About me
Hello, I'm Aaron. I am Masters level qualified humanistic counsellor and registered member of the BACP. I'm currently taking on new clients for face to face or online sessions. Choosing to embark on a therapeutic journey with me I hope that my passion, open mindedness and dedication to you comes through in my work. I find that my sensitive but committed style of therapy is helpful for clients who are looking to explore the root of their issues and heal at a deep level, creating meaningful, lasting change.
People come to counselling for many reasons, each and every one as valid as the next. Typically though, this is due to experiencing some kind of hurt and pain, with the hopes of seeking change that lasts.
The modern world can feel overwhelming and confusing. For many of us it can be hard to make sense of it all, to know what to do, and we can struggle to feel understood. There is often pressure to think, feel or act a certain way and suppress our own wants and needs. Consequently, we can often feel disconnected and detached from our authentic self, leading to feelings of anxiety, depression and the need to escape.
Fostering an environment rooted in deep trust and without judgement, we can work together to sensitively explore the layers of your hurt, making our way through the issues which are most meaningful to you.
I relish working with the unknown, the hard to fathom and the confusion which underly many of our hardships. With an existential slant to my work, I welcome often daunting aspects of our existence such as; 'Why am I lacking meaning in my life?', 'How do I find purpose?', 'How do tackle the root of my suffering and create real change?'
My hope is that I can be alongside you to understand, untangle and make sense of your suffering in order to bring about change.
My method of working brings together approaches from the Humanistic school (Person centred, Emotion Focused, Gestalt and existential approaches to name a few). For those who are interested in understanding more about this please don't hesitate to ask or book a free 20 minute consultation call to discuss how my method of working may fit with your needs. My approach is based around allowing you to tap into your own inner resources and capacity to create lasting and meaningful change. I also regularly encourage active 'experiments'. This involves working together in a creative way to set up and trial engaging in different ways of being for the purpose of creating changes in your experience. This provides extremely valuable 'real time' material to explore in the session, allowing us to navigate through your issues in the hear and now. This can be a deeply fulfilling and empowering experience as you develop trust within yourself and your ability to heal beyond the confines of the counselling session and our time working together.
Whilst I do not choose to limit myself to any one particular client group I have found that my style of practice has been particularly successful working with the following issues: Anxiety, Low Mood, Self confidence and Self esteem issues, Relationship issues, Navigating difficult life choices, addiction and existential confusion to name a few. That being said, my way of working relationally means I am open to working with most presenting issues and I personally find it most fulfilling to welcome an array of needs and types of people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexuality etc.
I would describe my style of practice as open minded, warm, creative and fundamentally optimistic. You are capable of healing at a deep level and you have the potential not only to alleviate suffering but to go beyond this and flourish into the best version of yourself.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have a Masters in counselling and psychotherapy. The basis of my practice is rooted in Person Centred Therapy whilst blending other humanistic approaches, tailored to the nuances of your needs. I'm also a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy which means that I vow to work ethically and with the utmost integrity at all times.
I have experience counselling in NHS end of life care, addiction rehabilitation services and general practice. During this time I have supported people to come to terms with painful loss, achieve abstinence from problematic alcohol and substance use and gain greater clarity around who they are, what they want from life and how to navigate through their struggles to bring about major changes.
I have experience supporting individuals through extremely difficult periods with issues ranging from addiction, loss, anxiety, depression and suicidality as well as helping people to navigate through familial conflict, and issues relating to intimate relationships confidence, identity and self esteem.
Across my various roles I have come to learn that our issues are not in isolation, but rather interwoven with the very fabric of our lives and social world. With this in mind, I try always to see the person as a whole, including their history and social contexts.
I attend regular individual and group supervision in order to ensure I am improving and seeking to be the best I can possibly be for my clients.
Member organisations
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
I have a wealth of experience working with young people and teenagers across a variety of settings and I’m very familiar with helping young people navigate the struggles of modern life. This includes relationships, social media, bullying, identity, substance, neurodivergence and self esteem.
I currently counsel within an NHS palliative care setting and feel very confident supporting individuals and families affected by life limiting illness.
Therapies offered
Fees
£50.00 - £62.00
Additional information
When booking your first full session I ask that payment is sent to me via bank transfer 48 hours prior to the session.
I have availability for face to face or online sessions on evenings Tuesday - Friday and all day Friday.
I require 24 hours notice if you would like to cancel or rearrange the appointment otherwise you will still be required to pay for the session.
Further information
I currently deliver my remote counselling sessions via zoom. This platform is recommended by the NHS and has added security over other video conferencing services. It is always ensured that sessions take place in a private setting without interruptions to ensure your privacy and confidentiality. When you book with me you will be sent a link to join the mutually agreed scheduled session. This is easy and seamless.
I also offer home visits so that you can experience face to face counselling in the comfort of your own home. Please contact me to discuss this to ensure you are in a suitable distance
I offer an initial free of charge 20 minute introductory video call which you can choose to utilise if you wish to meet and discuss your presenting issues and get a feel for how I may be able to help before committing to your first session. This call will not take the format of a typical counselling session but instead me more of a conversation around what you wish to gain out of therapy. We can discuss my method of working and you can ask me any questions you like about how we may work through your issues together. Ultimately I want you to succeed, therefore this initial consultation offers a brilliant opportunity to explore if I would be a good match for you. If after this consultation you feel optimistic about working with me we can go ahead and book in your first full session.
