Meet our therapists

There are seven therapists at the Centre. Six of whom are trained and accredited Human Givens practitioners, and one therapist who is a BACP Person Centred counsellor. All the therapists have a passion for helping their clients to get their lives working again as quickly as possible.

Every therapist is experienced in working with: stress, depression, anxiety, self-harm, panic attacks, phobias, trauma and PTSD, sleep problems, addictions, eating disorders and weight management, relationship issues, pain management and bereavement.

Additionally, some therapists have particular areas of interest which are mentioned in their biographies below.

Each therapist is self-employed and works at the Centre as a therapist in their own right.

The quickest way to make an appointment is to book direct with your chosen therapist.

Find out what to expect from a session here.

Ingrid Steele
Co-Owner of York Human Givens Wellbeing Centre

Accredited pyscotherapist, York

Ingrid is at the centre on Mondays & Wednesdays and has availability for new clients

Ingrid works with adults, couples, families & children aged 10 years and upwards

Mobile: 07753835395

Email: ingridsteele.hg@gmail.com

Ingrid has been working in the private sector supporting people and organisations since 2008, after 14 years working in mental health services and at the Department of Health. She is a qualified psychotherapist, coach and organisational development facilitator: a narcissism aware therapist, trained also in mediation, restorative practice, mindfulness, emotional intelligence and NLP. Outside of everyday practice, she also co-chairs the York Peer Group for HG Therapists.

Ingrid’s approach is calm, warm and approachable. Her aim is help you fell comfortable being yourself, speaking your mind and achieving what you want out of therapy. She works sensitively and respectfully with you whatever you’re experiencing, be it a longstanding issue or recent experience of anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, dissociative disorder, self harm or eating difficulties.

Ingrid also has experience working with young people and adults with neurodivergence like ADHD and autism, and gender dysphoria.

It is important that the sessions give you the space to understand what is happening and then support you in the process of what you can do to resolve your situation and live your life in better balance. She will focus with you on building awareness, insight, clear goals and genuine confidence about yourself and your future.

Work tends to involve learning lots about how the brain and body works, and how we can learn to feel safe and secure within ourselves as a foundation to our relationship with others.

She holds an enhanced DBS certificate and takes both direct and NHS referrals.

Emma Grey
Co-Owner of York Human Givens Wellbeing Centre

Accredited Psychotherapist

Emma works from the centre on Thursdays (and online other week days) and is accepting new client requests

Emma accepts clients of all ages, from children, young adults to older adults and whole families.

Email: emma@tlclincs.com

Tel: 01507 581041

Human Givens Institute Register Profile

Emma is a highly experienced Psychotherapist who divides her time between training, lecturing, supporting peer supervision groups and offering private therapy. She has specialist training in various types of neuro-divergence and (being neuro-divergent herself) has a compassionate approach to support and coach clients (and their family members) to thrive in their environments.

She is an energetic, vibrant and flexible therapist, who values and upholds the client focus first and foremost in the therapeutic relationship. She approaches sessions in an authentic way, being honest, and open, offering clients the opportunity to discuss sensitive issues with ease. Sessions can be face to face, virtual or walking therapies, depending upon need and suitability.passionate about demonstrating good mental health practices to clients (and their families), so they may flourish at any age, with any neuro-divergence or learning difficulty.

Emma works therapeutically with many organisations through Employee Assistance Programmes, and with the charity PTSD Resolution, supporting veterans and their families. She also accepts self-referrals and clients funding through some insurers and private health insurers.  ADHD Coaching can also be accessed through the DWP ‘Access To Work’ programme. Please note that, there is often a 4 - 6 week lead time for appointments. She has worked with Children’s Services in many Local Authorities, to offer families in need (open/at risk of Supervision Orders) specialist treatment, whilst managing the safeguarding issues within Social Work Teams. Emma also works with Adoption and Post Adoption Support Teams. She has dedicated the majority of her capacity to this area of therapy and in December 2020. She has a multipage article published (Human Givens Journal) on the value of an integrated approach between the client and multi-agency support.

Emma’s qualifications include a Certificate in Clinical Hypnosis, Diploma in Stress Management, Accredited ADHD Coach, Accredited ADHD Assessor, Human Givens Post-Graduate Diploma (HG Dip) and Human Givens Psychotherapy, Master of Arts (MA)

Professional Membership : MHGI

Sandra Harrison

Accredited psychotherapist, york

Sandra works at the Centre every Tuesday and has availability for new clients

Sandra accepts bookings from teenagers 17+ and adults

Mobile: 07951 504604
Email: sandraharrison.yhg@gmail.com

Human Givens Institute Register Profile

Sandra’s working life started with over twenty years’ experience of training and development, change management, and one-to-one management support in a variety of sectors. These include travel, import/export, owner-run businesses, education and other not-for-profit organisations. She has taken opportunities to travel and work abroad and has lived in France and Africa. She has always been interested in why people do the things they do, and was a teenager when she first thought we don’t listen to one another properly, although it wasn’t until 2005 that she started studying counselling and psychology. The final decision for a career change came about when she discovered the positive, effective approach of Human Givens therapy. She particularly liked its practical, research-based focus, building on a person’s strengths to help them find more beneficial ways to deal with issues and move on quickly with their lives.

Sandra enjoys the variety of working with people with the wide range of issues and difficulties that inevitably arise from stress, anxiety and trauma. Her voluntary roles include working for a woman’s charity, helping with different issues stemming from such as social anxiety, neurodiversity, relationship problems and historic or current domestic abuse. She also has experience of helping frontline healthcare workers, military veterans and those with painful or terminal illnesses.

Sandra holds an enhanced DBS certificate and takes both direct and NHS referrals.

Stephanie Wood

Accredited Person centred psychotherapist, york

Stephanie is available at the centre
after 6pm on weekdays and all day on saturdays
and is accepting new clients

Stephanie accepts bookings from clients aged 16+ and adults

mobile: 07956019328

email: stephwood.hg@outlook.com

Stephanie is a warm, compassionate counsellor, who offers a calm space where clients can explore their thoughts and feelings openly, and at their own pace. The Person-Centred approach is rooted in the belief that each person is the expert in their own life, and that therapy can be a powerful way to reconnect with inner resources, build emotional resilience, and move forward with greater clarity.

Stephanie’s approach to therapy is collaborative and client-centred. Rather than providing ready-made solutions or instructions, She works alongside you to help you feel truly heard, reflect on your experiences, and uncover your own insights. Each session is tailored to your own unique needs, moving at a pace that feels right for you and focussing on what matters most in your life.

Life can sometimes feel overwhelming, like a series of hurdles that leave you feeling temporarily stuck or uncertain. Whether you’re navigating work stress, relationship struggles, a life transition, grief, low confidence or self esteem, anxiety, or juggling the everyday pressures of life, Stephanie can offer compassionate support to older teens and adults in a safe, non judgemental space.

Before becoming a counsellor, Stephanie trained as an actor and worked for many years in the assurance sector and school administration. While those roles were valuable, it was her own experience of therapy during a challenging period in her life that led to a profound realisation, prompting her to retrain as a therapist while balancing work and family life.

Her background in the performing arts gives her a unique perspective on the insecurities and identify challenges often faced by creative individuals. She enjoys working with clients in those fields to reconnect with their strengths, grow in self-awareness, and move towards a greater sense of personal freedom and emotional wellbeing.

Stephanie is a fully qualified Person-Centred Counsellor, gaining a SEG level 4 Diploma in therapeutic counselling. In addition, she is currently working towards her Part One Human Givens Diploma. She is a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), holds an enhanced DBS certificate and accepts both NHS and self referrals.

Wendy Clow

Accredited psychotherapist, york

Wendy is available at the centre
on Mondays and Thursdays
and is accepting new clients

Wendy accepts bookings from clients aged 16+ and adults

mobile: 07743 994606

email: wendyclow.hg@gmail.com

I have enjoyed working as a Human Givens Counsellor since 2019. I work with adults including older adults.

I have found this psychotherapeutic approach to be very successful in helping clients, often within just a few sessions.

I have a background as a Registered General Nurse for more than 30 years and I have always particularly enjoyed finding different ways to help patients and their families with their mental coping and wellbeing in challenging times. I have also always been interested in how lifestyle can have a powerful positive effect on both mental and physical health and wellbeing.

I chose to train in the Human Givens approach because the methods are based on good science about how the mind works, and it’s a practical, positive, solution-focused approach.

I work with clients who are struggling with different aspects of life, including: low mood or depression, anxiety or panic, stress at home or work, feelings of overwhelm, anger issues, sleep issues, traumatic events, phobias, addiction, carer strain, living with uncertainty or loss because of health or other life issues.

I have specialist experience of counselling clients and carers living with life-limiting illness and of bereavement counselling.

My priority is to create an atmosphere that allows you to feel at ease from the start, and to focus on what is most helpful for you as an individual so that you can start to feel better and more able to cope as soon as possible.

Whether you are new to counselling, have benefitted from counselling before, or you are someone who has not yet found the right kind of support where you felt valued, respected and helped to make the positive changes to improve your life, I would be pleased to hear from you.

I usually work face to face but I also welcome clients who would find it more convenient to have counselling sessions online via Zoom

Paul Yeomans

Trainee psychotherapist, york

Paul is available for new clients on various days

Paul accepts bookings from adults and couples.
Email: paul@wellmet-psychotherapy.com

Paul brings more than twenty years of senior experience in business and organisational change, helping individuals and teams through demanding periods of pressure and upheaval, alongside a long-standing commitment to mental health: he chaired the trustees of York Mind for three years (and was a trustee for the charity for nine years in total), serves as an independent Mental Health Act Manager for two NHS trusts, and is also a trustee at The Retreat Clinics in York.

Paul works within the Human Givens approach - rather than dwelling on what is wrong, Human Givens therapy works with a person's existing strengths to help them feel better and move forward, typically over a shorter number of sessions rather than an open-ended commitment. He holds an MA in Interdisciplinary Psychology and is trained in a range of Human Givens methods, including the Rewind Technique for trauma and troubling memories.

He works with a wide range of everyday difficulties – anxiety, low mood, stress, low confidence, burnout and the strain that comes with significant life changes. Paul offers a calm, practical and non-judgemental space to think things through. His practice is supported by regular clinical supervision, and sessions are currently offered at a reduced cost whilst he finalises his qualification.

Paul holds an enhanced DBS certificate.

Colin Mawhinney

Accredited psychotherapist, york

Colin is NOt available for new clients until september

Colin accepts bookings from adults and couples.
Email: colinmawhinney@icloud.com

Human Givens Institute Therapist Register Profile

Colin grew up in Belfast, but has lived in Yorkshire for 30 years. He has a background in behaviour change at all levels in the public and private sector, communities and in the health sector. This has provided him with both the breadth and depth of experience for tackling stress and career development issues arising in the workplace and any resulting strain on family life. This includes a deep understanding of the stress and burn out experienced from starting and running a service or a business and how this can be reduced.

Colin qualified as an Human Givens Therapist in 2012 and has successfully worked with a wide variety of clients facing many differing challenges, including anxiety and depression, trauma, addiction, phobias and in particular, stress issues related to the workplace such as support to assist clients to return to work.

He has a particular interest in the resolution of conflicts in relationships and is a trained and qualified mediator. He has specialisms in family relationship mediation including intergenerational and adult-sibling dispute resolution, in addition to couples counselling and support. He also provides mediation and advice for dispute resolution in the workplace.

Colin is a qualified Mindfulness teacher, having cared for a terminally ill relative, and has run courses in mindfulness for stress at a number of charities in Yorkshire over the past twelve years. This includes a particular focus on working with stress that results from chronic pain and fatigue. Colin also has experience of working with military veterans, nurses and police.

Colin is a qualified Supervisor with the Human Givens Institute and has provided clinical supervision to health professionals at a local hospice in Leeds and a drug and alcohol services centre in York.

Claire Morris
Email: therapy@humangivenswellbeing.co.uk