Andy Geddes

I have considerable expertise formed having lived through many of the painful life-experiences that so many of us struggle with.  

I trained at The Metanoia Institute as an integrative therapist, which means I can employ a mix of techniques depending on the particular concerns of the person and the uniqueness of the moment.  I have years of experience working this way with people of every age, race, gender and background.

These are tough and profoundly challenging times!  How do we face unexpected emotional upheavals?  They can feel so overwhelming can’t they?  How can we learn to cope with the grief and the loss of a loved one, or the depression and anxiety that can follow sudden unemployment? Is it possible to heal and repair a broken relationship and come to terms with the painful fall out from an affair?  Can we ever be free of the deep anxiety and despair originating in our distant past and childhood trauma? 

Do we have to simply accept that these feelings will be painfully present with us indefinitely, or can we somehow integrate them into our lives so that like persistent nightmares, they no longer keep us awake at night?  I am convinced from my own experience that we can indeed move on and that in time, with effort and the right help, change and healing is possible.

I aim to provide a warm, safe and empathic space where you can be heard without judgement; where whatever it is, we can explore it together.  I try to listen to both what is said and to what is not always so easy to say.     

I believe that our work is more than about overcoming a problem; not just about getting back to where we were before.  My conviction is that by integrating whatever it is that causes us to suffer, we can come through enriched, stronger, more creative and compassionate than before.

Counselling sessions for individuals last 50 minutes, usually taking place on a weekly basis, and cost £60 per session. I also provide a limited number of spaces for those on low-income or for students; contact me to enquire about availability. Initial assessment appointments last around 75 minutes.

For many of us, these times are tough and the challenges that we find ourselves up against, big. Not-withstanding the shock to all of us of the Covid 19 global pandemic, we are faced with other crises that seem to threaten our survival too. The threat of climate change is particularly urgent and the growing rifts in society associated with wealth inequality do not seem to be closing any time soon. Many people have faced loss of employment or great uncertainty around their future work. Despite the extraordinary advances in technology and our capacity to communicate globally through the internet, there is a deepening worry around the impact that social media has on our young people in particular and that echoes a sense of rapid fragmentation in society in general.

No wonder that against such a backdrop we often feel powerless in the face of forces over which we have little or no control. And that’s ‘just’ the big stuff. No wonder too, that so many people are suffering from anxiety and depression and a generalised sense that life and everything is overwhelming; just all too much!
As a consequence, it’s understandable that even the most resilient amongst us can feel hopeless and despairing sometimes, even before we consider our unique situation, the personal dimensions of our lives and the difficult struggles that seem unique to just us.

Working with Men
I have a particular interest in working with men or the partners of men struggling to understand them.
From the experience of my own journey through childhood, adolescence and into manhood, I have a personal, awareness and sympathy toward the position that so many men and young men find themselves at this point in time.
Although there have been positive shifts toward a more equitable and fairer society and men are perhaps more able than they were to find expression for their emotions, there still seems a long way to go. 
In times of crisis, many of us are less likely to have supportive people around us to whom we can turn.  It can be hard to confide difficult and complex emotions, even to a close friend, when there is not the language with which to express them, never mind a space, where tears can flow without judgement or embarrassment.
When relationships fall apart the shock, sense of confusion anger and bitter resentment, with no-one to turn to, can be unbearable!
I can provide a friendly sympathetic and understanding space where we can talk these things through freely together in confidentiality and for as long as it takes.