John Truslove helps counselling duo open new therapy centre in Studley

A pair of therapists have been turning their hands to DIY, painting and flooring after property agents John Truslove helped them secure their first premises, in Studley in Warwickshire.

Therapeutic counsellors Lucy Sedgwick and Joanne Hanson both work with children at local schools but are preparing to launch their own therapy centre shortly.

Ian Parker, joint managing director at John Truslove, worked with the duo to secure a ten year lease on an 824 sq ft two-storey village centre property, at 12-14 Marble Alley, just behind Studley High Street.

Lucy Sedgwick said: “It’s easily accessible but at the same time quite a discreet address for clients to visit.”

She retrained as a therapist after a ten year career in education, latterly as a Special Education Needs teacher.

“I suffered burnout. I was looking for something different; I had a degree in psychology and therapy appealed.

“Now I’ve come full circle and I am back in school, counselling children who have suffered trauma, abuse, serious family issues or depression. I’ve been friends with Joanne for quite a while and she had followed a parallel journey.

“We both offer our services to staff and parents at our schools, as well as working with the children, but wanted to set up somewhere of our own where we could create the right environment for clients.

“We spotted the premises in Marble Alley and saw John Truslove were the agents. We popped into their offices in Redditch and just asked if we could have a look around. Ian and the apprentice surveyor, James Haynes, couldn’t have been more helpful.”

Joanne added: “We looked around and felt this was somewhere we could really build something special. The last few years have seen growing awareness of the importance of mental health for people of all ages, so there is huge demand for therapeutic counselling.

“This property has quiet rooms where we can run individual counselling sessions, or even group sessions, without being disturbed. We want to provide a service that is of real benefit to the local community.”

Lucy added: “James and Ian were able to give us advice about the lease and the whole process was very smooth.

“We’ve spent the last few months refurbishing the premises, doing all the work ourselves, laying new flooring and so on, getting it ready, in between our counselling work at our schools. We have put blood, sweat and tears into creating this centre.”

The Hanson & Sedgwick Ltd clinic is due to open soon, with a new website currently under construction.

Ian Parker, joint managing director at John Truslove, said: “The premises at Marble Alley provided a clean slate in property terms, where Joanne and Lucy could put their own stamp on things. They are creating a new business that will provide a great service for people across the area.

“This is another example of John Truslove using our property know-how to help a fledgling business get established.”

 

Share this story