About PLACE TO TALK THERAPIES

Trauma-Informed, Neurodivergent-Affirming and Shame-Sensitive Therapy. Counselling, EMDR, Couples Counselling and Clinical Supervision. Bournemouth, Ferndown and Burbage, with online sessions across the UK and internationally.

About PLACE TO TALK THERAPIES image
You're not alone in this

Place to Talk Therapies is a small team of BACP-registered counsellors based in Bournemouth, Ferndown and Burbage, offering trauma-informed counselling, EMDR, couples counselling and clinical supervision, in person or online.

You don't need the right words to begin. Some people arrive knowing exactly what's wrong. Others know only that they don't feel like themselves any more.

Whether you're facing anxiety, trauma, grief, burnout, relationship difficulties or a sense that something has shifted, you don't have to work it out alone. When you contact us, we'll help you find the therapist whose experience and way of working best fit your needs.

Over time, it's easy to begin believing you've somehow become the problem. That if only you were stronger, calmer or more resilient, life wouldn't feel so difficult.

We see it differently
Place to Talk Therapies was built around a belief rather than a technique or formula: people don't need fixing. More often, they need enough safety to understand what has happened and what comes next.

You may have learned to keep going, keep coping or keep everyone else happy, while wondering why life still feels so hard. Sometimes the first step is having somewhere safe enough to ask "What happened to me?" rather than "What's wrong with me?"

Our work is trauma-informed, neurodivergent-affirming and shame-sensitive. That means paying attention to the experiences, relationships and ways of coping that may sit underneath symptoms, as well as to the symptoms themselves.

How it began
Founded in 2021 by Kay, whose background spans nursing, midwifery, teaching swimming, twenty years of home education and work as a family liaison officer for a counselling charity. The name, Place to Talk Therapies was chosen to reflect what the practice set out to be: a place where people can say the things they carry, perhaps for the first time.

The whole team shares the belief: nobody needs fixing, and everyone deserves to be witnessed and met with dignity and that thinking sits underneath the way the practice works.

For its first four years, Place to Talk was a one-person practice. Since 2025 it has grown into a small counselling team, adding couples counselling and a lower-cost counselling service alongside individual counselling and EMDR. In-person sessions are available in Bournemouth and Ferndown, Dorset and in Burbage, Leicstershire as well as online across the UK and beyond. The aim has stayed the same throughout: a place to talk and to be heard without judgement.

→ READ HOW PLACE TO TALK BEGAN

Support matched to you
Each member of the team brings their own training, experience and way of working.

You don't need to know which therapist or type of therapy is right before contacting us. We can help you think about who may suit you best, based on what has brought you here, how you would like to work, availability and location.

People often come to us for support with:
  • Trauma and PTSD
  • Anxiety and overwhelm
  • Shame and self-worth
  • Pregnancy, miscarriage and birth experiences
  • Relationship difficulties
  • ADHD, autism and burnout
Across the team, we also support people with grief and bereavement, fertility and IVF, chronic or terminal illness, and spiritual or religious concerns.

→ MEET THE TEAM

What we offer
Counselling and psychotherapy, EMDR, couples counselling and clinical supervision are each delivered by an independent, qualified practitioner. Our lower-cost counselling service is provided by a trainee counsellor working under clinical supervision.
Getting started
If you've recognised yourself in any of this, you can start by getting in touch.



First, we'll arrange a free introductory call by video or telephone. It usually lasts 20 minutes, or 30 minutes if you're enquiring about lower-cost counselling, to allow time to talk about suitability. 

The call is a chance to speak with your counsellor, ask questions, share a little about what's brought you here, and decide whether working together feels right.

There's no obligation to continue, and no pressure to have the right words ready.

Every qualified counsellor here is registered or accredited with the BACP, fully insured, ICO registered and Enhanced DBS checked.