Terence Bentley

You're faced with a bewildering choice of therapists. Who should you pick? How can you tell who's going to be right for you? I'd suggest weighing up two factors in particular when you scan the listings: depth and breadth of training resulting in a theoretical foundation that you can trust, and an approach to practice that treats you as the complex individual you are rather than just another 'case' of X, Y or Z.

My experience as a therapist goes back to 1997, when I qualified as a person-centred and existential counsellor/psychotherapist after taking part in the highly regarded three-year FACETS programme at London's City University. This founding stage of my professional development included more than 750 hours of study with such eminent tutors as Maria Luca and David White.

Ten years later I embarked on training at the Quest Institute in Regent's College, London, under the world-renowned originator of Cognitive Hypnotherapy, Trevor Silvester (former Ethics Director and Supervision Director of the UK's most reputable accreditation body, the National Council for Hypnotherapy), gaining a Distinction in the Diploma in Cognitive Hypnotherapy and a Practitioner's Certificate in Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). I also trained in EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) and studied the work of many other leading exponents of the most modern and sophisticated psychological therapy techniques.

The extent of my training gives a spectrum of perspectives and practices from which I can precisely match your needs…

• I use a humanistic, person-centred & existential model of psychotherapy and counselling to assure you of a truly safe, non-judgmental environment. The existential element allows a more dynamic and stimulating process than you’d be likely to get from old-school person-centred or psychodynamic styles of therapy.

• Popular TV and movie representations of hypnotism are misleading. With Cognitive Hypnotherapy you'll encounter no swinging watches or 'look into my eyes' weirdness, and you can forget about stunts involving people dancing like chickens. There's no flaky mysticism and absolutely no loss of control. Trance is an everyday state we all experience. Have you ever 'zoned out' while driving so that by the time you reach your destination you can't really remember how you got there? Have you lost an hour or two with your head in a book? These are states akin to hypnosis. The Cognitive model is at the leading edge of the field, integrating the best of psychotherapy with the latest scientific findings. You know what’s going on throughout sessions and simply enjoy a sense of relaxation and calm.

• NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming – but don't let the clunky American terminology put you off. This extraordinarily useful model of dealing with life issues is more about deprogramming. By enabling us to reframe and redefine our habitual patterns of language and thought, it helps bring about profound changes in the way we feel, think and behave.

• Also known as ‘tapping’, EFT is Emotional Freedom Technique: it’s one of those slightly unusual therapies that can seem almost too good to be true. There are speculative scientific explanations of how it works but it can sometimes feel more like magic… For many people it brings about truly surprising results in a short space of time.

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Nobody I see is palmed off with standardised, formulaic procedures. I recognise that every client is a unique individual. There's no such thing as a cure-all and what works fabulously for one person may be ineffective for another.

Some reputable therapists in respected disciplines operate largely according to stock definitions of problems and corresponding off-the-shelf treatments. If you happen to fit neatly into one of their predetermined 'boxes' you may come away with a good result. That's not how it is with me. I understand that the causes of most people's problems are complex and often messily interrelated, so I never jump to simplistic conclusions about how to treat them. With multiple techniques at my disposal, I tailor what I offer specifically and precisely to you at each stage of your particular process.

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Central south London location near Brockwell Park – convenient access from King's Cross, Blackfriars, London Bridge, Victoria, via Herne Hill/Tulse Hill rail/Brixton tube.

assertiveness
breaking negative habits
concentration & focus
confidence building
crisis management
embarrassment
enhancing social skills
exam nerves (& interviews, driving tests, etc)
feeling stuck/finding life direction
headaches/migraines
IBS
insecurities
interpersonal skills development
lack of energy
life/career coaching
loss of libido
mid-life crisis
motivation & goal-setting
negative thoughts
overcoming superstition/indoctrination
pain control & pain management
panic attacks
performance anxiety & stage fright
personnel management/leadership
post-traumatic stress
public speaking
regression
relaxation (general or specific)
relationship difficulties
skin conditions
sleep disturbances & insomnia
sports performance improvement
weight loss & weight control

Please see my website. Note that Mon-Fri daytime sessions cost less than evenings (I don't work during weekends). I also always try to keep some concessionary slots available at still more affordable fees for those on low incomes. Please don't hesitate to ask if you think you may qualify.

I don't offer a free initial session as such but there’s no risk in arranging an appointment with me. You can try before you buy. I treat the preliminary consultation as a chance for us both to evaluate: if at the end of our first meeting you (or I) don't feel that further work together will be worthwhile, you may choose not to pay. If we do agree to proceed, that first session is charged at my standard rates and we go on from there.

Your safety and security are assured. All my practice conforms to the strict requirements of the BACP and NCH codes of ethics and conduct, as well as those of the CNHC, and I am fully insured in all relevant aspects of professional and public liability.