Lorna Haywood is an Integrative Counsellor registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). With extensive experience working with adults and young people of secondary school age and above, Lorna provides a safe and compassionate space to explore personal challenges, helping clients navigate their journey to lasting emotional healing.
Lorna’s integrative approach draws on various therapeutic techniques, including person-centred and psychodynamic therapy, as well as the work of Peter Levine and Bessel van der Kolk in gently attuning to trauma. This flexible and contextual method ensures that the unique needs of each client are met.
For several years, Lorna has worked as a Secondary School and Sixth Form/College Counsellor. She understands the immense pressures young people face during a pivotal time of self-discovery, autonomy, and relational boundary-setting. Lorna’s kindly curious and warmly informal manner fosters therapeutic trust, empowering young people to become the authors of their own solutions. She also provides practical, hope-seeking strategies for addressing self-harm, anxiety, body image concerns, and encounters with feelings of suicidality. Lorna has additional training in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST).
Lorna is also skilled in working with individuals who may face additional stigma or intersectional barriers to support, such as male survivors of female-perpetrated abuse or those who have experienced institutional abuse. Her careful application of a three-phase model reduces the risk of retraumatisation for clients who find discussing traumatic events distressing.
Notably, Lorna has a keen interest in the emerging field of nutritional psychotherapy, exploring the intricate connections between gut health, inflammation, and mental well-being. Lorna is currently undertaking a Post Graduate Diploma in the Therapeutic Treatment of Eating Disorders with the prestigious National Centre for Eating Disorders. Working alongside a specialist Functional Nutritionist, Lorna understands the importance of multidisciplinary working for those experiencing active eating distress.
Whether you’re seeking support for trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, relationship difficulties, or looking to enhance your emotional well-being, Lorna is committed to providing empathetic and effective counselling. You can see Lorna at The Cherry Tree Therapy Centre in Henley or via Zoom for flexible online sessions.
In addition to her therapeutic work, Lorna is an Instructor for MHFA England and offers training for individuals and organisations interested in equipping their staff or volunteers as Mental Health First Aiders.
If you would like more information on working with Lorna Haywood, please complete the form below, and she will be in touch.