About me
How are you? No, really — how are you?
It’s a simple question, but not one we’re often asked by someone who genuinely wants to hear the answer.
Sometimes what helps most isn’t advice or a quick fix, but the chance to say things out loud and hear your own words. I offer a space where you can feel properly heard, without being managed, judged, or talked out of how you feel. You are important, and what you are going through matters – you deserve to be heard.
I’m Darren, a counsellor with over 6 years in practice and 3,000+ hours of counselling experience. Before this, I was a pub landlord, helped manage a betting shop, and worked as a support worker with neurodiverse individuals and as a care worker working with people with challenging needs. Those years taught me more about really listening to people than any qualification could. I’ve also experienced anxiety due to life’s challenges myself, so when I say I understand, I mean it.
Clients often tell me that I’m approachable and easy to talk to. Building a trusting relationship is central to my work, because counselling is more useful when you feel able to speak openly and be yourself.
My approach is person-centred at heart, and I draw on other approaches when they are genuinely helpful rather than following one model rigidly. I won’t sit opposite you and tell you how to live your life: you are the expert on your own experience. My role is to support you in exploring what you’re carrying and making sense of it at a pace that feels right for you.
You might be dealing with anger, sadness, guilt, shame, anxiety, or simply a feeling that you’re stuck and don’t know how to move forward. Whatever has brought you to counselling, we can take the time to understand what’s going on beneath the surface rather than simply trying to push difficult feelings away.
Counselling isn’t about pretending that difficult emotions don’t exist. It can be about understanding them, accepting that they are there, and finding healthier ways of relating to them so that they don’t continue to control your life.
I offer a free 30-minute initial consultation so that we can talk briefly about what has brought you to counselling, discuss any questions you have, and see whether working together feels like a good fit. There is no obligation to book a session afterwards.
Sessions run for 50 minutes, usually weekly to start, though we can adjust the pace as we go – some people prefer fortnightly, especially once things feel steadier. There’s no fixed number of sessions; we’ll work at whatever pace feels right for you, for as long as it’s useful. Everything is online, from a confidential space.
My fee is £40 per session. I also offer a reduced rate for those on a lower income, because I believe support like this should be accessible to everyone.
And that’s me! If this sounds like what you’ve been looking for, I’d like to hear from you. Please feel free to get in touch.
Darren
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a degree in person-centred counselling, and I am an accredited member of the BACP, following their framework to ensure that my practice is ethical, safe, and always prioritises your best interests.
I work with all age groups, and my experience includes counselling in Primary and Secondary schools. I hold a current enhanced DBS. I also support adults through a local charity, working mainly with people affected by domestic abuse, sexual trauma, and other traumatic experiences. Referrals to that service may come through the police’s victim support service, GP surgeries, or self-referral. Alongside individual counselling, I facilitate a face-to-face men’s support group.
I support people through a wide range of experiences, including trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, domestic and sexual abuse, OCD, bereavement, work-related struggles, and many other issues.
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
Fees
£40.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
*Only a small number of sessions still available.*
Concessionary sessions available.
I offer counselling via the Internet only - *Not face-to-face at the moment.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early morning | |||||||
| Morning | |||||||
| Early afternoon | |||||||
| Late afternoon | |||||||
| Evening |
