Bradley Riddell

I am an Integratively trained counselling therapist, this means I have trained in many modalities/approaches so I will ensure that I fit the therapy to you, not you to the therapy

I work with people between the ages of 18 - 80.

I work with Couples, individuals and families, as required.

I work with issues relating to anxiety, depression, addiction, relationships & trauma.

These often incorporate problem gambling, alcohol dependency, drug use and self injurious behaviours, which almost always come with self denigrating thoughts about ones self worth and self image. 

Addictive behaviours and processes can be seen as an "acting out"  intended to either destroy ones felt sense of worthlessness or to enhance ones damaged self image, & they can often swing from one to the other & become quite blurred & undifferentiated.

One of the many benefits of therapy is to bring this into focus so differentiation is regained & to change our ingrained beliefs or "schemas".

Addiction is an illusion and a thief. It flatters to deceive and then steals our souls, relentlessly...but this can be changed & I will guide you in ways to achieve this.

I have over 25 years experience of working in this field and a lifetime of being around alcohol and drugs. I know from first hand experience the role addiction plays in the lives of so called “addicts” and their families and friends forced to bear witness from close quarters from my own life experience.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM COUNSELLING WITH ME?

I'm here for you to talk through whatever is on your mind, whatever is bothering you or causing you distress in complete confidence and without judgement.

We work at your pace and use your words and expressions to look at underlying feelings that motivate your behaviours and choices in your life.

Your feelings & thought processes affect your behaviours and choices, heavily informed by past events, memories, and expectations and emotions that emerged from those past experiences.

We will look at these together, re-frame them, update them & relieve them of their faulty beliefs, aka predictions, to set you free of those outdated beliefs that keep these addictions/anxieties/depressive thinking in place as your only chance of releif from them & leave you free to enjoy your future from here on in. 

How does that sound?

This process is absolutely confidential and you can disclose as much or as little as you feel comfortable with.

I will listen attentively and reflect back what I am hearing, what that might mean, where that may have come from and gently challenge those things that appear incongruous or sound as if they “don't quite fit”  because they don't, anymore!!!

We will unearth your real, current hopes, dreams and goals, ie: what you really  want, rather than what you have become so accustomed to over the years, where you’re going and where you want to be going. With this clearly in your mind we will set up a regular time that suits your schedule to work on those issues that you identify as needing attention in subsequent sessions.

My fee is £80 per individual session & £90 for couples. Sessions are for a full 60min hour @ £80, 90 mins @£100, 120 mins @ £120 

We will meet weekly, to begin with, but later sessions can be amended to fortnightly & later still to monthly, if required.

Additionally frequency can be increased subject to availability of course!

In the early days of counselling, however, regular meetings are recommended & advised (but NOT mandatory) to provide the opportunity to deal with issues as they arise between sessions.

I am mindful of the need to be as flexible as possible in these modern days of irregular working hours so feel free to call to discuss your timetable, I will do all I can to accommodate you.

Pick up the phone and call me for a free informal chat, or send me an email on bradrid@gmail.com or text me with a convenient time when I can call you?

I work both remotely and in person at my Brighton office at Intergen House, 65-67, Western Road, Hove BN3 2JQ.

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

Talking about ones problems can be very difficult and daunting, so relaxation & calmness are very important prerequisites to be able to do that.

A central tenet of my practice is to show you how to befriend your nervous system which makes accessing problems & difficulties including anxieties, depresso-genic thinking & feeling, not only possible but solvable.

Once we find the ability to turn towards our fears the solutions become as apparent as the fears themselves.

How can one resolve difficulties that one cannot bear to be in the presence of?

This is a hallmark of anxiety, depression, addiction, relationships & trauma that we have both within our selves & with others too.

We want to hide from them for fear of what they will do to us based on our experiences of this happening before & these can be both in reality AND in phantasy - the body & the brain have great difficulty distinguishing between what's actually going on & what we imagine or anticipate is actually going on.

If that sounds incredible just bring to mind a revolting scene in your minds eye now, nothing too traumatic, just an experience of disgust or revulsion, that you have actually experienced...that's right, that's it. 

And now use your senses to bring that to life; see what you saw, hear what you heard & feel what you felt...& now notice what you're feeling & then be aware that that is no more than a memory with an attached, endemic feeling-state dyed into the memory itself.

With awareness of that process now becoming clearer it is possible to recognise that we have the ability to rewrite our memories so that our responses can change.

It is as simple & as profound as that.

Just because it's simple doesn't mean it's easy BUT IT CAN BE DONE & ALL IT REALLY NEEDS IS PRACTICE.

The practice engenders the confidence which allows for the rewriting.

Let me show you how... 

It initially takes courage to come forward and it feels so much easier to just pretend they're not there.

But once you start this process it opens up avenues of relief and help and assistance that provides opportunities to re-frame ones thoughts and feelings right across the whole range of your experience of being in the world.

The ultimate benefit to anyone entering therapy is to leave with an understanding of the 'counsellor or therapist within' that we all possess but frequently don't know how to access. I will teach you how to open access to “parts” of yourself in a non-shaming, non-blaming way, that leads to the diminution of critical self-talk & subsequent acceptance of self as you truly are without grandiosity or diminution, just as you actually truly are, human all too human & that means you do & will make mistakes but will you learn from them? Not idf you're afraid to turn towards them but that must be done compassionately & safely, again, therapy can teach you your best processes to attain that.

”Parts-work” facilitates an understanding of the distinction between “Self”  & "parts" because the "Self"  when in contact with our "parts" (ie: the split off aspects of our experiences) heals those “parts” that are still carrying burdensome & outdated beliefs that lead to the continuation of unhelpful responses in the present based on the past where once these responses were all we had to keep us safe.

Using this approach facilitates the ability to let go of self limiting beliefs that masquerade as facts about us, about the life we lead & often think is the life we are always destined & fated to lead, & the outer world that we live that fated life in.

Once we realise the presence of choice, fully realising it as a reality, not just a wishful, hopeful thought, it leads to the shedding of the unhelpful thoughts, beliefs, urges, desires, impulses, behaviours & cravings.

Problems encountered in living ones life come from faulty thought & belief processes; referred to as; “meta-cognition” or 'thinking about thinking”

This is an amazingly useful and helpful psychological process bringing real psychological benefits that allow a restructuring of one’s life perspective with you as an agent of real influence & power in making decisions with a renewed sense of vigour, hope & vitality.

As Victor Frankl put it;

”Between stimulus & response there is a space.

And in that space is our ability to choose our response.

And in that choice lies our freedom & growth”

I will sensitively introduce you to this concept & show you how to engage with it and use it for your personal betterment.

Epictetus was an early Greek Stoic philosopher, born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia. He won his freedom for his philosophical contributions.

His maxim remains as true today as it was then;

"It’s not things in themselves that bother us, but the meaning & value we give to them”

This goes to the heart of therapeutic work. It is central to the process and will help you to re-frame and re-think your actions and challenge your ways of thinking about & feeling towards & relating to, yourself, others and the world in general; what to expect, what to avoid, what is realistic and what is not.

Albert Ellis, one of the most influential and at times controversial of Psychotherapists frequently asked of his clients;

"What is it, do you think, that you're telling yourself to make you this way?"

I will explore this with you. It has beneficial and amazingly quick & lasting results when truly felt and engaged with.

Freud & Jung’s professed goal was to make conscious what was unconscious;

"...where id was let there be ego" as Freud put it.

”…to make the unconscious conscious that is what we must do; if we fail to do that it will continue to dominate us & we will continue to put it down to fate”  as Carl Jung put it.

Our unconscious will dominate our lives until we make those troublesome parts conscious & talking therapy is very much about doing exactly that but talking alone is not enough, we must also "feel" it too. The feeling needs to be reactivated in that moment whilst simultaneously holding a contradictory experience of it to unlock the memory & rewrite it permanently, & I will work with you to effect that & lasting change can then be made.

Once we make our unconscious conscious it will stop dominating our lives and we will take back control. Until this happens we will continue to believe that repetitious behaviours & consequences are just our fate or "just the way it is" but it doesn't have to be, therapy can alter that dynamic & put you back in charge again.

HOW LONG?

The 'counselling hour' is 60mins long in my practice.

Most therapists stick to a 50min counselling hour, which is a mistaken belief that this is the orthodoxy that should be followed.

It actually came about because Sigmund Freud, the father & founder of Psychoanalysis, wanted to fit an influential client into his practice so he cut his sessions to 50 mins to do so & this then became the received wisdom & became lodged in everyone's practice, such was his influence & cult-like status.

I don't do that, I offer the full hour & 90 min & 120 min sessions too, where wanted & available.

Sessions are best conducted, initially, once a week but fortnightly works too although the weekly sessions seem to be the most beneficial.

Counselling can be short term, from 4 - 8 weeks, sometimes, although rarely, just one or two, or run into months and, sometimes not at all uncommonly, it can run into years.

But rest assured, you set the schedule, not me, but I am fully available for collaboration, of course, to set the schedule that best suits your needs & your circumstances & work & life schedule.

The time needed will become apparent to us both as the process gains momentum.

Ultimately you decide, but we will collaborate throughout, of course, in noticing when you have achieved your goals and outcomes and therefore when to end.

It really is, ultimately, up to you.

COUNSELLING REALLY CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE.......YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO GAIN.

MAKE THAT FIRST, AND POTENTIALLY LIFE CHANGING, MOVE TODAY.

PHONE OR EMAIL:

BRADRID@GMAIL.COM

or

07914 681995

or

check out my website: www.addiction-counselling.org.uk to see a video on the first page where I talk to camera to get a feel for me & my style to see if it feels like it may be a good fit?

I very much look forward to hearing from you

• £80 per individual 60 min session
• £100 per 90 min session
• £120 per 120 min session 

• £90 per 60 min Couples Counselling sessions
• 3120 per 90 mins
• £140 per 120 mins

Cancellations or rescheduling requires 48hrs notice for the fee not to be charged.

Weekdays only mornings from 10am, afternoon and evenings up to 10pm