Hello, I'm April Simmons Liddell.

My story

What led me here

Life is incredibly challenging at times and it makes sense to feel overwhelmed and anxious. Having struggled with anxiety in the past, I started working with a therapist who helped me to gain a much better understanding of myself and why I felt the way that I did.

I found it incredibly useful to have a space each week to offload and talk things through with someone who did not judge me, or try to tell me what to do.

Having worked in helping roles all my career, I decided to train as a therapeutic counsellor so that I could support people to feel less alone in the world.

I bring to my role as counsellor a lifetime of experience supporting people from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, sexual identities, ages and genders, as a counsellor and a Family Support Worker.

Everyone is welcome in my therapy room and I work hard to ensure my clients feel supported and comfortable throughout their sessions.

How I work

My approach

My approach is firmly grounded in person-centred therapy, which simply means that I am a very good listener, who shows lots of empathy and no judgement. I work in an integrative way, being curious about the paths that have led you here and helping you to understand your reactions. I am happy to work creatively and will have a chat with you in the first session about your preferred way of working. Our sessions are very much a collaboration; we regularly review how we are doing and can make changes accordingly.

Sessions are very relaxed. Clients tell me that I am a warm and friendly therapist and I do my best to help you to ease into the session, as I know how terrifying it can feel to start.

I strive to be an inclusive counsellor and I work hard to affirm LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, differently abled and global majority identities. It is important to me that you feel comfortable and relaxed in the therapy space, and I will work with you to make adjustments where necessary. I work in a trauma informed way but if I feel that your issue is outside of my limits of ability and training, I will help you to find a therapist more suited to your needs.