Miriam writes about her history as a therapist:

Psychotherapy is a way of life for me and has been for most of my life. I was not unfamiliar with counselling, (having had short experience of it myself as a teen), when I began working with Derby Rape Crisis in 1988. I was initially a volunteer counsellor but soon gained a paid role to develop the service, co-ordinate the volunteers and train them in counselling and trauma work. I was in therapy myself at this time with a Gestalt therapist and in the 1990s I completed a 3 year training as a Person Centered Therapist, a 4 year training as a Gestalt Psychotherapist, a 2 year training as a Clinical Supervisor and also had my two children who are now adult.

With young children to nurture, I left my work at Rape Crisis, to concentrate on my private practice with flexible working hours, but retained my role as an external supervisor and trained others, to run the training programme I had written, in my place. Some of you may have worked with me at Rape Crisis or at Derby Alcohol Problems Advisory Service (DAPAS) or as private clients at Derby Women’s Centre, DAPAS, The Cottage at Belper, Long Row at Belper, Allestree Park and also my therapy rooms at home, first in central Derby and then in Allestree. You may have worked with me before children as Miriam Applegate or later as Miriam Granthier.

Trauma and grief remained my specialist areas and I continued my training, completing my MA in Humanistic Psychotherapy in 2004, and attending many Integrative Psychotherapy Training Workshops with Dr Richard Erskine. I also gained senior membership status with the BACP at this time as well as Registered UKCP status.

My study of trauma led to further training and workshops in body psychotherapy and, as I approached mid-life, I developed an interest in psychosynthesis and transpersonal therapy – this means exploring the parts of being human that are beyond or more than the psychological and the body, some might use the terms ‘spiritual’ or ‘unconscious’. I completed a 2 year certificate in Psychosynthesis in 2014.

I have particularly enjoyed running psychotherapy groups, workshops and training throughout my career. I ‘toured’ my rape trauma training and counselling skills to other Rape Crisis centres and more recently taught Vicarious Traumatisation and Body Trauma as a visiting lecturer in Lithuania. I was commissioned to create and write degree courses and to take them to validation. I have also taught at five different higher education establishments as a tutor in counselling and psychotherapy.

Joy and laughter are often suppressed just as anger and trauma may be. Adding Laughter Yoga Leader training to my skills set was also personally beneficial. I have run weekly Laughter Yoga classes, I have run sessions for businesses and charity and incorporated elements of laughter work into my Happiness workshops.

I now write about psychotherapy and personal development. My current research is largely focussed on my interest in the experience of mid-life transitions from a woman-centered perspective, though I’m also involved in various different writing projects.

I am interested in integrating psychotherapy, bodywork and spirituality, seeing these all as complementary ways of engaging with being fully human. I offer opportunities within my groups, individual sessions, couples work and clinical supervision to people who want to integrate these perspectives into their lives. My approach is visible in my online groups, which emphasise working with the Wise Woman within. I’m loving the experience of being more than a senior psychotherapist or older woman and beginning to mentor others to trust themselves through midlife.

Recently I contributed a chapter to a key Gestalt text Queering Gestalt Therapy. This chapter aimed to be a voice piece for later-in-life-lesbians and their needs and experiences in therapy. I hope this will help therapists provide improved support to this client group, as well as clients feeling ‘met’ and understood by my chapter.

Clients can work with me by using my free self help materials, reading my blog, following my Facebook business page (not personal profile) and accessing my guided meditations.

I have a private practice which is fully booked with therapy spaces due to become available in September. I am currently enrolling for my monthly supervision group starting in September and my free taster week of my Women’s Group – Nourish & Nurture – also in September.

Please contact me and / or subscribe to my Newsletter. Check out these upcoming groups and workshops.

Miriam Grace

Director of Blue Skies   Please see About Blue Skies

Accreditations

• UKCP Registered Psychotherapist
• BACP Senior Accredited Counsellor
• BACP Senior Accredited Supervisor

Qualifications

• Diploma in Person Centred Counselling (Distinction) with a specialist focus on Bereavement and Loss (3 years)
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy (Distinction) (4 Years)
• Master of Arts in Humanistic Psychotherapy (Merit) Derby University & SPTI, Nottingham  (1 Year)
• Certificate in Psychosynthesis for Personal & Professional Development (2 years)
• Certificate in Life Coaching (ECONNF)
• Certified Laughter Yoga Leader & Professor of Gibberish Therapy 
• Certificate Therapeutic Touch
• Certificate Reiki Healing (Angelic Levels 1 & 2)

Additional Training

• Diploma in Clinical Supervision (2 Years) Completed
• Integrative Psychotherapy with Dr Richard Erskine (94 hours)
• Mental Health Training and Psychiatry including Mental Health Placement of Observation within the hospitals of Derby and in the community
• Numerous short courses over 20 years as part of ongoing professional development
• Several years of Personal Psychotherapy Ongoing Clinical Supervision

A Selection of Recent Short Courses Attended

• Online Therapeutic Skills with OCST  (3 workshops over July and August 2020, equalling 8 hours)
• Working Online at Psychological Depth: A Critical Approach Addressing the Challenges and Opportunities – Dr Aaron Balick, Confer, online webinar, June 2020
• Working with LGBT*Q Clients WPP, Cardiff, April 2016 (2 days)
• Hypnotherapy (BACP Endorsed Training) with NLP Vision, Leicester, January 2015 (3 days)
• Zero Balancing Derby, May 2015 (6 days)
• Writers Workshop with Hay House London, September 2013 (2 days)
• Personality Disorders with Dr Elinor Greenberg at WPP, Cardiff, July 2013 (3 days)
• Writers Workshop with the British Gestalt Journal Nottingham University, June 2013 (3 days)
• Zero Balancing Derby, April 2013 (6 days)
• Laughter Yoga Training Durham, Feb 2013 Gibberish Therapy St. Albans, Feb 2014
• The Somatic Body  London, October 2012
• CBT  Interventions for Trauma   Nottingham Centre for Trauma Studies, July 2012
• Infant Movement Development & Authentic Movement   Institute for Integrative Bodywork & Movement Therapy, London,  May 2012
• Past Lives Workshop   Rainbow Bridge Centre, Sawley, April 2012
• Working with Attachment Disorders Child Centre for Metal Health, London, January 2012
• Andrew Samuels UKCP Chair: “It’s all about the relationship…” Derby, October 2011

A Selection of Workshops and Training Run by Miriam Grace

• International Body-Mind Workshops with Imogen Ragone 2013, 2014, 2016, 2021
• Summer Well-being: A Series of 4 Workshops (Happiness, Love, Power & Peace) 2015
• Happiness and Laughter Yoga Weekly Class 2013 -2015
• Life Awakening  Series of Workshops devised and written by Miriam with the support of Jill Schofield. Introduction days, weekend workshops and once a month 10 day programme run with Jill Schofield as associate and turned into a book available on Amazon. 2014
• Life Awakening Retreat Weekend  solo at Holycombe House of Healing 2015
• Breathing Space in Your Work with Sexual Abuse with Jane Masters 1992 run 3 times for social workers, counsellors and support workers
• Welcoming the Goddess with Deborah Short 1990, 1991 and solo 1992
• Love and Relationships with Tim Carrette
• Sexuality with Tim Carrette run twice
• Women’s Therapy Group with Deborah Short
• Mixed Therapy Group with Tim Carrette
• Therapy Group solo over many years
• Tutor, MSc in Person-Centered Therapy, Sherwood Psychotherapy Training Institute 2016
• Tutor, Diploma Humanistic and Person-Centered Counselling Nottingham University 2005 – 2006
• Tutor on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy University of Derby Online 2013
• Tutor Foundations of Supervisory Practice Diploma University of Derby Online 2013
• Tutor Developing Supervisory Practice Diploma University of Derby Online 2013
• Tutor Assessment in Cognitive Behavioural PracticeUniversity of Derby Online 2013
• Supervior, Examiner and Moderator for MScs in the School of Health University of Derby Online 2013 – 2014
• Visiting Lecturer: Trauma  in Lithuania
• Visiting Lecturer: Working with Borderline Process University of Derby MSc Integrative Therapy
• Wrote and Devised BSc in Counselling Practice and Principles 
• Wrote and Devised Post-Graduate Certificate and MSc in Trauma 
• Life Awakening The Workbook Devised from the meditations and handouts I wrote for the Life Awakening Course, Jill Schofield and I worked together to write supporting text to turn the course into a handbook, I edited it. The workbook is now for sale on Amazon