Vitality Counselling in Cardiff

Getting pregnant…giving birth…adjusting to being a parent…managing health and mood challenges…knowing what to do with your baby. It is full of expectations and adjustments which can leave us with overwhelming emotions. I know what this is like and have met so many Mums who feel the same. Hello, I am Dr Sarah-Louise Hurst and I am passionate about providing you with therapy to help you create the change you are looking for. I can provide a tailor made therapy plan and equip you with psychological tools to make your day-to-day and experience of motherhood increasingly meaningful.

I view seeing a psychologist for ones’ mental well being in the same way as having a personal trainer for physical fitness. It makes good health sense. How many sessions and how often depends on the issue and what works best for you. If you have difficulties such as anxiety, low mood, complex trauma, PTSD, OCD, stress or just want to learn more about yourself, I’m here to help. As a psychologist, I’m able to help increase our understanding of ourselves and how any issues have come about and developed in the first place. This understanding can offer much relief in itself but also help to guide the treatment.

At times of feeling low or anxious we often think, “what’s the point of trying it won’t make any difference”, leading to feelings of depression, sadness, fear and tearfulness. This then leads to changes in our behaviour such as withdrawing from others or staying in bed as we mull things over in our heads which makes us feel worse. Additionally, past trauma issues can often leave us feeling overwhelmed or with experiences of flashbacks and nightmares. Relationship issues left unresolved often leave us with a sense of helplessness and relationship breakdown leave us feel confused. Does this sound familiar to you?

I specialise in helping my clients with anxiety, work-stress, burnout and low mood. I have also supported many clients to overcome OCD. I see both adults and teens in my clinical practice. In therapy, I aim to create a warm, empathic supportive space. I have a wealth of experience helping clients through life’s storms and have helped many clients to move past points when life gets really difficult and on to richer and happier futures. I hold a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and am trained in a wide range of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.

I believe mental health difficulties do not discriminate and we can all struggle with our mental health and wellbeing. We can all benefit from extra support during difficult stages of our lives. Therapy is a partnership and we both bring different things to the relationship - you bring the expertise about yourself and your life, and I bring psychological knowledge and experience in supporting people who are struggling. I offer telephone or online appointments (via Teams or Zoom) to people of working age or older (18+) across the UK. I am now offering face to face sessions in Bristol. I offer reduced fees for mental health trainees.

Are you struggling with issues related to your psychological or physical health such as low mood, anxiety, chronic pain, or depression? Many of us at some point in our lives find ourselves struggling to cope with many of life's challenges. There comes a time when help is needed from a certified professional to cope with these challenges. I am a licensed Practitioner Health Psychologist in the South Wales area, and I’m here to support you on your journey toward healing and self-discovery. I offer a warm, calm, and friendly environment that gives people space to discuss their difficulties with someone in which they can trust.

Experiences from your past or present may be causing you to struggle in everyday life. The effects of trauma on the brain are widely known and appear through: Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Flashbacks, Nightmares, Intrusive Thoughts, Relationship Issues, Depression, Disturbed Sleep, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Social Anxiety, Dissociation or Lack of Self worth. Post Traumatic Stress can be caused by various events such as: Sexual, Emotional or Physical Abuse, Car Accidents, Criminal Acts, Medical Procedures, War, Separation or Loss. You don't have to struggle, I can help, talk to me and I will listen without judgement.

Finding your CBT therapist can be a daunting task but knowing if they have the correct credentials is harder. is a national team of BABCP accredited cognitive behavioural therapists (the gold standard to practice CBT in the UK). We ensure that everyone is receiving evidence-based therapy. Our CBT therapists are mental health professionals with an additional Post-Graduate degree specifically in CBT. Accredited as a BABCP practitioners we help people achieve their therapy goals in the widest context. We are excited by our published recovery rates with 85% of people achieving recovery, a phenomenal result when you think that the NHS's target for recovery by CBT is 50%. Our services to the general public dovetail our provision to organisations - from blue light services, GPs with mental health problems, corporate firms, rehabilitation case management teams, CCG primary care contracts, and private medical insurance.

I love working with people, getting to know you and hearing your story. I believe that we are all unique. One of the things I love most about my work is the privilege of seeing someone begin to thrive and to enjoy their life again. I love helping to find some inner calm, clarity of thought and to be practicing self compassion as part of their everyday lives. I work in a bespoke way, tailor making my approach to each person. However, that said, everyone's needs compassion and so a compassion focused therapy approach runs through all of my work. I am most definitely a human first and a psychologist second.