Life can sometimes feel overwhelming, particularly when emotional pressures, relationship difficulties, anxiety, or challenging experiences begin to affect your everyday wellbeing. Whether you are struggling with stress, navigating grief, managing changes in your life, or finding it difficult to understand your feelings, having someone who listens without judgement can make a real difference.
Taking time to talk, reflect, and explore what you are experiencing can be a valuable first step towards positive change.
At The Old Surgery in Mackworth, Derby, part of Ora – The Wellbeing Company, Liz McDermott offers therapeutic counselling using a trauma-informed, person-centred approach. She supports children, young people, and adults in a calm, confidential environment where they can explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences at a pace that feels comfortable.
Liz’s compassionate approach focuses on helping clients develop a deeper understanding of themselves, strengthen emotional resilience, and discover practical ways to navigate life's challenges. Through individualised therapeutic support, she helps clients reconnect with their strengths and work towards greater confidence and emotional wellbeing.
Understanding Therapeutic Counselling and Who It Can Help
Therapeutic counselling provides a confidential, supportive space to discuss your feelings, explore difficult experiences, and gain professional guidance as you work through personal challenges.
Rather than offering instant answers, counselling gives you the opportunity to understand your experiences more clearly, recognise emotional patterns, and develop healthier ways of coping with everyday difficulties.
Liz works with a diverse range of clients, including:
Children aged 11 and above
Teenagers and young adults
Adults facing personal, emotional, or professional challenges
Trainee and newly qualified counsellors
Education professionals seeking clinical supervision
People may seek counselling for many different reasons, including:
Anxiety, stress, and emotional overwhelm
Low mood and depression
Self-harm or intrusive thoughts
Relationship and family difficulties
Exploring identity, gender, or sexuality
Low confidence and self-esteem
Trauma, bereavement, and significant life changes
School, examination, and academic pressures
You do not need to know exactly what you want to discuss before beginning counselling. Sometimes, simply recognising that things feel difficult is enough to take that first step.
Liz welcomes clients as they are, providing a supportive environment where concerns can be explored openly and without pressure. Whether you are seeking help with a specific issue or want to understand yourself better, counselling offers time to focus on what matters to you.
How Counselling with Liz Can Strengthen Your Wellbeing
Reaching out for counselling can feel like a significant decision, especially if you are used to managing things independently. However, having a dedicated space to talk can help you gain perspective, understand your emotions, and identify practical ways to move forward.
Working with Liz may help you:
Feel heard, respected, and accepted without judgement
Make sense of complicated thoughts and emotions
Develop practical strategies for managing difficult situations
Strengthen confidence and emotional resilience
Improve communication and relationships
Explore painful experiences in a supportive setting
Recognise your existing strengths and resources
For some people, counselling provides an opportunity to work through a particular challenge. For others, it offers a longer-term space for reflection, personal development, and emotional growth.
As you begin to understand your experiences more clearly, you may find it easier to recognise patterns, establish healthier boundaries, and respond to everyday challenges with greater confidence.
Therapeutic counselling is not about changing your personality or becoming someone else. It is about understanding yourself more fully, acknowledging your needs, and discovering ways to move forward that feel right for you.
Liz McDermott’s Compassionate and Trauma-Informed Approach
Feeling safe, understood, and respected is essential when exploring sensitive experiences. Liz combines professional knowledge with empathy to create a therapeutic relationship built on trust, collaboration, and understanding.
As a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Liz works in accordance with professional and ethical standards.
Her experience includes supporting people through:
Sexual assault and rape support services
Work within schools and colleges
Individual counselling for young people and adults
This varied experience informs Liz’s trauma-sensitive approach and helps her recognise the importance of offering thoughtful, individualised support to people navigating complex emotions and difficult life circumstances.
Clients can expect an approach that prioritises:
A calm, approachable, and respectful manner
Attentive listening without judgement
Collaborative conversations and shared goals
A safe and supportive therapeutic environment
Sessions tailored to individual needs and circumstances
Liz understands that opening up about personal experiences can take time. She works alongside each client, allowing space for reflection and ensuring that therapy progresses at a pace that feels manageable.
Whether you are attending counselling for the first time or returning to therapy, her aim is to help you feel comfortable enough to explore your concerns and work towards meaningful progress.
A Welcoming and Private Counselling Space at The Old Surgery, Derby
The environment in which counselling takes place can influence how comfortable you feel when discussing personal experiences. A private, welcoming setting offers an opportunity to pause, reflect, and focus on your emotional wellbeing.
Liz provides counselling at The Old Surgery in Mackworth, Derby, part of Ora – The Wellbeing Company’s network of professional therapy rooms across Derbyshire.
The location offers a calm and professional environment designed to support therapeutic work.
Clients benefit from:
Private counselling rooms
Comfortable interiors that encourage reflection
Welcoming spaces with natural light
Free parking and disabled access
Convenient access from Derby and the wider Midlands
For those looking for counselling in Derby, having a comfortable and professional setting can help make attending sessions feel more reassuring.
Ora – The Wellbeing Company provides therapy rooms in Derby and professional wellbeing spaces across the Midlands, supporting practitioners who deliver a range of physical and emotional health services.
By prioritising privacy, comfort, and professionalism, Ora creates an environment where practitioners can focus on their clients and individuals can feel supported throughout their appointments.
Supporting Emotional Wellbeing Across Derbyshire
At different points in life, everyone can encounter challenges that feel difficult to manage alone. Work pressures, family relationships, bereavement, past experiences, and unexpected changes can all affect how we feel and respond to the world around us.
Counselling offers dedicated time to step back from everyday demands and explore these experiences with professional support.
Liz’s person-centred, trauma-informed approach encourages clients to develop self-awareness, understand their emotional responses, and build confidence in their ability to navigate future challenges.
Whether you are experiencing anxiety, processing difficult memories, facing a major life transition, or simply looking for a space where you can speak openly, therapeutic counselling can help you explore your feelings and consider what you need moving forward.
Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It can be a positive step towards understanding yourself, recognising your needs, and prioritising your emotional wellbeing.
Take the First Step Towards Greater Emotional Confidence
If you are looking for a safe and supportive place to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, therapeutic counselling with Liz McDermott at The Old Surgery in Derby offers an opportunity to work towards greater self-understanding and emotional balance.
Through compassionate, personalised sessions, Liz supports children aged 11 and above, young people, and adults in feeling heard, understood, and better equipped to navigate life's challenges.
👉 Ready to prioritise your emotional wellbeing? Book your counselling session with Liz McDermott at The Old Surgery, Derby, and take the first step towards greater clarity, confidence, and resilience.
At Ora – The Wellbeing Company, we are proud to support practitioners with professional environments designed to enhance the experience of both practitioners and their clients.
