health. I also work very closely with Teesside Mind on the Workplace Wellbeing programme, delivering bespoke training to organisations across the Tees Valley from a multitude of sectors.
I have extensive occupational health experience working within the blue light sector, with a deep understanding of the trauma associated with those roles and how they can negatively impact a persons mental health.
What is EMDR?
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is a comprehensive psychotherapy that helps you process and recover from past experiences that are affecting your mental health and wellbeing. It involves using side to side eye movements combined with talk therapy in a specific and structured format. EMDR helps process the negative images, emotions, beliefs and body sensations associated with traumatic memories that seem to be stuck. These can contribute to a range of mental health problems.
EMDR helps you to see things from a different perspective and relieves the symptoms that you were suffering. EMDR was developed for therapy for treating trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It’s recognised by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a treatment for PTSD, but it can be used to help with a range of mental health difficulties including anxiety, depression, addictions, behavioural difficulties and relationship issues. If you are interested in receiving EMDR therapy, please get in touch.
What issues can counselling & EMDR help with?
People come to me for help a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through therapy:
Depression
Low confidence or self-esteem
Anger management
Sexuality
Work related stress
Family difficulties
Stress
Health anxiety
Anxiety
Panic attacks
Relationship issues
Grief, loss or bereavement
Addictive behaviours
PTSD
Domestic Abuse
Fees & availability
Each session last for 50 minutes at £50 per session. I am available Tues-Fri 9-5pm via Teams. If these time are not suitable for you, please let me know, I can be flexible.
Sessions are to be paid for in advance of each session and if cancelled outside of the 24hr notice period prior to your appointment, it can be rearranged. If it is less than 24hrs notice to cancel, the fee is non refundable/transferable.
My Qualifications
- EMDR Practitioner
- CPCAB Level 5 CBT
- Accredited member of British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy
- Fda Counselling
- Accredited Mental Health First Aid Trainer
- BUPA Recognised
- Safeguarding Adults Level 3
- Safeguarding Children Level 3
- Enhanced DBS Certificate
- Full Insurance
- British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Certificate of Proficiency
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
- Neurodiversity in the workplace
- Dissociation & Trauma Part 1 & 2
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how I approach my work, or to arrange an initial appointment. I am happy to answer any of the questions or queries you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment and offer a free 15 minute telephone call if you would like to discuss further. This allows us to look at the reasons you are thinking of coming to therapy, whether it could be helpful for you and if I am the right therapist to help you.
You can also call me on 07514 779 400. I have a confidential voicemail service that is only accessed by me. Please feel free to leave me a message if I have not answered. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
“Amy was very knowledgeable in her field of expertise and the whole process felt personal to me.”
"It helped to talk openly to someone who doesn't know me. It was like an empty page to write in and not be or feel judged. Amy affirmed my thoughts and feelings. Our sessions have been my safe place."
Male, 25 years old. October 2024.