🌿 Oak & Willow Therapeutic Counselling, Chelmsford, Essex 🌿

Supporting growth, resilience, and meaningful change. 
Professional counselling tailored to you, drawing on a range of therapeutic approaches alongside nature-inspired metaphors to support reflection, understanding, and emotional wellbeing.

Compassionate counselling in Chelmsford and online across the UK, supporting anxiety, emotional wellbeing, and life’s more difficult experiences.

Hello, I’m Louise, a therapeutic counsellor based in Chelmsford, Essex, offering both in-person counselling and online sessions across the UK.

I work using a pluralistic approach, which means I draw on a range of therapeutic methods and tailor sessions to your individual needs. This allows us to explore what is going on for you in a way that feels relevant, flexible, and meaningful.I support clients experiencing a range of emotional and psychological difficulties, including anxiety, stress, low mood, and life challenges that can feel overwhelming.
Alongside talking therapy, I incorporate nature-based practices, using the calming and grounding qualities of the natural world to support reflection, emotional awareness, and wellbeing.

My aim is to provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space where you feel heard, understood, and accepted. Sessions focus on helping you build resilience, improve emotional balance, and develop a clearer understanding of yourself at a pace that feels right for you.

Services

Counselling support tailored to your needs

You may be seeking counselling because you are experiencing anxiety, low mood, stress, burnout, relationship difficulties, loss, or the ongoing impact of past experiences. Psychotherapeutic counselling offers a confidential, supportive space to explore these difficulties safely and at your own pace. At Oak & Willow Therapeutic Counselling, I recognise that no single therapeutic approach suits everyone. Just as nature adapts to different conditions, counselling is most effective when it is responsive to you as an individual.

Specialist Support Areas

Alongside general counselling, Oak & Willow Therapy offers focused support for specific challenges that can have a significant impact on day-to-day life. This may include high-functioning anxiety, perfectionism and people-pleasing, workplace pressure, self-esteem and identity concerns, navigating boundaries, and coping with difficult family dynamics. We can also explore grief and adjustment after change-such as moving home, becoming a parent, separation, or shifts in health-so you feel more resourced and steady as life evolves.

Pluralistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling

I work pluralistically, meaning my work is guided by your goals, preferences, and what feels most helpful to you, rather than following one fixed model of therapy. This collaborative approach allows counselling to evolve as your needs change. Depending on what feels appropriate, our work may include: ~Talking therapy to explore thoughts, feelings, and lived experiences ~Gaining insight into emotional patterns and relationships ~Practical strategies to support emotional regulation and coping ~Relational and attachment-informed counselling ~Trauma-aware and ethically grounded practice ~The use of nature-based metaphors to support grounding, reflection, and personal growth

Nature-informed therapeutic work

Nature provides meaningful metaphors for understanding change, resilience, and emotional processes. Where helpful, we may gently draw on themes such as seasons, growth, roots, balance, and restoration to support insight and self-compassion. Nature-informed work can help to: ~Support emotional grounding and regulation ~Encourage reflection during periods of change or uncertainty ~Explore resilience, strength, and adaptability ~This is always optional and guided by your comfort, consent, and preferences.

What you can expect from counselling

A confidential, non-judgemental counselling space Professional, ethical psychotherapeutic practice aligned with NCPS values A collaborative therapeutic relationship Therapy that respects your pace, autonomy, and lived experience Like growth in nature, therapeutic change is gradual and individual — there is no pressure to move faster than feels right for you.

Ways of working

Counselling is offered in a way that suits your needs, preferences, and circumstances. Sessions may take place: Face to face counselling in a calm, confidential setting Walking therapy, using gentle movement and natural surroundings to support reflection and grounding Online counselling via secure video platform Telephone counselling, offering flexible and accessible support We can talk together about which option feels most comfortable and appropriate for you, and this can change over time.

Session Info

Counselling Session Options & Fees                        I offer flexible counselling options to suit individual needs, including in-person and online therapy.                          Face-to-Face Counselling: 60 minutes Online Counselling (Zoom): 50 minutes Walk & Talk Therapy: Available on request (outdoor, nature-based counselling sessions) Concessions & Reduced Fees Concessionary rates are available for: Low-income clients Veterinary professionals (proof required) Block Booking Discounts Reduced rates are available when booking multiple counselling sessions in advance. Payment Information Payment is required either: At the time of each session, or In advance for block bookings Cancellation Policy To cancel or reschedule a session, please contact: 07947 275673 A minimum of 48 hours’ notice is required Cancellations made with less than 48 hours’ notice, or missed appointments, will be charged in full (non-refundable) For full details, please refer to the Terms & Conditions.

Counselling support tailored to your needs
Specialist Support Areas
Pluralistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling
Nature-informed therapeutic work
What you can expect from counselling
Ways of working
Session Info

Fees

Face to Face Counselling

£ 45
/Hour
  • Face-to-face counselling is provided in a private space away from the pressures of everyday life. Set within a natural, calming environment, it provides a peaceful setting where you can feel safe, supported, and able to talk openly.
  • Being surrounded by nature can help you feel more grounded and at ease, making it easier to explore your thoughts and emotions at your own pace. The summerhouse creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere—combining the comfort of a dedicated therapy space with the soothing qualities of the outdoors.

Online Counselling

£ 35
/Hour
  • Online counselling offers a flexible, confidential way to access support from the comfort of your own space. Using a secure platform, we can work together wherever you are, at a pace that feels right for you.
  • **Please note all online sessions are 50 minutes**

Concessions

£ 0.00
/Hour
  • I believe counselling should be accessible to everyone. Concessions are available for those on a low income and Veterinary Professionals.
  • If you feel you may benefit from a reduced rate, please get in touch to discuss your circumstances in confidence. Please note that proof of eligibility will be required.

Reduced Rates for Block of Sessions

£ 0.00
  • Reduced rates are available when booking a block of sessions, making ongoing support more accessible.
  • Committing to a series of sessions can help maintain momentum and deepen the work we do together. Please get in touch if you’d like to find out more about block booking options.

Contact

  • Mashbury Road, Great Waltham, Chelmsford, UK

If you are considering pluralistic psychotherapeutic counselling and would like to explore whether we could work together, you are welcome to get in touch. Book an initial consultation | Contact Oak & Willow Counselling


Testimonials

 Dear Louise, thank you for being my smooth, cool, calm, rock. You held me together when everything was falling apart. A massive thank you. 

 You have given me the strength and belief that, I, the fallen can rise again. Just like the trees when all appears lost, I can bloom again and return bigger and stronger ever before. There is hope, I see that now. Much love and eternal gratitude. 

 What can I say when thank you isn't enough? Lost in a world where I didn't belong. Ears that listened without judgement, a voice heard, not silenced, a glimpse of light in a very dark tunnel. Belief in the unbelievable, a sense of purpose. A safe place.