Alexandra Tidswell

Alexandra Tidswell is a trainee Humanistic Counsellor, working at the Low-Cost counselling service in Clapham. She is currently working towards a bachelor’s degree in Humanistic Counselling and her approach includes Person-Centred, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt Therapy. She is a student member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and follows their ethical framework and professional standards.

Alexandra offers an empathic and supportive space where clients can feel accepted and understood. She recognises the importance of developing safety and trust within the relationship so that clients feel able to bring what is troubling them. She understands that past experiences and relationships can impact how clients feel about themselves now and relate to others, such as being stuck in familiar patterns in life, relationships and at work. Led by the client she aims to recognise unhelpful beliefs by understanding their origin and underlying feelings. Working humanistically, Alexandra may use Transactional Analysis to work collaboratively with clients to agree on what issues they would like to work on together and to understand clients’ relationship dynamics with others and themselves. She may use Gestalt therapy to make sense of areas where clients are feeling stuck and to support client’s awareness of themselves and their feelings. She uses Person-Centred therapy to understand the clients experience from their perspective and offer an empathic and honest relationship.

As a trainee counsellor, Alexandra has experience of supporting clients with adoption related issues, anxiety, depression, family issues, identity issues, loneliness, loss, relationship issues, self-esteem and work issues. With a background that includes a career change from retail to working in the charity sector, she has worked in range of roles such as supporting people experiencing domestic abuse and facilitating art workshops for neurodivergent adults. She understands the impact of past or present unsupportive environments and how feeling supported and accepted for who a person is can offer hope and strengthen inner resources to navigate life’s challenges.