About us

Who is behind Optima?

Amanda Larcombe is a highly skilled, professional, quality and results-driven facilitator of individual and organisational change, with over 20 years leadership and management experience in the public, private and voluntary sectors. She is an Executive, Business and Life Coach, BACP Accredited Counsellor, Supervisor (of coaches & counsellors), trainer, facilitator and published author.

Amanda is a member of the Association for Coaching and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. As such she adheres to their respective codes for ethical and professional practice.

As an Executive Coach...

Specialising in Senior Management development (Leadership / Personal) her portfolio of work includes the provision of leadership development and executive support at the University of Plymouth, the Royal Cornwall Hospital’s Trust, the Independent Health Sector and business owners. Her key skill areas include the:

• Development of emotional intelligence (self-awareness / impact on others)
• Identification of core values (decision making base line)
• Identification of limiting behaviours / patterns of thinking
• Development of strategies to enhance leadership performance
• Development of ability to enable self (self-care) and others
• Development of core leadership competencies: strategic thinking, decision making, problem solving, building relationships and influencing, coaching, planning & briefing, communication

Her proven ability to enable others is borne of her significant experience of working with the human condition; her natural creative, energetic style and her passionate desire to empower others. Her deep understanding of the human condition and an awareness of the systemic issues at play enables her to see patterns, unconscious responses and behaviours, and thereby work at the core. Drawing on a wide range of coaching approaches, she is able to understand and work with the unique needs of the individual: enabling the realization of personal, professional and business aspirations.

As an Accredited Counsellor/Psychotherapist...

Amanda is an Integrative Counsellor who uses a wide range of talking and creative therapies to bring about positive change. Underpinned by humanistic and gestalt philosophies she draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Transactional Analysis, Brief Therapy and creative therapies (including sandtray / writing / art) to empower clients to re-connect with themselves and life. She is experienced in working with relationship issues, domestic violence, addiction (drug & alcohol), abuse, self-harm, bereavement, self-esteem/ self-image issues, anxiety & depression. Specialising in the support and management of Executive Stress, she is also highly experienced in the organisational setting: working with stress (including PTSD), victimisation/bullying, sexual/racial harassment and workplace relationships.

As a Supervisor of coaches & counsellors...

Amanda is a highly experienced supervisor of counsellors, coaches, health professionals and business leaders. Working with professionals at all stages in their careers (student / newly qualified / senior practitioners) she is uniquely placed to provide truly holistic support and development opportunities, with supervisees being able to attend to their personal and professional development; self-care and support; client work; their adherence to ethical & professional frameworks for good practice; practice / business set up, management and development. Amanda’s approach is integrative. Based on humanistic and gestalt philosophies, she draws on several approaches for frameworks of learning, facilitation and growth. These include Transactional Analysis, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Brief Therapy and Creative Therapies (art, writing, sand tray). She is able to provide a non-judgemental, confidential and supportive environment that enables supervisees to bring to the supervisory session what is relevant to them.

Background

Amanda began her working life with a commission in the Royal Navy. During her eight year career she served in both the national and international arenas. She has since worked with the NHS, food manufacturing industry, legal services, professional training provision, the oil and gas industry, national and local charities: including completion of a significant piece of organisational research with the Devon & Cornwall Police. Alongside her therapeutic and coaching experience, she has specific expertise in personnel management, recruitment, development and training; organisational change and development, communication management, strategic planning, marketing and public relations.

Published work

Chapter on ‘Self Care in Counselling’ for the Second Edition of Counselling in Action’s ‘Key Skills in Counselling’: edited by Windy Dryden. Published by Sage in October 2008.

Two chapters for the publication ‘Researching and Writing about Work’, edited by Gardner & Coombs, entitled ‘Research in the public sector’ and ‘Going public – getting your work out to a wider audience’. Published by Routledge December 2009.

An element of her research was published in the Association for Counselling in the Work Place Journal in February 2007 (Counselling isn’t for the ‘completely bonkers’! – Counselling at Work, February 2007, Issue 55, pp.16-17) and in the ‘Study Notes’ feature of People Management in October 2008 (People Management, 2 October 2008, p.46).