Michael Coleman

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MBACP. Individuals & Couples
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5QL
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Welcome to this page which I hope you find informative and helpful.

I imagine, as you are looking at these profiles, that possibly you currently are struggling with issues or events in your life, maybe current difficulties or past memories? Possibly struggling with feelings such as  depression, anxiety, fear, anger or other feelings which are causing a negative effect on your well-being?

Please accept this introduction to counselling in general and more specifically an introduction to my thoughts and beliefs on the opportunities counselling therapy can offer.

From experience I belief that the single most important factor in achieving a successful outcome is the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist.

For my part, my principle concern is you, your emotional and psychological well being and how I might best support you through all that you are currently experiencing.

I will work with you to establish a nurturing, trusting and supportive relationship where you are heard and understood. Offering you a safe, confidential and non-judgemental environment with space and time to allow sensitive attention to your needs, where you are able to freely explore your issues while being valued, appreciated and understood, where you can be yourself.

We would work together at your pace, to help clarify your feelings and thoughts, so that you may gain a clearer understanding and insight of the person you are, understand better how you became this person and how you may want to move forward to realising your own potential to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life.

Training, qualifications & experience

Training and Qualifications:

  • Diploma in Integrative Counselling, accreditated by the BACP. Inter-Psyche Centre for Counselling & Psychotherapy.
  • Diploma in High intensity CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy). The Association for Psychological Therapies, Leicester.
  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing), Level1, intermediate and level 2. EMDR - Europe Association and EMDR International association.
  • Motivational Interviewing. KCA
  • Certificate in Principle Theories of Counselling, the Centre for Counselling, Training and Development, London.
  • Certificate in Systemic Family Therapy Training. Tavistock clinic, London
  • Certificate in Couples Counselling.

In addition I invest over 45 hours per year on continued professional development to maintain and broaden my skills and interests through workshops and conferences which have included:

  • Working with Diversity.
  • Dream work.
  • Loss and Bereavement.
  • Learning from Life.
  • NLP.
  • Working with anger.
  • Humour in the counselling session.
  • Transactional Analysis in practice.
  • Sexual Abuse & Trauma.
  • Working with Shame
  • Life at the Edge, an exploration of Borderline Personality Disorder.

I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

Experience

I consider my professional training  along with my own extensive life experiences has given me significant professional and personal strengths to work sensitively and confidently with a wide range of presenting issues or difficulties.

As a counsellor I have worked for the past thirteen years, for Substance Misuse Charities, with individuals, couples and families who are afflicted by various forms of addictions including alcohol, illicit and prescribed drugs.

I have been in private practice for over 15 years, working with individuals and couples who have presented with varied and complex issues.

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Fees

£45.00 per session
Free initial telephone session

Additional information

Finding the right person to work with, is a most important 1st step and I would encourage clients to take the time to meet several counsellors before making a decision.

Fee's

  • £45 for individual sessions of 50 minutes
  • £60 for couples session of 60 minutes
  • £50 for EMDR sessions of a minimum of 60 minutes

I offer concessions to students, unemployed and pensioners.

AVAILABILITY

I seek to offer sessions that are mutually convenient and accordingly offer day-time, evening and week-end sessions.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Current availability includes week-day evenings and mornings on Saturdays and Sundays. I seek to work with clients at mutually convenient times and days.

Further information

Relationship Counselling

Relationship counselling aims to support couples to understand and resolve conflicts and improve their relationship. Relationship counselling can give couples the tools to better communicate, negotiate differences, problem solve and even argue in a healthier way.

Relationship counselling can be short term, you may need only a few sessions to help you weather a crisis. Or you may need more long term attention, particularly if your relationship has greatly deteriorated.

Infidelity, illness, , sex, anger, communication problems can all contribute to distress in marriages or other relationships. Couples Counselling can help resolve conflicts and heal wounds. It can help rebuild your relationship. Or... help you decide that you may both be better off by separating.


Trauma:

Psychological trauma can occur following a severely distressing event or series of events that completely overwhelm a person's ability to cope or integrate the ideas and emotions involved in the experience(s).

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop after exposure to any event that involves actual or threatened death or serious physical injury to the person or another and that that person felt intense fear.

Common symptoms that can define Trauma and PTSD are:

  • Repeated intrusive distressing memories of the event(s).
  • 'Flashbacks' or nightmares, a sense of reliving or re-experiencing the event(s) which can be very distressing and disorientating.
  • Physical reactions such as shaking, perspiration and rapid heart beat.

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is a rapidly expanding trauma therapy that is approved by NICE (National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence) as a recommended treatment for PTSD following its' success in working with trauma victims (eg; road traffic accidents, sexual, physical or emotional abuse, victims of violent crime).

EMDR is now used to work with with a broader spectrum of issues including anxiety (phobias, panic attacks, OCD) to experiences such as grief, pain and depression.

189 Kent Street, Mereworth, West Malling, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 5QL

Type of session

In person
Phone

Types of client

Young people (13-17)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Couples

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Additional languages

French

French

Michael Coleman
Michael Coleman