Contact

Marie Mills double M logoDr Marie Mills - Private Psychologist and Counsellor

Many of us come to counselling for a variety of reasons.  We can feel overwhelmed by life and the things that have happened to us.  We don't feel 'good enough'.  We seek meaning and understanding.  Above all, we want to feel better than we do now.

British Psychological Society 
I provide counselling services in the Okehampton area in Devon.
Telephone: 01837 - 53809

Dr Marie Mills
Dr Marie Mills

Please scroll down or select the following links to see my counselling qualifications, my philosophy with regard counselling and my experience with counselling:


My Qualifications

Dr Marie Mills has a degree in psychology and a PhD from the University of Southampton.  She is a chartered psychologist, a BPS Registered Psychologist Specialising in Psychotherapy with Senior Practitioner Status [ROPSIP] and a BACP senior accredited counsellor.  She is bound by the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists [BACP] and the British Psychological Association [BPS] code of ethics.  She has regular supervision.

She has lectured and presented her work both here and abroad.  She is also the author of a number of influential papers.


Grey haired man in a counselling session
Image Copyright Katarzyna Bialasiewicz | Dreamstime.com
My Philosophy

I believe that counselling gives the client a safe and facilitating environment to use the mind of a trained and experienced 'other' to explore these personal pains and concerns.  As a psychologist and counsellor, I provide a warm, welcoming, safe and reliable place for this to occur.

Many of us come to counselling for a variety of reasons.  We can feel overwhelmed by life and the things that have happened to us.  We often feel very unhappy indeed.  We can have relationship difficulties that cause immense pain.  Some of us feel socially isolated, some of us feel isolated within ourselves.  We don't feel 'good enough'.  We seek meaning and understanding.  Above all, we want to feel better than we do now.

With some issues I will tend to use a lifespan or psychodynamic approach, focusing on the influence and link between early childhood experiences on relationships and behaviours in later life.  It offers a safe and secure framework to allow understanding of the human condition across the life span.  For other problems I tend to use a more cognitive behavioural approach, recognizing that the way we feel and think influences our behaviours.


Depressed man on a sofa
Image Copyright Kawee Srital On | Dreamstime.com
My Experience

I have been a counsellor for many years.  I first became interested in counselling through my research work with people struggling to cope with major illness.  Since then I have worked with people of all ages who, for a variety of reasons, are unhappy with life.

I have worked in NHS psychology and psychiatric departments.  I also work with GP surgeries and charitable hostels for the homeless.  Currently I work primarily in private practice.  As with most therapists, I have worked with a wide variety of problems including depression/anxiety, bereavement, abusive experiences, addictive behaviours, eating disorders, trauma, relationship problems, work related issues, social anxiety and low self esteem.