My name is Molly van der Weij, I am a Dutch woman born in Amsterdam and at present a UK resident. Having lived and worked in foreign countries since my early twenties, I have multi-cultural and multi-lingual experience with working closely with people in professional settings. I am a fully qualified integrative counsellor, which means that of a wide variety of therapeutic modalities I will apply what feels most natural and suited to working with you. My approach is holistic and relational. Your well-being is my main concern in the working relationship we will build.

I will accompany you alongside your work on healing yourself, with the aim to support you or your process of getting to know and understand your feelings and thoughts, your needs and wishes. Counselling is a reflective, co-creative process in order to find clarity, peace of mind or gain helpful insights for making positive changes or heal from deep-rooted issues.

I am Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and I abide by their Ethical Framework.

I currently work as a counsellor in private practice in Bath, and as Staff Counsellor (for NHS Hospital Trust, University and College).

With a professional career in visual communication and design research, I have over 30 years of experience as visual translator of, among others, people's inner workings such as the felt experience of chronic pain, serious illness or living with disabilities.

Visual translation is a specific expertise in empathetic listening and clarifying the clients words through imaging. This way of externalising people's inner processes (whether they are ideas, feelings or thoughts) into an image is a delicate and dynamic communication tool that can aid the therapeutic process, and is available in our work together if you would like to take advantage of it.

Qualifications

Humanistic and Integrative Counselling (DipHIC)

Registered Member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)

Member of the Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling (BCPC)

Master of Arts & Design (with Distinction): specialist in visual communication and communication design.

Experience

I work since 2017 as Staff Counsellor for a NHS Hospital Trust, University and College. As such I have supported people with a wide range of issues, including relationship problems, abuse, anxiety, low self-esteem, loss and bereavement, dealing with illness, trauma, workplace stress and bullying, and depression.

Since 2000 I have worked as specialist design-researcher in visual communication for healthcare organisations in the UK and Norway. In this capacity I have worked one-on-one with a wide variety of clients, such as people suffering from chronic pain or serious illness, to those living with disabilities.

Being employed at a research department at the University Hospital in North Norway as Special Consultant (2000-2006) I applied my artistic skills both as a method to visually capture essential information and communicate specific issues, as well as a tool to aid understanding and help develop healthcare services, and worked closely together with patients, healthcare professionals and researchers.