About me
I'm Danielle Hunter, a Gestalt counsellor and the person behind Empower Peace Counselling.
What drew me to this work — and to Gestalt in particular — was the creativity in it. The fluidity. The fact that it looks at the whole person rather than picking out one problem and treating it in isolation. Gestalt understands that your past informs your present without being a life sentence, and it gave me a way of working that doesn't flatten people into a diagnosis or a technique.
That's still what I like about it. Every set of sessions is different, because every person is.
What it's like to work with me
Clients tend to describe me as approachable, warm and non-judgemental — and as empowering, which is the word I'd choose myself if I were allowed to be immodest.
I'm not the silent, inscrutable sort of therapist. I'll be present with you, I'll challenge you when it's useful, and I'll be honest. You're allowed to tell me when something isn't working; we'll change it.
How I got here
I never expected to be a counsellor. I started out doing care work in a hospital, and counselling became a path I found myself drawn into rather than one I'd planned.
I was born and raised in Scotland. My training started there, with an introduction to counselling at West Lothian College and an HNC at Edinburgh College, before I moved to Portsmouth to study Gestalt at the University of Portsmouth.
I want counselling to be accessible to anyone who feels drawn to it. That's why every first conversation is a free 30-minute call, and why there's a reduced rate for anyone who needs it.
Outside of work, you'll usually find me unwinding in front of the telly.
Qualifications, training and registration
- BSc (Hons) Gestalt Counselling — University of Portsmouth
- DipHE Gestalt Counselling — University of Portsmouth
- HNC Counselling — Edinburgh College
- Introduction to Counselling — West Lothian College
- Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) — membership no. 00994231, currently working towards accreditation
Supervision and insurance
I attend clinical supervision every month, as required by the BACP's ethical framework, and I hold full professional indemnity insurance.
Supervision means my work is regularly reviewed by an experienced practitioner. It's a safeguard for you as much as a support for me — and it's one of the things worth checking about any counsellor you're considering.
empowerpeacecounselling@gmail.com