Welcome to Clarity with Compassion:
Counselling and Coaching
Counselling and coaching each offer valuable ways to foster understanding and create change, but they differ in focus and approach. By blending elements of both, you can gain insight into your thoughts and behaviors while developing the tools to make and sustain meaningful life changes
Clarity with Compassion
Many people come to see me because they are feeling stuck, lost or unsatisfied with life in some way. It’s hard to see the whole picture when it’s happening to you.
You might be living with high levels of anxiety, anger, apathy or just unease. Perhaps these feelings are linked to a significant life event for example, a bereavement, a career change, a health event or family issues like parenting teenagers or your children leaving home. For others, there is just growing awareness that their life or work-place doesn’t seem to fit who they are any more.
I'm Mo Dixon, a dual-trained counsellor and coach, and I can help you to explore what’s going on for you. Together we can untangle the inner voices and behaviours that may be holding you back, think about how you want to move forward and I can help to support you through the change process.
I trained in a range of therapeutic approaches and can integrate counselling approaches and coaching techniques, depending on what seems appropriate in our work together .I also have a background as an academic psychologist and will help you develop your own inner counsellor/coach through sharing psychological knowledge.
I like to provide a calm, non-judgmental and focused environment for you to have the space and security to explore your life story. My style of working is quite interactive and our work will be a collaborative process with you taking the lead in pace and scope. Our therapeutic relationship will be a key part of our work together so it’s essential that we are a good fit. I like to connect to others with warmth, compassion and humour.
We will work collaboratively to navigate difficult feelings and situations and recognise your strengths and accomplishments with compassion and clarity.
Qualifications
• Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Coaching (BACP accredited)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Career Coaching and Counselling (CDI accredited)
• A Doctorate in psychology
• BSc Degree in psychology (BPS accredited)
• 15+ years of university lecturing
• 20+ years of psychological research
• Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and Career Development Institute (CDI)
Work and Career Counselling
Our work lives can take up a large proportion of our waking moments, so issues at work can have a big impact on our sense of self-worth. Often
our behaviours and thought patterns play out at work and can leave us feeling
unempowered, out of our depth, lacking in confidence or losing our temper. Listed below are some of the issues that you may have come across in your work life:
- managing conflict and difficult workrelationships
- difficulty managing a good work/life balance
- stressed at work perhaps leading to burnout
- lacking confidence and difficulty in being assertive
- feeling out of your depth / imposter syndrome
- bullying in the workplace
- perfectionism and overwhelm
Working therapeutically to explore where some of these feelings and behaviours may stem from can really help to clarify what’s going on for you. Understanding your own story and looking at the impact in a work environment can open different opportunities and ways of seeing things.
It might also be that you feel stuck in a job that isn’t the right fit for you. Perhaps it doesn’t feel challenging or interesting to you anymore. Maybe you even chose the career so long ago that it doesn’t represent who you are now.
Career counselling can help you to clarify where you are now, think about your strengths and values and take stock of your career. It may be that staying in your current job is best for you. Counselling can help you to reconnect with the more enjoyable parts of your job and perhaps challenge and reframe some aspects that you find less appealing. If changing jobs is the outcome, honest discussions about what you want from a future career can be helpful in deciding where to go next. When you have decided on a new direction, coaching techniques can be helpful to clarify first steps and support you in your journey.
“I found your style really approachable, warm, human and compassionate, and simultaneously incisive. I came away feeling stronger, clearer and like I have you in my corner!” - Sophie
Midlife Transitions /Crises Counselling
The middle of our lives, from approximately 30-60 years old, can bring a range of new challenges, roles and responsibilities. Often people get to a stage where their sense of identity feels like it has shifted and they want to re-evaluate who they are now. There is often a sense of loss associated with these transitions - a loss of options, youth, fertility and even people. You could be feeling a sense of discontent about life, regret at missed opportunities, re-evaluation of old roles and connections. These can come about slowly - a growing awareness that your old life doesn’t seem to fit very well any more. Or, perhaps more commonly, discontent and re-evaluation can be triggered by external events. Some of these might include:
- a health event (for example, a heart attack or receiving a new diagnosis) may mean having to change lifestyle and reassess who you are. It may also make you more aware of your own mortality.
- a major birthday (e.g. 30 or 50) or maybe something more significant to you (for example, reaching the age at which your mother died).
- issues around fertility – the awareness of the end of fertiity can bring a sense of focus or unease around family decision making
- children – dealing with them growing up, leaving home and thinking about what your role as a parent means
- the loss of fertility and the psychological and physiological challenges and opportunities around the menopause
- parents – potentially having to step into a caring role with your parents whilst simultaneously managing other work and family commitments.
- bereavement – loss of family or friends and how to make sense and come to terms with the inevitable changes death brings
- relationships – this includes bigger events such as separation, divorce or death of a partner. It can also mean a re-evaluation of who you are and what you want from a partner in this new phase of life.
Navigating these changes can be deeply uncomfortable and can make you feel lost, stuck and out of control. Confidence and self-esteem issues can arise when we have lost sight of who we are and what we want. These crises are also a time of reflection and opportunity which can allow a more purposeful life that is aligned with who you are now.
Midlife counselling can help you to look compassionately and honestly at who you are and how you came to be here. It can help you explore questions around identity, purpose, meaning and self-worth so that you have a clearer idea of who you are now. With this clarity comes a strength that can be
used to navigate relationships in a more authentic and aligned way.
Bereavement and Loss
Grief counselling often moves at a different rhythm than other types of therapy. Grief is deeply intertwined with love—something we may not want to erase or diminish. Instead of seeking to ‘move on,’ our work together focuses on building the strength to carry your loss while exploring what life looks like for you now.
This process also provides a space to question societal expectations around grieving. There’s no single ‘correct’ way to grieve, no set stages to complete, and no timeline for when you should feel ‘better.’ Your experience is entirely personal, and our work will unfold at a pace that feels right for you.
Counselling can also be a relief simply because it exists outside of your usual circles. When those around you are also grieving, it’s common to feel like you must hold back your emotions, avoid burdening others, or suppress complex feelings about loss. Here, you have a space to express everything—without judgment, without pressure. This is your time, and I will be here to support you as you share your thoughts and emotions.
Low Self Esteem / Confidence
Struggling with low self-esteem or confidence can hold you back in many areas of life. Feelings of self-doubt and inadequacy can affect relationships, friendships, career growth, and even the pursuit of personal goals. Counselling and coaching for self-esteem provides a space to uncover what’s standing in your way and begin the journey towards valuing yourself more.
We’ll start by exploring the thoughts and beliefs that shape your self-image. What messages about yourself have you absorbed from those around you? How does your inner critic speak to you? Perhaps it compares you to others, making you feel like you’ll never measure up. Maybe it tells you, “Why even try? You’ll fail anyway,” or “Everyone will see through you and realize you’re not good enough.”
Together, we’ll examine this inner voice—why it’s so harsh, where it stems from, and whether it impacts all areas of your life or just certain ones. At the same time, we’ll identify and celebrate your strengths, recognizing where confidence already exists.
However, self-esteem isn’t just about your thoughts—it’s also reflected in your habits and behaviors, which can reinforce cycles of self-doubt. Because of this, our work won’t just focus on talking but also on small, practical changes. By understanding how your feelings influence your actions, we can explore new ways of behaving that challenge old patterns.
This combined approach—shifting thought patterns while also taking action—can create a meaningful shift in how you see yourself, allowing you to embrace new opportunities with greater confidence and self-belief.
FAQ
I am the only person with access to my phone and my email, so anything you write or say is confidential. If I don't answer my phone it could be because I'm working with a client. You are free to leave a voicemail and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Our initial conversation is likely to be quite brief and I will ask how I might be able to help you. Some may only want to book an appointment whereas others may want a brief chat before deciding to work together. We can talk about what you’re looking for and you can ask any questions that you might want to know from me. Typically these conversations are 15-20 minutes long.
There is an assumption that psychotherapy refers to longer term more in-depth work than counselling but in fact these terms are often used interchangeably. Currently in the UK, training in the psychotherapeutic profession allows you to use either term to describe your work. I am registered by the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
Weekly or fortnightly sessions are generally 50-minutes long.
I can also offer single session work to focus on particular issue or dilemma. These sessions tend to be 90 minutes.
It depends on what you want to achieve, the issues we are exploring, the depth of our work and how much you feel able to do between our sessions. In our initial call, we can talk about how we might like to work together. Some people find that a short time frame can help give them focus in the work - I consider 6-12 sessions to be short-term work. Others like a more open-ended process. We can decide together what works best for you.
Our work together is private and confidential. However, there are some specific circumstances where I am legally obliged to break confidentiality (e.g. terrorism, money laundering and drug trafficking) and also if I am concerned that there is imminent danger of serious harm to yourself or others.
In order to be entirely transparent I regularly attend supervision which is in line with ethical guidelines for counselling. This gives me an oversight of my process and can offer a different perspective on my work. However, clients are not identified as part of this process.
My work is also covered by the Data Protection Act and any notes kept are compliant with GDPR policies and procedures.
We will work collaboratively on the issues that you bring. The pace and scope of the work is led by you and focused around where you would like to be. My style is quite interactive, I am not the type of counsellor who is silent or minimally responsive. Ultimately, we are two people in a room and I consider you to be the expert on yourself. My role is to focus, reflect, support, be honest with you and value you for the unique person that you are.
I work in-person in Buckhurst Hill (Central Line) and also from my garden space in Hackney (close to Hackney Central and Hackney Downs station). I also work online using Zoom.
Regular (weekly or bi-weekly) 50 minute sessions are priced on a sliding scale depending on your financial circumstances and where the sessions take place
Lower income £60
Middle income £70
Higher income £80
I don't specify income bands since there may be other financial considerations (e.g. number of dependents, family wealth etc.). Please choose the rate that is appropriate to you.
I can also work on single well-defined issues in a 90 minute session. These sessions are often more suited to therapeutic coaching approaches and are priced at £100.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me to arrange an initial phone call. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling/coaching, and whether I am the right person to help. You can also call me on 07769984067 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first.
I work in Hackney, East London and Buckhurst Hill,, Essex
Buckhurst Hill, Essex - I work from counselling rooms at Cherry Tree Therapy Centre. It's close to Roding Valley central line tube station.which can be accessed using the Central Line. If you're driving, it's close to Loughton, Wanstead, Walthamstow and there is plenty of free on-street parking nearby.
Hackney, East London I work from my garden room in Clapton (easy walking distance from Hackney Central and Hackney Downs overground stations). There is no free parking but there is paid parking with meters nearby.
To book an introductory chat, click here.