Welcome, and thank you for looking at my web site. I am a fully qualified and professionally supervised psychotherapeutic counsellor. I provide in-person counselling at my comfortable counselling room near Guildford, and on-line counselling anywhere.
If you are looking for counselling in or around London but don’t want to pay high London prices, you can have counselling on-line with me at a lower cost. It can work well, like counselling in-person.
I hope the information that follows will help you decide if you might like me to work with you.
I can help with a range of issues, including
I have experience in helping people adjust to an ASD or ADHD diagnosis, and I have worked well with people whose gender identity is non-binary or who are transitioning.
I do not work with couples, children, or people who are struggling with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
I will listen to you carefully without judging you. I will not attempt to push a particular agenda at you. This results in a positive therapeutic relationship that can help you feel safe and understood. Then together we can gently explore the issues you are struggling with.
Using psychodynamic methods enables us to explore patterns from your past that are causing difficulties in the present. Gaining awareness of where difficult thoughts and emotions come from can enable you to resolve the issues - or at least come to terms with them. CBT work can immediately enable new ways of managing a difficulty, to take the pressure of yourself while you explore deep-seated issues. Some people like Gestalt methods. These involve creative ways of working, including writing and drawing that can help bring obscured feelings into awareness.
Most people have the solutions to their problems within themselves. I cannot solve the problems you are grappling with. But I can ask you the right questions and make some constructive links that might enable you to find the solutions you want.
I came to counselling later in life, following a serious illness that caused me to retire early (from which I have recovered). I have a degree in social science, and I qualified as a social worker in 1984. I have worked in professional helping roles for over forty years. I have experience in helping people affected by violent crime and of supporting people with life-limiting health conditions. I have first-hand experience of responding to workplace discrimination and bullying. In 2010, my research with gay men who had endured homophobic violence resulted in me gaining a PhD.
I qualified as a counsellor in 2022 with a Diploma in Integrative Counselling from the Awareness Centre https://theawarenesscentre.com. During training I undertook placements with NHS counselling services and The Eaves Counselling and Psychological Services https://theeaves.org.uk. I also hold the Counselling Tutor Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling.
I charge £55 per session in person, £50 via Zoom. A counselling session normally lasts fifty minutes. Occasionally I can offer a slight reduction in fees, including for counsellors in training.
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and I work to their high professional and ethical standards. I have regular supervision from a qualified counselling supervisor, and I attend training for my continuing professional development.
My counselling room near Guildford is on the ground floor, with car parking right outside the door. There is one step from the car park to the door. There is a toilet on the same level, though unfortunately the toilet is not large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. I have experience of working with people who are neurodiverse.
I offer a telephone consultation of up to 30 minutes free of charge. This can help you decide if you want me to work with you, and it helps me assess if I have the necessary skills to help you. Please complete the contact form below and I will get back to you as soon as possible (usually within 24 hours). If you prefer, the free consultation can be via Zoom.
As an integrative counsellor, I am qualified in a range of counselling methods. I use person-centred methods combined with psychodynamic working and sometimes, Gestalt and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). This means I can combine counselling methods to suit your needs and preferences, and I am not restricted to one method. Working in a person-centred way means you will find me warm, empathic and friendly, sensitive to your feelings, and willing to work to your priorities.
How counselling works: 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/
If you need immediate help: 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/
