About me
I have always run practice at a steady 70-80% capacity, so I can normally take urgent and suitable new referrals. I do have some spaces to see new clients.
Registered Provider to BUPA, AXA. WPA and all other private medical insurance (PMI) companies
With 20+ years of experience working with people in all sorts of settings, experience counts for very little if a counsellor cannot fully understand exactly what problem the person is actually facing.
It is not unusual that a person might say I have what they describe as anxiety for example.
Symptoms of anxiety can present in so many different ways.
There is an art and a skill that take years for a counsellor to develop, so an effective counsellor can create a sense of security to ensure that trust develops between the counsellor and the person they are working with.
Trust is the key ingredient in developing a confidential space where someone can feel safe, allowing them, with the right level of support, to begin to address whatever needs to be addressed in counselling.
Understanding how a person thinks and works is also an essential ingredient in the counselling relationship. It is not unusual that when an effective counsellor blends the correct processes, resulting in a rapid transformation and empowerment for a client.
Safeguards need to be in place to ensure the practice meets and exceeds ethical and professional guidelines. Andy has been A BACP-accredited counsellor/psychotherapist since 2004.
Andy holds an up-to-date Safeguarding certificate and an up-to-date enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate. This certificate is on display in the counselling room.
Often, people I work with ask me to use one of my therapy dogs in the sessions. A therapy dog can make a world of difference in the counselling room.
Exploring the problem is the beginning of the work and can often take us off in all sorts of directions to solve the presenting problem. With the solution always in mind, an effective counsellor can draw on a person's past ways of solving situations to form part of new ways to address current dilemmas.
It is the counsellor’s job to look at all aspects of what has caused a person to seek out a counsellor. Often looking at the symptoms in a logical, systemic way and seeing what connects to what – a bit like piecing a jigsaw together.
Sometimes counselling might need to involve other agencies. If this is the case, then Andy is very experienced in working with a whole host of multi-agency working.
Sometimes, it is not possible to bring about a change right away, and we need to learn new skills – this is perfectly normal and acceptable and is an essential task of counselling. There is no pressure or limit to the number of sessions a person might need.
If counselling support is going to be effective, then it makes sense for everyone to be reasonable about the outcome counselling can have. For some people/families and organisations, counselling can be quite transformational. For others, Counselling can be a good tool to help someone cope in a more effective, resilient way.
We all can change, given the right opportunity and the right tools.
For change to be sustainable, a person must leave counselling with a better understanding of themselves and, more importantly, leave counselling with the right tools to enable continued self-change. Checking in with a counsellor you have previously worked with can be a good idea and a way to stay on top of the hectic lives we all lead.
85% of Andy’s work is from referrals or recommendations from past clients, and Andy is a registered provider to most of the major medical insurance companies
I work with the following
extensive experience in working with adults and children with Autism and ADHD
Abuse, ADD/ADHD, addiction(s), adoption, adoption issues, anger management, anxiety, asperger ayndrome, bereavement, business coaching, cancer, career coaching, child related issues, chronic fatigue syndrome/ME therapy, coaching supervision, cultural issues, depression, disability, dissociation, eating disorders, xecutive coaching, general counselling, health related issues, identity problems, leadership coaching, life coaching, loss, men’s issues, mental health issues, obsessions, OCD, personal development, phobias, post-traumatic stress, pregnancy related issues, redundancy, relationships, self-esteem, self-harm, service veterans, sex related issues, sexual identity, sexuality, stress, trauma, women’s issues, Work related issues, relationship Issues.
Training, qualifications & experience
Post grad Diploma in counselling
BACP Accreditation 2004
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£54.00 - £90.00
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
First appointment
Our first appointment will be an opportunity for us to meet face to face in the environment where we would both be working.The initial session gives everyone concerned a chance to explore what has caused us to meet and it will also give you a sense of how working together would feel if we both decide to work behond the intial session.
The first session is without obligation on either side to continue past the first meeting. If we felt we couldnt work together i would most probably recommend someone who could prossibly work with you. This doesnt happen very often but on the ocassions it does then i will try my best to recommend some with the correct skill and experience to work with you. Aditional letters or reports would be charged for at an agreed fee.
If we are going to work together it is important to agree how and when we carry this out. It is important to agree many things in the first meeting. This is what counsellors call a contact. This is nothing to worry about as it a way of ensuring counselling is an effective and safe tool to help you.
Counselling sessions £55 (some concessions available*)
Telephone or online counselling POA
Counselling for couples POA
Report Writing POA
Day rate POA
Training Rate POA
Consultancy £95.00 per hour
Supervision £55.00 per hour- some concessions available
Group Supervision with upto four persons £75.00
Travelling Rate 0.48p per mile
* I make a provision within my private practice to have three concession places at any one time.
When I work
I always have run my practice at a 70-80% capacity so i always have room for suitable urgent referrals Daytime and Evening appointments are available. .
