About Me

Welcome. I am an Accredited member of the BACP which means I have completed thousands of hours of training, practice and supervision and achieved a higher standard as a competent, ethical and independent practitioner. I offer weekly counselling sessions via video call or in-person, and ecotherapy in the countryside with horses. I work with adults at all stages of life on either a short-term or open ended agreement.

My aim is to provide a safe, confidential and supportive environment for you to talk openly about your concerns with someone who is experienced, non-judgmental and down-to-earth.

Get in touch, 07980 655372 or debbie@debbiebroadhurst.com.

My approach

I offer a supportive space for you to talk freely about whatever is creating difficulties for you. We will explore and reflect on things at your pace. I will support you to work through what emerges, helping you to understand yourself better and work on making changes. My approach means I will be as neutral as possible. I will rarely disclose information about my life unless I believe it is of benefit to you.

My training is in a branch of contemporary psychotherapy known as psychodynamic. In practice this means we will explore how your early relationships, childhood experiences, and painful or traumatic events have shaped who you are now, how you feel about yourself, and how you relate to other people and the world around you.

But it’s not just about how the past affects you. We will consider feelings that might be outside of your awareness such as hidden fears, anger, shame, or buried needs and desires, all of which can filter through in to your reactions and behaviours without you realising it, including for example, anxiety or compulsions. Sometimes these unconscious feelings lead to defensive behaviours. Defences are normal healthy ways of coping and protecting yourself, but at times they can work against you, overwhelm you, and hold you back.

We might also focus on non-verbal communication such as what’s going on physically in your body and what it might be telling us about your conscious and unconscious experience. Exploring these and other avenues can help you to understand, accept or better tolerate your feelings, and take steps towards change.

I am also qualified to offer equine-facilitated psychotherapy, working therapeutically in collaboration with horses while in the beautiful Sussex countryside.

My practice is LGBTQI+ affirmative.

My counselling qualifications

  • Postgraduate Diploma Psychodynamic Psychotherapeutic Counselling
  • Crossfield’s Institute Diploma, Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy: The LEAP Method
  • CRUSE, Awareness in Bereavement Award

Additional training

  • I am committed to continuing my own personal and professional development through participation in my own therapy and professional training programmes. Here are a few examples:
    • Working with Borderline / Emotionally Unstable Disorders
    • Suicide Alertness For Everyone, and Suicide Intervention
    • Polyvagal theory, befriending our nervous system after trauma
    • Privilege and Otherness
    • Somatic Masterclass: working with the body in psychotherapy

My pre-therapy years

Prior to training to be a therapist I worked in the health sector for many years, working in the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry, as well as professional bodies such as the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and national and regional charities including Help the Aged, and Princess Alice Hospice. I understanding the stresses of the corporate world and the challenges facing the non-profit sector. However, it was working in a hospice that planted the seed for becoming a therapist. It made me want to have better relationships for myself, and help others experiencing distress and grief.”