Alison WoodwardPsychotherapeutic Counselling
Psychotherapeutic counselling · Wednesdays and Saturdays in North Shields

A calm place to make sense of things

Alison Woodward, counsellor, in a warm head-and-shoulders portrait

Hello, I’m Alison, a psychotherapeutic counsellor. I see adults, older adults and young people (16+) face to face at Chapter House in North Shields on Wednesdays from 2pm to 8:50pm, and on Saturdays from 10:30am to 7:20pm. Whatever brings you here, we’ll take it at your pace, with warmth, honesty and mutual curiosity.

Registered Member BACPAdults & young people 16+Free 15-minute intro call
Book a sessionFree intro call

Not sure where to start? The free intro call is a 15-minute phone chat, with no obligation afterwards. I make those calls every evening except Wednesday and Thursday, between 7pm and 9pm (from 7:30pm on Saturdays).

Is this you?

People come for all sorts of reasons

There’s no problem too small. If it matters to you, it matters here, and you don’t need the right words for it before you arrive.

Anxiety that hums away in the background, or floods in all at once.

A heaviness that’s hard to name, and harder to shake.

Grief and loss, recent or carried quietly for years.

Relationships and family tensions that have become hard to hold.

Big life shifts: a new baby or grandchild, separation, menopause.

Work that’s taken over, especially if you work in education.

Or do any of these resonate?

AnxietyDepressionStressTraumaBereavementLossAbuseCoercive controlRelationshipsIdentity issuesMenopauseNeurodiversity+ 9 more

Where we’ll meet

I see everyone in the same quiet room at Chapter House in North Shields, every Wednesday and Saturday. Sessions are 50 minutes, and we can meet weekly or fortnightly, for a few sessions or for as long as it stays useful.

Alison's practice room at Chapter House, with a green sofa, soft cushions, warm lamplight and plants
Wednesdays and Saturdays

North Shields

Chapter House
11 Preston Road, North Shields, NE29 0LU

My practice room is inside Chapter House, a quiet private practice on Preston Road in North Shields. On Wednesdays appointments are at 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm and 8:00pm. On Saturdays they’re at 10:30am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm and 6:30pm, with an hour kept free in the middle of the day.

An accessible room is available here. Do mention any access needs when you book, and I’ll make sure we’re in the right room for you.

Book a sessionFind out more →

If getting to North Shields is difficult, sessions can also be held online. Just ask when you get in touch.

How I work

Therapy shaped around you, not a method

I’m an integrative counsellor, which simply means I draw on several ways of working and follow what actually helps. Sessions are built on mutual curiosity. We look at things together, at your pace.

Integrative

Drawing on several therapeutic models, tailored to you rather than one fixed method.

Psychodynamic

Understanding how past experience and unconscious patterns shape the present.

Relational

Using the therapeutic relationship itself as a place of insight and change.

Transactional analysis

Making sense of the patterns and 'scripts' that play out in your relationships.

Creative therapy

Imagery and creative approaches, for when words alone don't quite reach it.

Play therapy

Play-based ways of working, drawing on my years alongside children and young people in schools.

Brief therapy

Focused, time-limited work around a specific issue or decision.

In the room

Sessions can include talk therapy, somatic work, creative interventions and psychoeducation, whatever helps us reach what words alone sometimes can’t.

Alison outside the Chapter House practice building in North Shields
About me

How I came to this work

I came to counselling after many years in education, working alongside teachers, parents and children when life at school, and at home, got difficult. That background still shapes how I work: practically, warmly and without judgement.

I trained at the Northern Guild for Psychotherapy and Counselling in Newcastle, and I’m a Registered Member BACP. MBACP stands for Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, the UK’s professional body for counsellors, so I work within its Ethical Framework, have regular clinical supervision, and appear on its public register.

Whether you come for a few focused sessions or stay for longer work, you set the pace and the direction. I’ll work alongside you, drawing on whatever helps, and we’ll look at how it’s going as we go.

More about me
Fees

Straightforward fees, no surprises

Every session is the same simple price of £60 for 50 minutes, and we always begin with a free phone call, so you can be sure before you book.

Free introductory call

Free
Free15-minute phone call

A no-obligation phone chat to tell me a little about what brings you to therapy, ask questions, and get a sense of whether we're a good fit.

Book a free call →

Counselling session

£60· 50 minutes

A 50-minute one-to-one session, face to face. Weekly or fortnightly, short-term or open-ended. We'll find the rhythm that suits you.

Book this session →

Full details on services & fees →

Questions

The things people ask first

Honest answers about fees, where we’d meet and how we’d begin, before you’ve had to ask.

All questions answered
The relationship matters more than anything else in therapy, which is why I offer a free 15-minute introductory phone call. You can tell me a little about what's bringing you, ask anything you like, and there's no obligation to book afterwards.

When you’re ready, I’m here

Wednesday and Saturday sessions at Chapter House in North Shields are open to book now. Start there, or with a free 15-minute phone call. No pressure, no obligation, and no need to have the words ready.

Book a sessionCall 07355 371467

Prefer email? alison@alisonwoodward.com