Bupa-Recognised Counselling & EMDR Therapy
Professional counselling in Cornwall and online across the UK
If you’ve found this page, you’re probably looking for more than a therapist who accepts your Bupa health insurance.
You’re looking for someone who understands how difficult life has become.
Perhaps you’ve been trying to hold everything together for weeks, months or even years. You’ve carried on going to work. You’ve looked after your family. You’ve kept going because you felt you had to.
From the outside, you might look as though you’re coping.
Inside, you’re exhausted.
If any of that sounds familiar, I want you to know something.
Even when you can’t see the light, there is a light on somewhere.
You don’t have to have everything worked out before asking for help.
You don’t even have to know where to begin.
I’m Lee Martin, a BACP Accredited Counsellor and EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner, recognised by Bupa. I offer face-to-face counselling from The Net Loft in Porthleven, Cornwall, as well as secure online therapy for Bupa members across the UK.
You don’t have to have everything worked out before asking for help
Therapy begins with a conversation
One of the biggest worries people tell me about before coming to therapy is that they’ll be put on the spot.
That they’ll have to know exactly what to say.
That it will feel intense or overwhelming.
The reality is usually very different.
You don’t have to arrive with the perfect words.
You don’t have to tell your story in the right order.
You don’t have to impress me.
I’ll help guide the conversation.
I’ll ask gentle questions.
We’ll go at a pace that feels right for you.
Sometimes clients tell me afterwards that they were surprised by how quickly they felt comfortable.
We can laugh together.
We can talk about everyday life.
And when the time is right, we can gently begin making sense of the things that have been weighing you down.
One of the phrases I probably say most often is:
“That sounds like it’s been incredibly difficult.”
Because if you’ve been carrying something painful for a long time, the first step isn’t fixing it.
It’s feeling understood.
Sometimes the first step isn’t fixing anything. It’s finally feeling understood
How I work
No two people arrive with the same story, so no two courses of therapy are exactly the same.
Some people need space to talk.
Others benefit from practical strategies.
Some are ready for EMDR.
Others first need to feel safe, understood and settled before we think about processing difficult memories.
We’ll decide that together.
I believe good therapy isn’t about following a script.
It’s about building a relationship where you feel safe enough to explore what’s happening and flexible enough to adapt the approach to what you need in that moment.
Many people spend years putting everyone else’s needs before their own.
Part of therapy is gently beginning to ask a different question.
“What do you need?”
Many people spend years putting everyone else’s needs before their own
EMDR Therapy through Bupa
Alongside counselling, I’m an EMDR Europe Accredited Practitioner.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) is an evidence-based therapy recommended by NICE for PTSD, but one of the biggest misconceptions is that it can only be used for trauma.
In reality, EMDR can help with many experiences that continue to affect the way we feel, think or respond today.
I often describe EMDR very simply.
It’s a way of helping your brain process experiences from the past, difficulties in the present or worries about the future, so they no longer carry the same emotional sting.
The memory doesn’t disappear.
Your life doesn’t suddenly become perfect.
But what once felt overwhelming often becomes something you can remember without it taking over your day.
Some clients describe it as though the memory has finally found its proper place.
Others say it feels as though it happened to somebody else.
Those are some of the moments I love most in my work.
Watching something that has ruled somebody’s life slowly lose its power.
EMDR isn’t about forgetting the past. It’s about taking away its emotional sting so it no longer rules your life
Supporting parents after baby loss
Supporting parents after miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal loss and the death of a child has become one of the most meaningful parts of my work.
Baby loss changes more than a single moment.
It changes the future you imagined.
It changes how you see yourself.
It can change relationships, confidence and your sense of safety in the world.
For many fathers and partners there is an additional burden.
People ask how everyone else is coping.
Very few ask how they are.
Many continue working.
Supporting everyone around them.
Trying to stay strong.
Quietly carrying a grief that has nowhere to go.
This is an area I understand deeply, both professionally and personally, and one I care about enormously.
If your Bupa policy covers counselling, I offer both online therapy across the UK and face-to-face sessions in Cornwall.
Baby loss changes more than what happened. It changes the future you thought you were going to have
Using your Bupa health insurance
If you’re funding therapy through Bupa, the process is usually straightforward.
You’ll normally need your membership number and an authorisation code before your first appointment.
If you’re unsure how this works, I’m always happy to explain it.
My aim is to make the practical side as simple as possible so that your energy can go into what really matters: your recovery.
Why people choose to work with me
Qualifications matter.
Experience matters.
But I believe something else matters just as much.
The relationship.
People often tell me they feel comfortable surprisingly quickly.
Not because therapy is easy.
But because they feel accepted exactly as they are.
The approaches I offer are ones I genuinely believe in.
I’m continually learning, refining my skills and combining the best evidence with practical experience so that every person receives the support that is right for them.
Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than hearing someone say:
“I feel like I’ve got my life back.”
Because ultimately, that’s what this work is about.
Helping people reconnect with the life they want to live.
Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than hearing someone say, ‘I feel like I’ve got my life back’
Questions people often ask
Can I have counselling online through Bupa?
Can I use Bupa for EMDR?
Yes. Where EMDR is clinically appropriate and authorised under your policy, it can usually be included within your treatment.
Do I need a GP referral?
That depends on your policy. Some people can self-refer through Bupa, while others may first speak with a GP or a Bupa clinician.
How many sessions does Bupa provide?
Taking the first step
If you’ve read this far, you’ve probably been carrying something important.
You don’t have to carry it on your own.
Whether you’re looking for counselling, EMDR therapy, support after baby loss or simply a space where you can begin making sense of what’s been happening, I’d be honoured to walk alongside you.
Even if life feels incredibly dark at the moment…
…there is a light on somewhere
Sometimes we simply need someone to help us find it.
Get in touch
If you’d like to arrange an appointment or ask any questions about using your Bupa health insurance, you’re very welcome to get in touch.
Our first conversation isn’t about pressure or commitment.
It’s simply an opportunity to see whether I’m the right therapist for you.