Together we are talking change
Concordia EAP
Employee Wellbeing Assisted Programmes in Plymouth
Working With Dedicated Specialists
Concordia EAP is a regional company offering employee wellbeing assisted programmes in Plymouth to organisations of all sizes. We provide bespoke therapy and wellbeing packages to the private and public sector, including one-to-one work with individuals or groups, clinical supervision for HR departments, training in mental health first aid, relational skills, personal development, productive communication, and effective leadership. Our service provides employees with a professional, independent, confidential outfit with whom they can receive the support they need, helping to improve wellbeing, productivity, and reduce absences from work.
To learn more about the employee wellbeing assisted programmes in Plymouth provided by Concordia EAP, get in touch with us.
Our Partners
Concordia EAP works with a wide and continually growing network of professional affiliates, allowing for cross referrals to take place and ensure employees have a choice in selecting the kind of therapy they require. These Plymouth-based therapists are specialists in their field and cover a broad range of areas, from CBT to counselling to crisis support.
We believe that our professionals deserve a fair fee for their services to us and thus are paid the standard rate for counselling provision per session. Professionals working within our organisation receive all the resources they need, including a low-cost rental space to carry out the work of our employee wellbeing assisted programmes in Plymouth. This entails one-to-one and group counselling, along with training opportunities, affordable clinical supervision, mentorship, and case management.
Moreover, Concordia EAP provides student volunteer counsellor placement opportunities, enabling students to complete their training hours in a safe and supportive environment.
Catherine Hutchins
Reg. MBACP, Founder
As human beings our lives will sometimes be touched by challenges and difficulties - often leading to a sense that our life is unravelling. Sometimes the challenges can feel so great that they impact on every aspect of our lives from our work to home life and all that falls in between.
Catherine Hutchins is the founder of Concordia EAP, a health and wellbeing company assisting employers in looking after the well-being needs of their employees.
As well as devoting most of her professional time to Concordia, Catherine is also Co-founder of The Therapy Collective, a busy counselling & psychotherapy agency in the heart of Plymouth.
I believe that we all have an innate desire to strive to be the best version of ourselves in all areas of life, but sometimes when challenges arise, we might need a little help, support, and guidance to reconnect with how to do that. This belief is what drives me to provide a bespoke service that can take individuals from a place of distress to where they can learn to have their own resilience and strength, and once again be able to bring their best self forward.
My background in Pharmacy gave me the opportunity to establish that my heart lies in being of service to people. In the pharmacy realm this was from a physical/medical perspective which I enjoyed immensely. Once my children came along I had the opportunity to step back from my work for a while and decided to retrain in a profession where I could help people from a more holistic approach, and - as the human condition is a fascinating area of study and work - this was the direction I took and trained to become an integrative counsellor. Since qualifying I have worked in the NHS as a counsellor and group trainer and now have my own busy private practice. Over the years my private practice has grown to the point where it is now an agency.
My vision is to help people realise that to have counselling and personal development guidance at different points in life is the best gift a person can give themselves, and is right up there with healthy sleep, diet and exercise in living a happy and healthy life.
Training, Qualifications & Experience
Counsellor, Supervisor and group Trainer
Advanced Diploma in Integrative Counselling - 2008
Diploma in CBT ( Cognitive Behavourial Therapy) - 2009
Diploma in Supervision - 2020
I have specialist experience inc:
Brief intervention therapy
Counselling for depression
Compassion focused personal development group work
Compassion focused therapy
Young people’s counselling
Solution focused therapy
Problem gambling
Addiction
Catherine Hutchins - Reg. MBACP, Director
As an experienced and qualified Counsellor I am able to offer a variety of different counselling methods. The methods of counselling I work with are:
Interpersonal Therapy (IPT) - the main focus of IPT is on relationship problems and on helping the person to identify how they are feeling and behaving in their relationships. This type of counselling often benefits individuals who are suffering with depression,
Person Centered Counselling - This method offers an open forum to explore any issues causing an individual distress or anxiety and supports the individual to identify how they can move forward in their life. This counselling style works well for many who prefer a more holistic approach.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Techniques (CBT- Style Counselling) - CBT techniques used within counselling help to support an individual to focus on a key issue or issues and identify negative patterns and offer solutions. These techniques often benefit individuals who are suffering with anxiety, specific phobias, obsessive behaviours and negative thinking. Sometimes people can find themselves in cycles of negative behaviours and this style of counselling can help to interrupt that cycle and support a person to change those behaviours.
Stress Control - Within the counselling environment there are emotional and thought focused tools and techniques that may be introduced to support with stress control on a day to day basis. These counselling techniques are generally incorporated with one of the previously mentioned methods of counselling and are found to be of benefit to individuals suffering with all types of stress.
General Counselling - I am able to work with individuals experiencing emotional difficulties with any aspect of their lives whether the issue be current or historically based.
Compassionate focused therapy - Compassion focused therapy (CFT) was developed by Dr Paul Gilbert for people who are high in shame and self-criticism. The main drive of CFT is to help a person develop a capacity for self-compassion and self-kindness.
Meet Our Team
We work alongside some fabulous professionals here at Concordia - select 'Read More' below to discover who they are and what they can do to help.
Trish Richards
Counsellor Reg. MBACP
Trish Richards - Counsellor Reg. MBACP
My name is Trish. I am a person centred, trauma informed counsellor. My passion is helping people find their voice when the mask of "I'm fine" becomes too heavy to carry alone. I am here to hear your story, how it was for you, how it is impacting your life now and how you would like your future to look.
Be seen, Be heard.
Fiona Eaton
Integrative Counsellor MBACP
Fiona Eaton - Integrative Counsellor
Supporting people into a place of wholeness is a passion of mine. I have worked with people for 30 years in various face- to- face capacities and I’m still fascinated by the way we are all special, unique and wonderfully made.
Having spent several years along the journey of self-discovery, growth and transformation, I now support others in exploring their own inner territory. Sometimes we get stuck. It might feel that something is missing? Often this can be as a result of a particular incident but other times we’ve forgotten some of who we are. Whatever the reason, I come alongside people to work together on whatever is in the way of them fulfilling their potential, moving forward and generally feeling more satisfied.
Relationship is fundamental to my work and at the heart of everything I do. Essentially, I am inviting you to connect with me in a relationship where we will explore difficult areas that may be preventing your personal growth or holding you back in some way. I work with adults and young adults (17 -25) as an integrative counsellor. This means that I draw on a variety of learned and intuitive ways to support your self-inquiry.
My work is to come alongside you and use my skills and unique insight with what you bring consciously and subconsciously to enable you to find your own answers.
Lisa Chaffer
Integrative Counsellor MBACP
Lisa Chaffer Integrative Counsellor MBACP
Hello, my name is Lisa Chaffer and I am an integrative counsellor.
Through working in education for 25 years, I came to see that I worked intuitively with people and at times it seemed I was engaged in offering some form of counselling. Once my own children were grown and I had more time, I began to study counselling as I felt a sense of curiosity and a need to learn more about it. There was little idea of becoming a counsellor at that point. However, once I began the fascinating journey of learning more about myself, the seed was sown.
As a teacher, I have always encouraged students to find ways of developing their independence and this is something I have taken into my counselling work. One of the most rewarding parts of being a counsellor is showing clients how they can help themselves and adopt more fruitful patterns of behaviour and thinking. This helps clients to find new meaning and direction in their lives.
Being an integrative counsellor means I use a range of different counselling models or theories in my work in order to use what would work best for a client’s needs.
When we experience difficulties in life, we may feel disconnected from the world and people around us or even disconnected from parts of ourselves, from our feelings, emotions and desires. As humans, we are very good at disconnecting from ourselves in this way! But the problem is that these things don’t go away - they remain unresolved deep in our psyche and may contribute towards a range of mental health issues.
In order to aid a greater sense of connectedness and wellbeing, I encourage my clients to look at
⦁ mind and thoughts
⦁ emotions and feelings
⦁ physical effects that difficulties in life may have on their body
⦁ how difficulties may have affected them spiritually
This helps my clients to develop a greater awareness of themselves and a greater understanding of the difficulties they face. Greater awareness opens us up to the choices that lie before us and that can lead to positive change in our lives. Learning to reconnect with your true self can lead to a much happier and more fulfilling life.
My Qualifications:
Pre-Counselling
B.A. (Hons) in French - Class 2: ii (1989)
Post Graduate Certificate of Education (1995)
Counselling Qualifications
L2 Certificate in Counselling Skills (2018)
L3 Certificate in Counselling Studies (2018)
L4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (2020)
Online and Telephone Counselling Certificate (2021)
My Approach to Counselling:
As a qualified counsellor, the counselling models and theories I use are:
Person-Centred Theory – this helps me to build a meaningful connection with my client, offering empathy and acceptance. This may help the client to develop connections with themselves and others that makes life more rewarding or fulfilling.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) – to deal with unhelpful thinking habits which may cause emotional distress. CBT can also help those dealing with anxiety, phobias and obsessive behaviours. It can help to interrupt cycles of negative behaviour and contribute towards a person being able to change such behaviour.
Gestalt Theory – this guides us towards a greater awareness of what is happening for us in the present moment. It helps us to become aware of any ‘unfinished business’ that exists for us and offers an opportunity to complete it. Transpersonal Theory – this helps us to deal with a sense of meaningless and disillusionment. It helps us to explore our own human growth and to discover deeper and more meaningful connections.
Compassion Focused Theory – this aids mental and emotional healing by encouraging people to be compassionate toward themselves and others. Compassion toward the self and others is thought to be an essential component of well-being.
Areas of counselling experience:
Depression
Anxiety
Specialist medical counselling
Counselling for young people
Gender identity
Sexual identity
Brief intervention work
©2021 Concordia EAP
Powered by WebHealer