AMANDA BAKER

I have been a professional counsellor, psychotherapist and educator for over twenty-five years. I now focus on clinical work in private practice—which is where my heart lies—providing counselling and psychotherapy for adults and young people (16+).

My approach is collaborative, practical and flexible, focusing on helping clients find early relief as well as deep, longer-term sustainable change. I work both short-term and long-term with clients whose wellbeing is being affected by a wide range of difficulties, whether mild, moderate or severe.

The work I am able to offer these days is underpinned by substantial experience counselling and teaching in a variety of different organisations including universities, where clinical practice and counselling education, research and scholarship intersect. Following my Master’s degree training in psychodynamic studies at Oxford University, I worked for a number of years in universities (Oxford, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Southampton and London Universities), counselling students and staff, as well as supervising and training counsellors. My roles ranged from purely clinical to educational, supervisory, and managerial. I was external clinical supervisor to a university counselling team for some years, and have worked for two accredited independent psychodynamic training services, as tutor, external moderator, and training manager.

I have acquired specialist experience working with young adults facing rapid life-change and development, for example in the process of moving towards independence and autonomy, committing to choices, finding identity and stretching limits, or renegotiating relationships with family. This experience informs my work with clients of any age, since coming into therapy is often a time for re-opening developmental flux within oneself, whether one is 16 or 94, and I enjoy working with adults of all ages and walks of life.

In order to extend my skills in helping clients with the deep emotional aspects of problematic and traumatic relational experience, I undertook an advanced intensive three-year clinical training in Experiential Dynamic Therapy (EDT). This led on to contributing to a book about EDT (Osimo, F. & Stein, M.J. Eds. 2013. Theory and practice of Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy) - for which I researched and wrote two chapters. I have also published in journals in the fields of psychotherapy and higher education (see bibliography). 

I have worked as a counsellor for independent services including a Carers’ Centre and for private providers such as BUPA and Blind Veterans UK.

My approach is research-informed, supported by evidence-based principles, and combines my formal psychodynamic and experiential dynamic therapy trainings with 25 years of learning from the real experience of supporting clients to make the substantial changes they need.

I am a senior accredited counsellor/psychotherapist and supervisor with BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy); I am registered as a psychotherapeutic counsellor with UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy); I am accredited as a psychotherapeutic counsellor and registered supervisor with UPCA (Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association). I am bound by the ethical codes of the UKCP, BACP and UPCA, and registered with the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office).

I offer private individual counselling, psychotherapy and supervision.