Bradley Riddell

I am an Integratively trained counselling therapist

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

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

I work with issues relating to anxiety, depression and addiction, including problem gambling, alcohol dependency and 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. the aim of therapy is to bring this into focus so differentiation is regained. 

Addiction is an illusion & a thief. It flatters to deceive & then thieves, mercilessly.

I have over 20 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 “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 am 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 thought processes affect your behaviours and choices often heavily informed by past events, memories, and expectations and emotions that emerged from ones past experiences. We will look at these together, re-frame them where necessary and explore their implications for you about how you feel about yourself, others and the world & the future. 

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”.

  We will talk about your hopes, your dreams and your goals, ie: what you want to get out of counselling, where you’re going & where you want to be going. With this in 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 the standard 50min “therapy hour".

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

In the early days of counselling, however, regular meetings are needed 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 20 min chat or send me an email on bradrid@gmail.com I work both remotely via Skype & in person at my Brighton office.



HOW CAN I HELP YOU?

Talking about ones problems can be very difficult and daunting.

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.

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 & subsequently acceptance of self as you truly are.

”Parts-work” facilitates an understanding of the distinction between “Self”  & "parts" because the "Self"  when in contact with our "parts"; 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 IFS approach facilitates the ability to let go of self limiting beliefs that in turn leads to the shedding of 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 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.

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 50mins long.

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

Counselling can be short term, from 6 - 8 weeks or run into months and, sometimes not at all uncommonly it can run into years.

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

Ultimately you decide, but we will collaborate throughout, of course, 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

• £80 per individual session 

• £90 per Couples Counselling sessions

Cancellations require 48hrs notice for the fee not to be charged.