Meet Alex Pledger
Alex Pledger has been a practising integrative therapist since qualifying in 2005. She set up her own private practice, Time to Change, the same year as qualifying and has helped hundreds of clients change their lives over the past 15 years. She became BACP Accredited in 2008 and Senior Accredited in 2014.
She has also trained as a coach, clinical supervisor and mentor. She has created My Private Practice from the passion she feels about helping therapists receive the support and recognition they deserve for the work they do. Whether it is in achieving BACP Accredited status, making the leap into running a private practice, or providing ongoing clinical and professional support to working therapists, she brings a positive and motivational attitude to her work that helps maximise practitioner results.
She also runs the West Midlands Private Practice Networking Group on behalf of the BACP, connecting private practitioners with a network of like-minded therapists for support. Take a look at upcoming events here.
“The work we do as therapists is amazing. But as a profession we are often plagued by fears and doubts. ‘Am I good enough? Is it ok to make good money from this? Can I take the next step in my career?’ My answer to all these questions is always YES!”
Alex Pledger
Alex Pledger on Private Practice
“I often describe myself as a bit of a maverick. At the end of my counsellor training course we were told we were ‘now qualified to seek out voluntary positions to gain confidence and experience’. Voluntary work after four years of training? That didn’t make sense to me so, within four weeks of my receiving my diploma I’d found a room in a therapy centre and had my first fee-paying client. That was over fifteen years ago and I have been in private practice ever since.
I firmly believe that our work deserves proper financial recognition, whether in paid roles or by charging private fees at a rate that is rewarding and sustainable. I understand that many therapists are plagued by fears and reservations about achieving their full potential so I have created My Private Practice as a dedicated service to help therapists thrive.
Using a therapeutic coaching model I support therapists to overcome the hurdles they face in moving forward. Whether that is in their career development, achieving financial and lifestyle goals or offering the professional support needed on an ongoing basis to do the job they love. Some of the ways I can help include:
overcoming doubts and fears * providing accountability to achieve concrete goals and action plans * offering experienced clinical support * encouraging creative thinking about career and lifestyle choices * inspiring and motivating therapists to want more and make it happen
As practitioners we do amazing work everyday, helping our clients change their lives for the better. My role in My Private Practice is to do the same thing for therapists. We all deserve to have a balanced, sustainable working life that fulfils and rewards us personally and professionally, now and into the future.”
