David Slade

How I can help

If your life has become ‘stuck’ for any reason, using the Human Givens (HG) approach I can help you take control, overcome barriers, gain understanding, discover your own inherent resources, find solutions, set goals, and get your life back on track in as few sessions as possible. I don’t ask continuous and unnecessary questions about your past or dwell on unhappy memories and feelings but rather focus on the future whilst you stay in control of the information you provide.

Why choose Human Givens therapy?

• Enables long-lasting improvements
• Takes as few sessions as possible
• Involves minimal dwelling on the past
• Explores your individual needs and resources
• Finds practical solutions to your problems

What are the Human Givens?

Although we are all unique individuals we all come into the world with the same basic physical and emotional needs: physical needs such as for air, food, shelter and warmth and emotional ones such as the need for:

• Security
• Attention
• Privacy
• Connection to the wider community
• Emotional connection to others
• Control
• Status
• Achievement
• Meaning or purpose

It is a law of nature that, if we are getting these innate needs met in a balanced way, we cannot become stressed or develop mental illness.

Nature also gave us a range of resources to help us meet those needs. These include:

• Memory
• Imagination
• Problem-solving abilities
• Self-awareness
• Capacity to dream
• Range of different thinking styles
• Ability to connect with others

These needs and resources are built into our biology and make up the ‘givens’ of human nature.

Therapists trained in the human givens approach focus on finding out what exactly is preventing a distressed person from getting their innate needs met and helping them do something about it by using their innate resources creatively in new ways.

What to expect in your first session

The treatment starts out with me finding out about you and your life and the difficulties you are currently experiencing. More often than not, right from the first session we will begin using relaxation methods, together with a wide range of other techniques. These exercises work to activate your own natural resources and are key to providing you with immediate relief from psychological stress.

We will also work out some achievable and realistic goals to focus on, starting with small manageable steps and continuing at a pace that suits you. We will work together to set goals that are clear and meaningful to you.

From here on we activate your natural resources to help you feel better and take back control of your life.

How long will it take?

Everyone’s situation is different, but I aim to take as few sessions as possible and you can expect improvements to begin from the first session. People rarely need more than six sessions to make significant progress and lasting improvements, often as few as three or four are necessary.

A recent study of the HG approach showed that nearly 75% of clients were ‘recovered’ or reliably improved within just 4 sessions.

Treatment ends when you’re happy that you’ve made enough progress to continue living a healthy life without regular assistance from me. (Human givens therapists do not encourage people to become dependent on therapy.)

About me

I am passionate about helping people through difficult periods in their lives in an increasingly fast-paced and complex world.

Originally, I trained in chemistry, environmental science and chemical engineering and worked in private & public sectors of industry. I then followed a career path into psychology and psychotherapy, achieving distinctions in qualifications for both. With my scientific background, I was very drawn to the HG approach, as it's based on current neuroscientific and psychological information and provides effective, evidence-based and safe methods to help improve people's lives.  I've also been a volunteer at Winston’s Wish (a child bereavement charity) for over 5 years working with and helping children who have suffered the loss of a parent/sibling.

When I'm not working, I enjoy spending time with my family, playing tennis, doing park runs, watching rugby, walking, playing piano, cooking and reading.

Where is my practice located?

I have a private therapy room at my home in Leighton Buzzard but I can travel to see clients or carry out sessions by telephone or on skype/face-time if required and appropriate. There is off-road parking available at my house and Leighton Buzzard railway station is only a 10 minute walk away.

Professional conduct

As an accredited member of the HG Institute, my professional behaviour and continuing professional development is monitored by the Institute, and I abide by its ethics policy and complaints procedure. I have full public liability insurance and enhanced DBS disclosure. The register of the HG Institute is accredited under the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care in the UK.

£85 per session (Session typically lasts about an hour or slightly longer)