I am Peter Dunn, a fully trained, qualified integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor working with The Eaves Counselling and Psychological Services in Guildford. The Eaves provides counselling in Guildford and surrounding areas including Godalming, Farnham and Haslemere (https://theeaves.org.uk).
‘Integrative’ means I can draw on a range of approaches to counselling, not just one. The approaches I use are person-centred (sometimes called humanistic) combined with psychodynamic methods and, depending on your needs and preferences, elements of Gestalt, transactional analysis and cognitive behavioural techniques as well.
‘Psychotherapeutic’ means I have the necessary skills to help you look deeper at what is troubling you, and where the issue has come from. This can take time, but is often the first step in finding a way of resolving the difficulty so that it ceases to dominate your emotional life.
The following list is not exhaustive and it includes most of the issues that I have experience of, or a particular interest in helping with:
Addictions
Anger management
Anxiety
Autism and Asperger’s (ASD)
Bereavement and loss
Bullying (adults, including workplace bullying)
Career matters
Depression
Discrimination
Divorce, separation, endings
Emotional abuse
Faith and culture
Identity concerns
LGBTQ+ issues (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning)
Loneliness
Low self-esteem
Meaning of life and existential matters
Men’s issues
Oppressive upbringing and its after-effects
Physical abuse
Redundancy and unemployment
Relationship difficulties
Victimisation
I have experience of working with people who are neuro diverse, such as those on the Autism spectrum.
Please note that I do not work with children or provide couples therapy.
It is often difficult to talk about the most painful feelings. A skilled, well-supervised counsellor like me can help you identify and then explore what is wrong - in ways that friends of family members often cannot.
Integrative counsellors like me make use of a range of approaches and techniques. Starting with a person-centred approach, I will work according to your preferences to establish trust and build a good working relationship with you. This is the basis of effective therapy: if you feel safe and comfortable with your counsellor, you are almost sure to benefit from therapy. Quite soon, clues will probably arise about issues in your past that you have never really thought about; or maybe you have thought about them a lot, but not come to terms with them yet. Using psychodynamic methods, I can help you unpack painful emotions that may have arisen from earlier events and have become hard to shift. This can enable you to be aware of your feelings, and more in control of them. Some people like to do this just by talking, while others enjoy creative methods such as drawing, writing, doing ‘homework’ between sessions, or experimenting with objects like buttons, emotion cards, Russian dolls, etc. Some people like to use therapy to rehearse different ways of framing, and managing, their problems. These methods, which include Gestalt and cognitive-behavioural therapy, can be transformative. Many people continue to use them as self-help tools long after therapy has finished. But often, the process of talking through your feelings, being heard, understood and acknowledged is what works best; enhancing your awareness of what is going on, lifting your mood and enabling your problems to be more open to change.
Having qualified as a counsellor in later life, I can help people who are grappling with major life changes such as retirement, being an ‘empty nester’, and managing chronic illness. I have recent experience of counselling people around depression, anxiety, bereavement, illness, family problems, and making the most of neuro diversity. Some people seek counselling just to help find more satisfaction in life. If that is something that you are thinking about, I can help you resolve existential questions about making life meaningful.
I qualified with the Diploma in Integrative Counselling in 2022. I have a degree in Social Science and a Diploma in Social Work. I have worked in professional helping roles for over forty years. I have experience of helping victims of violent crime, supporting people through bereavement, and working with life-limiting health conditions. I have worked extensively with LGBTQ+ communities. I have first-hand experience of responding to workplace bullying and discrimination. In 2010 my research with victims of homophobic violence earned me a PhD in sociology.
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and am currently working towards full BACP accreditation.
My fees start at £45 per session on-line or £50 face-to-face. I am happy to offer you a 30 minute consultation by phone or online, free of charge, to help you decide if you would like me to work with you.
Counselling and psychotherapy are often referred to as ‘talking therapies’. This is where people can be helped by talking about their problems or their difficult feelings with someone who has been trained to help them. All counsellors and psychotherapists who have membership of a professional association must hold a counselling or psychotherapy qualification. We work to strict standards of practice. These are enforced by our professional association, which includes BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy) and UKCP (UK Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy).
I work in two locations. My own counselling room near Guildford is on the ground floor and there is one step at the door, with a toilet nearby on the ground floor. The location is not easily accessible by public transport but there is plenty of parking right outside the door. The toilet is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.
The room I use at The Eaves Counselling and Psychological Services Guildford is also on the ground floor and is step-free. There is an accessible toilet with a wide door and adaptations.
Please note that I only work with people through pre-planned appointments. I cannot offer a crisis service, emergency help, or instant telephone counselling.
If you are in urgent need of help, especially if you are thinking of harming yourself, please contact
The Samaritans at https://www.samaritans.org (phone 116 123);
or do an internet search for ‘emergency mental health helpline’.
You may be able to access an emergency mental health service near you via the NHS web site: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/
While it is often possible to find solutions to our problems ourselves, when things are very difficult it can feel impossible to resolve what is so troubling without having skilled help. You might be in despair and not really know why. Or sometimes, there might just be a need for someone to talk things through with. I will listen to you carefully. I will not make assumptions about you or judge you. Using a person-centred approach combined with my natural warmth and empathy, I can gently enable you to unpack the issues you are struggling with.
Counsellors who are members of these or other similar professional associations are governed by a strictly enforced ethical and supervisory system. They should uphold high standards of professional practice, including confidentiality, be supervised by someone qualified to do so, and undergo regular professional training and skill development.
This page of the BACP web site gives information about what you can expect from counselling and how it works: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-therapy/what-is-counselling/
This link will take you to an article that explains the difference between counselling and psychotherapy: https://www.brightonandhovepsychotherapy.com/blog/the-difference-between-counselling-and-psychotherapy-2/
