About Me

Alana Burton psychotherapy in West SussexI am a Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA) and also hold a UKATA Postgraduate Diploma in TA Practice (Dip TA Practice) and I offer Counselling and Psychotherapy. I am also a Full Clinical member of the UKCP and a Registered Member of the BACP (MBACP).

I work in private practice and formerly also in the voluntary sector offering counselling and psychotherapy in West Sussex.

Where to find me

My private practice is in Washington, West Sussex. Previously I have also worked with As You Are, a counselling service for people living in and around Southwick and Carers Support Sussex, a charity providing support for carers in west Sussex.

Qualifications and Training

 

My training in Transactional Analysis serves as the core framework for my practice. Transactional Analysis is a psychotherapy approach that provides a valuable foundation for comprehending the psychological makeup of individuals. It aids in our understanding of how people are structured psychologically, how they operate, and how they manifest their personalities through their actions (Download a pdf on TA therapy here)

While Transactional Analysis is my primary approach, I also utilise additional resources and techniques tailored to your specific needs. Since my initial training, I have integrated methods from other therapeutic approaches such as trauma therapy and mindfulness. I will incorporate these complementary strategies drawn from the various areas I have received training in to facilitate personal growth and positive change.

  • Certified Transactional Analyst (CTA)
  • UKATA Diploma in TA Practice
  • Full Clinical Member of the UKCP
  • Registered Member of the BACP
  • Advanced Clinical Training in Transactional Analysis
  • TA101 Certificate
  • Certificate in Counselling Skills
  • Certificate in Trauma Therapy
  • ASIST Training (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)
  • Anger Management
  • Psychosexual Therapy
  • Working with Couples
  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
  • Adult Safeguarding
  • LGBTQ Awareness
  • Working with Dissociative Identity Disorders
  • Certified Paws b Trainer (MiSP – Mindfulness in Schools Project)

How I work

I believe that the most important aspect of our therapeutic relationship is the connection to be made between us. What may work for one person may need something different for another. A strong therapeutic alliance is where real change can occur. I will take into account your needs and goals and consider how different therapeutic methods may benefit you at different points in time. Together we will help you identify what is it you want from therapy and how you would like to be after therapy. Whether you know or not how you want to work with someone, you will probably have ideas about what you would like to gain from therapy, not least the chance to talk through what is going on for you.

My focus is to offer you a confidential space to address your needs and work towards a more emotionally fulfilling life. I am adept at being able to help people overcome personal struggles and to find their own inner wisdom and guiding principles. My own guiding principles and intuition are what support my work as a therapist and I support others to gain further personal insight on their own journey.

I aim to provide you with a supportive, collaborative space that allows for time for personal insight and self-awareness. I offer a confidential and safe space that is non-judgemental and respectful of your own experiences and resources. You are the expert on you and I am there to support you on your journey.

Background

I have always been interested in people and how we manage our own experiences and make sense of them. We each have our own individual histories and our own frames of reference and ways of understanding them. I am curious about who we are, where we’ve come from and how it is that we have each come to be how we are and who we are.

It was this interest that led me to anchoring my psychotherapy practice in Transactional Analysis. As a theoretical orientation in psychotherapy, Transactional Analysis highlights the importance of the narratives and life stories that we construct for ourselves and then play out through our lives. I work with people who want further insight into their own life story and I will work together to establish what it is about this story that they wish to change or adapt in some way.

Presenting Issues

My focus will always be on you, your story and your experiences. I believe that we are each the sum of our experiences and with that view, I see people in the therapy room, not issues. You are much more than the symptoms you may be experiencing. Having said that, there are a range of presenting issues that people will bring into therapy that may include the following;

  • 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 and SUICIDE: Self-harm, Suicidal Ideation (thoughts)
  • STRESS: Anger, Dissociation, Stress, Work Related Issues
  • TRAUMA: Traumatic Events, Childhood Trauma, Vicarious Trauma

I am fully insured and am a member of the following associations;

  • BACP – British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
  • UKCP – UK Council for Psychotherapy
  • UKATA – UK Association for Transactional Analysis
  • EATA – European Association of Transactional Analysis
  • ITAA – International Transactional Analysis Association
  • IARTA – International Association of Relational Transactional Analysis

I work in accordance with the Codes of Ethics and Professional Practice of these professional bodies.

If you want to know more about psychotherapy in west Sussex, please get in touch.