Michael Aspden
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
As an accredited counsellor/psychotherapist, I work with individuals & couples - developing strategies for better living. This includes effective mood management (eg. for anxiety, depression, anger), increasing self-confidence, improving relationships and processing loss.
Working together in a safe space, we can explore how thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationship dynamics can interact - and the influence of past experience. My role is to help you identify helpful shifts in thinking, behaviour and communication - and to support you in the process of making changes.
I've over 20 years of working with a range of client issues (see 'Areas of counselling' below). I see individuals and couples for both brief and longer-term therapy. Brief focused therapy can be up to 6 sessions (though can be extended if helpful). I work collaboratively, adapting my approach to the needs and objectives of each person or couple - and there will be an emphasis on your strengths and resources in dealing with real-life issues. I've often worked with men's concerns - which can be helpful both for male clients & their partners.
Appointments are by online video or 'phone, which offers you practical accessibility. Appointments are usually weekly or bi-weekly and last for 50 or 30 minutes (see Additional information). If you’d like to discuss further, I suggest you contact me in the first instance and tell me more about what you’re looking to work on. It's also helpful if you can indicate your availability, so that I can see if I could offer a suitable appointment.
Training, qualifications & experience
I initially qualified as a Psychodynamic Counsellor and, subsequently, as a Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Couple Therapist. I've also undertaken post-qualifying trainings in CBT, EMDR, Clinical Supervision, Solution Focused Brief Therapy and Mindfulness and would describe my approach as integrative/eclectic. I've worked in a range of settings including GP's practice, counselling agencies, EAP providers and private practice.
Member organisations
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).
Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.
Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.
All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Men's issues.
Therapies offered
Fees
£46.00 - £60.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
- Individual 50 min appointments: £46 (please contact me concerning lower fees for 30 min follow-up appointment/s - also fees for concessions).
- Couple 50 min appointments: £60 (please contact me if you wish to discuss concessions).
- Clinical supervision appointments for individuals: £46 (please contact me if you wish to discuss concessions).
Please also contact me by 'phone for further information, or to discuss an initial appointment/check potential appointment times.
When I work
Daytime and evening appointments (subject to availability).
