Ben Ford
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I bring compassion, a depth of psychological awareness, and years of experience working with people to feel better and thrive in their life. I work with people who have experiences of adversity and trauma, as well as those wanting to address their anxiety and depression related issues.
Why me?
I have over 10 years experience working with people’s mental health and wellbeing, spanning a variety of people and settings. These include adult mental health care in the NHS, addiction recovery, youth offenders, people with dementia, physical and learning difficulties, in prisons, and community music groups.
Right now, as well as private practice therapist, I also work for an addiction recovery charity running therapeutic retreats and support groups.
I am in a good position to help not only because I am qualified to a high degree, but I have spent years learning to look after my own mental health and recover from adverse experiences in childhood and adulthood. This doesn’t mean that I immediately understand all of my clients feelings, but I do share the common experience of seeking help and figuring out how to thrive in life, in spite of adversity.
How I work
My training was Integrative, meaning that I can draw from a variety of models, theories and practices to match the uniqueness of your situation. I am also trained in EMDR, which is a form of trauma reprocessing therapy. From a foundation of Humanistic principles, I mainly combine Polyvagel theory, the working theories from EMDR, and Transactional Analysis in my client work.
I do not assume that the problems my clients face are just biological, or a problem of the self. I also understand how economic, social, political and relational environments also affect our mental health. I enable clients to explore their current and historical contexts, so that they can increase awareness of their perceptions, reactions, and narratives.
Our bodies, too, play an important role in feeling well. When we experience emotion, it is felt in our bodies. I can help clients to understand how their neurobiological systems can be regulated, through experiential practices and discussions. This helps people to regain a sense of control and empowerment over their mental health. I also hold an understanding of the effects of living with neurodiversities like dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD.
If you would like to book an appointment, or have a free initial 15 minute consultation, feel free to get in touch either through email, or give me a call.
I run an online booking system, so you can book sessions at a time and frequency that suits you.
Thanks for taking the time to look at my profile!
Training, qualifications & experience
I was awarded a distinction in MSc Integrative Counselling from Bangor University. I also have a first class degree in English Language and Philosophy from Cardiff University. I completed an 8 day standard EMDR accredited training in 2023. I am an accredited member of the BACP, and a member of the UK EMDR association.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions cost £60 and last 50 minutes.
I also longer sessions for EMDR processing, these are 75 minutes and are £90
Payment is made either by bank transfer, or cash, before, on during the session.
Cancellations within 24hrs of the session or missed sessions are charged the full fee.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
I run an online booking system. I can be more flexible in my working hours with online and phone sessions, whereas face to face sessions are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.
