Dr Ruth Collins PhD| DPsych | CPsychol | AFBPsS

Counselling and Psychotherapy

My practice is currently full and I am unable to take on new clients.

Welcome.

I offer a safe, supportive and confidential space where you can explore personal and professional challenges at your own pace. Whether you’re seeking support in the short term or over a longer journey, I provide face-to-face counselling tailored to your needs.

Particular areas of expertise include:

• Stress and anxiety
• Panic attacks and phobias
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Relationship difficulties
• Trauma

My experience spans a wide range of clinical settings, including the NHS, and I continue to maintain a private practice alongside my role as Mental Health Training Lead for the University of Oxford. There, I also work as a senior counsellor, clinical supervisor, and research tutor, supporting both staff and students.

I work with young people, adults, and older adults, offering a thoughtful and compassionate approach to therapy. My core orientation is existential psychotherapy, but I integrate my knowledge and expertise of both Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness into my approach allowing me to respond flexibly and sensitively to each person’s unique circumstances.

Qualifications

I hold a Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and a PhD in Experimental Psychology from University College London (UCL). I am a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society (BPS), with full membership in the Division of Counselling Psychology. I am also a Registered Practitioner Psychologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

In addition, I am a member of the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA) and listed on the BPS Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors. I provide clinical supervision to both trainee and qualified counselling and clinical psychologists, as well as counsellors, drawing on extensive experience across academic, clinical, and therapeutic settings.

I have a sliding scale of fees; please enquire.

Mindfulness

In addition to my clinical practice I am an experienced mindfulness teacher and run Mindfulness Courses in a variety of settings, having trained with Professor Mark Williams and his team at the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation  (University of Oxford).

My teaching and personal meditation practice is supported by regular mindfulness-based supervision and mentoring from a qualified mindfulness teacher and supervisor. I am a registered teacher with BAMBA, a regulated directory of teachers who meet the UK Good Practice Guidance for Mindfulness-Based Teachers and regularly teach for the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation.

Testimonials

I just wanted to say thank you Ruth for all your time, patience and support this year. You’ve really encouraged me to think about myself, my relationships and my life journey. There will no doubt always be challenges but as a result of your help I feel I am a stronger and more resilient person to embrace these. Mark

I want to say a huge thank you for all your help as at one point I thought I wouldn’t even finish my degree, I can’t quite believe that I have managed to come out the other side quite as successfully. I certainly couldn’t have done it without your support and the CBT techniques I learned. Emily

I was sceptical about the whole idea of counselling but it has made such a fundamental difference to the way I think! Stephen
I cannot express how much of a difference the counselling sessions have made to me. You have completely turned my life around and I cannot thank you enough for that. Maria