Psychotherapy & Counselling in Sussex

Empathic, caring & professional mental health support in West Sussex

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Welcome to Southdowns Psychotherapy and Counselling, a private practice led by Alana Burton (CTA, MBACP).

Are you struggling with something you can’t seem to fix alone? Perhaps you need to support to work through something together with your partner in couples therapy? Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed by something that’s going on for you? Therapy sessions provide an understanding and challenging environment through which you can develop emotional resilience and experience optimal growth.

I engage in conversations with people, like you, who may be experiencing some sort of emotional challenges. I believe that emotional distress, can be complex and bewildering. It can also be viewed as a legitimate emotional response to certain life experiences. As a therapist my role is to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your circumstances. I will support you to utilise existing strengths more effectively. We can also work on developing new strategies to facilitate your personal growth and transformation.

Together, we will delve into your unique experiences and personal history to create a coherent narrative that will guide you toward a more fulfilling future.

I am located in the village of Washington (RH20) in West Sussex, and I work with individuals and couples seeking to enhance their overall well-being and relationships. Additionally, I offer psycho-educational groups and group therapy sessions. Regardless of your motivations for seeking therapy, it is my belief that we all strive for greater emotional fulfilment, and counselling and psychotherapy can be instrumental in helping us achieve that objective.

Therapy & Counselling Services

Individual Therapy

For yourself

Couples Therapy

For yourself and your partner

Group Therapy

Join a supportive community

Supervision

For your clinical work

Issues I Help With

Abuse

Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Domestic Violence, Sexual Abuse, Drug & Alcohol Abuse

Addiction

Drugs, Alcohol, Shopping, Gaming, Internet, Sex, Solvents, Technology, Work

Depression

Bereavement, Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Low Self-Confidence, Male Depression

Fears

Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Phobias, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder/OCD

Relationships

Relationship Difficulties including physical intimacy, Divorce and Separation

Self-Harm & Suicide

Self-harm, Suicidal Ideation (thoughts)

Stress

Anger, Dissociation, Stress, Work Related Issues

Trauma

Traumatic Events, Childhood Trauma, Vicarious Trauma

How Can Therapy Help Me?

My role is to support you increase an understanding on what is going on for you and your situation. I can help you to gain the resources you need to help bring about changes in your life.

Therapy can help you navigate feelings, develop better behaviours and support you to relate to your thoughts differently so that you can live the life you want.

We don’t always have to be experiencing some sort of difficulty or trauma or going through a rough patch to benefit from therapy.

Therapy can help us achieve our potential, lead more engaging, enriched lives and to have more emotionally satisfying relationships both with ourselves and with others. It may be a time of crisis that brings us to therapy but many people find they get so much more than they anticipated!

What Can I Expect?

Starting therapy can be quite a daunting process and during our initial sessions we will have the chance to unpack the issues you want to bring in more depth and to work together to establish a working therapeutic relationship together.

I recommend that at the start of therapy you let me know the range of difficulties you may be facing and also about any misgivings or preconceptions you may have. This will give us the chance to work together to ensure they are addressed at the appropriate time and pace for you.

Initially you are welcome to get in touch via phone or email using the contact form on the site or to alana@sdpsy.co.uk. You are welcome to offer some insights into why you are getting in touch and this is a very early chance to establish if I have availability and whether we can work towards establishing a potential day and time to arrange an assessment session to talk more. I will usually respond within 24 hours.

Once we decide to meet together we will schedule an initial assessment together. This serves as the foundation for introductions, taking a detailed history/background, identifying treatment needs, setting expectations and determining therapeutic fit.

Once we have met for the initial assessment session we can agree a time and day for sessions going forward. There is no right way or wrong way to start therapy but in the first few weeks there is a chance to extend on what came up in the assessment session, get to know each other more, work on establishing a trusting relationship and further formulate goals and objectives for therapy.

Your Therapy

Professional
Qualifications

Qualified Practitioner and Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA(P)), Dip. TA Practice, Clinical member of UKCP, Registered member of BACP (MBACP).

Convenient
Locations

West Sussex location in Washington (RH20). Washington is just off the A24 and within easy distance of Storrington, Steyning, Ashington, Thakeham, West Chilt, Worthing and surrounding villages. Daytime (Mon to Fri only) and evening appointments available.

Memberships
& Insurance

I am fully insured and a member of professional bodies including BACP, UKCP, UKATA.

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Frequently Asked Questions

View All FAQs

The terms ‘Psychotherapy’ and ‘Counselling’ are often used interchangeably and essentially they are both characterised by a form of “talking therapy”. You will see many practitioners will use both terms when referring to themselves.

Fundamentally both psychotherapy and counselling have the same goal of providing relief to someone with some sort of psychological symptom or obstacles although there are some subtle differences.

‘Counselling’ is often used to describe a shorter-term process than psychotherapy. A goal in counselling is to enable someone to make better use of resources they may already have in place. Counselling often focuses on a specific issue, life event or experience or on a particular symptom.

‘Psychotherapy’ is often a longer process of treatment and focuses on facilitating the exploration and development of new resources for a person. In psychotherapy you will have the chance to look deeper into the root of your issues. You will have the chance to explore patterns of behaviour, thinking and feeling in your life at a greater depth that allow you to focus more on your way of being in the world.

Psychotherapy training is also a more rigorous and academic process.

Someone who may be in training to be a Psychotherapist may refer to themselves as a Psychotherapeutic Counsellor until they have completed certification to be known as a Psychotherapist.

I hope that my website has given you an overview of who I am and how I work and if you are interested in finding out more I would recommend an initial consultation to meet each other to see if it feels right for you when we are in the room together. We will probably be able to establish quite early on if I am the right person for you.

Choosing a therapist is a very individual choice and I recommend you take the time to meet at least a couple people with a view to having some thought about who you may work best with. I believe that each relationship is individual and unique and it is a privilege for me to get to know people I see and to support them on their therapeutic journey. Relationship is central to building a therapeutic alliance and working together, so trust your instinct to make a decision and start your own journey.

I look forward to meeting you!

Following our initial assessment, if you would like to start sessions together we will agree a day and time for your sessions. I will send you a standard therapy agreement that outlines my commitment to you and it details much of what I would have discussed in the assessment session. This includes details of my professional commitments and of the administrative aspects of our therapeutic relationship. We will both have a signed copy of this agreement.

Payment is due each session and I accept cash or BACS transfers. Any missed sessions with less than 48 hours notice will be payable on the following session.

If you want to work longer term I am also happy to work on monthly payments.

Testimonials

Note that these testimonials are from colleagues and people I have worked with outside of the therapy room. The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) Code of Ethics prohibits psychotherapists from using client testimonials in any advertising and so if you see a therapist publishing testimonials anywhere, you can be sure they are not adhering to this code.

Having worked on several therapeutic projects with Alana, including a workshop where she presented on several aspect of TA, I found her to be compassionate, insightful, and a really effective group facilitator who managed to create a sense of understanding and calm with an audience who had a wide range of understandings.

As a colleague I have collaborated with Alana in different roles. I have experienced her skill, empathy and dedication to her work first hand. Her deep understanding of therapeutic approaches has brought significant insights to our work together and she is highly knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about helping others. I have no doubt in her ability to extend these qualities to her work as a Psychotherapist.

What a great group lead! Alana really enthused me and I walked away determined to rewire my family relationships. Already we are talking better round the table as a family and the teenager has even volunteered information about his day at school!

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7 May 2025

Ready to Make a Change? Book an Initial Consultation Today

If you have any questions at all about therapy or would like to make an appointment, get in touch. I will usually be able to respond to you within 24 hours.

Call 07842 338135 Book a Consultation

Psychotherapy & Counselling in Sussex

Here to Help