Bernie Forde
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi I’m Bernie,
I work with people to help them come to terms with their problems, so they can move on and have better lives. Better still, through facing their problems in counselling, I find most people I work with grow stronger emotionally, psychologically and intellectually. This way they become more self-reliant and able to cope better with any future challenges that come their way.
You are at the heart of my practice, so the foundation of my work is client centred and humanistic. This means you can expect to be accepted as you are, with empathy and without judgement, and for me to be open and genuine with you.
Counselling, coaching and therapy, together
There’s no magic approach to therapy that works for everyone. So I trained as an “integrative” practitioner. This means I studied a range of therapies, and bring the parts that I think are most useful together, in the way that I believe will work best for each unique person.
I’ve studied several excellent traditional and contemporary therapies, and am qualified to integrate them into my practice. I’m interested in philosophy too, and find it has a lot to offer in therapy.
I’m also highly qualified and well experienced as a coach. This gives us lots of options for how we can approach things, and we can talk about this and decide what works best for you.
My background
A little about me: I began work in this field 17 years ago. Over these years I studied for two Masters level qualifications (an MSc and a Post Grad Diploma), and gained practical training & experience within the NHS. Before this I had another career, working around the world, with many successes and challenges. I faced big personal challenges too. Working through them, with help at times, was life changing. So I know how well counselling and therapy can work, from both sides. I come from a big family, and I’m father to three children. All of this contributes to who I am, and what I can bring to my work.
What I can help you with
I help people with problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, relationship problems, problems with work, difficulty in family relationships and many more; often people need help with more than one of these at the same time.
The next step
Please feel free to get in contact by email or phone on 07942 688007 to arrange your free 30 minute initial consultation.
Training, qualifications & experience
- MBACP
- Post Graduate Diploma, Integrative Counselling and Coaching (Distinction), School of Psychology, University of East London
- Master of Science Degree, Coaching and Behavioural Change, Henley Business School, University of Reading
- Certificate in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming)
- NHS (Tier 1) Counsellor training and Supervision
- Honorary Counsellor, NHS
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
Free initial telephone or online session
Additional information
Initial Consultation
An opportunity to explain your situation and to get to know me, so that you can be confident that I understand you and am right for you (30 minutes) Free of Charge
Assessment Session
I will ask you some questions to get a good understanding of the problems you've been experiencing; we will agree what changes you want to work on and how we will go about it together (50 minutes)
Weekly Appoinment
This will be your regular session, the same day and time each week, for as long as we agree to continue working together (50 minutes)
*Personal & household finances vary considerably, so I invite my clients to choose the amount they feel comfortable paying, within this range.
Call or text me on 07942 688007 or email me to discuss your requirements.
When I work
I am available from Monday to Saturday, with first appointments starting at 09:30 a.m. to latest appointments starting at 6:00 p.m.
Further information
What you can expect when we first meet
In your first session, I’ll help you feel comfortable to be yourself with me. You’ll be able to tell me what’s been going on, and how it’s a problem for you. I’ll ask some questions to make sure I understand you as well as possible, and you can ask me any questions you have, too. It will be a chance for us to begin to get to know each other.
You sometimes hear these referred to as “assessment sessions”, which is true, because I’ll be assessing your situation and how I can best help you; at the same time, you’ll be assessing me, to be sure I’m the right therapist for you. If you’ve got a lot to tell me, it may take longer than one session, and that’s ok, we can continue next time. We’ll talk about what you want from counselling so we can be sure we’re on the same page, and we’ll agree how we’re going to work together.
Call or text me on 07942 688007 or email me to discuss your requirements.
