
Specialist counselling in North Devon
SAND began in 2016 in order to provide reduced rate quality specialist services in North Devon for any adult who has experienced sexual abuse. We also extend this service to family members and supporters of existing clients of SAND who are in a supporting role.
At SAND, all our counsellors use person-centred therapy. This operates on the humanistic belief that the client is inherently driven toward and has the capacity for growth and self-actualisation and therefore supports this natural force for therapeutic change. The role of the counsellor is to provide a non-judgmental, supportive environment which is therefore conducive to honest self-exploration.
Person-centered therapy encourages and helps you to learn empathy and unconditional positive regard for yourself and others. Your counsellor here at SAND will support, guide, and structure your sessions to help you discover your own solution to the problems you’re facing.

The BACP , NCPS and the UKCP trained counsellors and psychotherapists which are the main registering bodies in the UK. All our counsellors are registered with one of these governing bodies and receive individual supervision accordingly.
In addition to registered support and supervision, our counsellors receive alternate monthly peer supervision within the SAND team and also clinical supervision with Mike Lew. Mike has supported SAND for over 7 years now and provides high-level supervision for all our counsellors.
Mike Lew, M.Ed., is a psychotherapist and group therapy leader, and Co-Director of The Next Step Counseling and Training Center. As a cultural anthropologist specializing in the field of Culture and Personality (Psychological Anthropology), Mike worked with the late Margaret Mead and Colin Turnbull. After further training in Counselling Psychology, he became a leading expert on recovery from sexual child abuse, particularly issues of male survivors.
Mike has worked with thousands of men and women in their healing from the effects of childhood sexual abuse, rape, physical violence, emotional abuse and neglect. The development of strategies for recovery from incest and other abuse, particularly for men, has been a major focus of his work as a counsellor and group leader. He works with both the survivors and their partners and families.
Mike taught at The City College of New York, Quinnipiac College, The College of New Rochelle and the University of California at Santa Cruz.
Now he conducts public lectures, workshops for survivors, and trainings and consultations for mental health, medical, human service, clergy, law enforcement, and other professionals throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Asia.

Mike’s publications include Victims No Longer: The Classic Guide for Men Recovering from Sexual Child Abuse (Second Edition, Revised and Updated Quill, 2004) and Leaping Upon the Mountains (Small Wonder Books and North Atlantic Books, 1999).
Mike has been a part of the editorial board of the Journal of Child Sexual Abuse and the review board of the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Once you have been on our supported waiting list and are ready for counselling: Sessions will take place online or in person at our premises at The Lodge, Barnstaple. You will be fully supported in this as we know this can be one of the hardest steps to achieve.
Our team of counsellors specialise in various person-centered therapeutic techniques, allowing for support that is tailored to individual needs and experience. Some of these techniques are:
CBT Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of talking therapy. It is a common treatment for a range of mental health problems. CBT teaches you coping skills for dealing with different problems. It focuses on how your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes affect your feelings and actions.
Gestalt is a highly positive and practical integrative therapeutic approach. Broadly, Gestalt practitioners help people to focus on their immediate thoughts, feelings, and behaviour and to better understand the way they relate to others. This increased awareness can help people to find a new perspective, see the bigger picture, and start to effect changes.
Sand Tray Therapy or sandplay therapy, is a therapeutic approach used for people who have experienced a traumatic event such as abuse or a catastrophic incident. Although this type of therapy is used most often with children, sand play therapy also can be helpful for teens and adults.
Walk-and-talk sessions During a Walk and Talk Therapy session, the therapist and the client walk side by side, discussing the client’s issues. Physical activity can help the client to relax and feel more comfortable, making it easier to open up and share their thoughts and feelings.
Guided Smell Therapy Aromatherapy is the practice of using essential oils for therapeutic benefit. Aromatherapy has been used for centuries. When inhaled, the scent molecules in essential oils travel from the olfactory nerves directly to the brain and especially impact the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain.
The reality of long waiting lists and struggles to meet certain criteria often lead people to look to private counselling, however, this isn’t an option that is affordable for everyone. Reaching out and seeking help is the first step in the journey to healing. From Survivor to Thriver.
We believe that no one should have to face any further difficulty when seeking support, which is why our counselling remains low cost. Do not let financial concerns become the barrier between you and a healthier life.
Contact Sarah at SAND. Sand-referrals@survivingabuse.org.uk or call direct on 07763617693