David Curl Counselling
About me
There are as many reasons for accessing counselling as there are people - including persistent low mood, anxiety, life changes, relationship problems, and personal development (being the best you can be).
I have worked with older teenagers and adults on a range of concerns; over the last ten years, much of my work has been with mums, dads, and carers - whom I've talked with through my work for youth charities, schools, Children's Centres etc, about family concerns - which can take as many different forms as contemporary families do.
As more than one parent has said to me: "they don't come with instructions, do they?" They certainly don't - and there's often no one-size-fits-all easy answer from a parenting book, either, useful though these can be: sometimes it can really help to talk with someone with experience of offering counselling in this area.
I have also counselled young adults through my work with colleges, young people's housing providers etc. These years can be times of excitement and opportunity, but they can be times of great challenge also - I have a naturally relaxed, empathic, non-judgmental style, and a good track record.
I wish you well with your search for appropriate help and support, and I look forward to hearing from you if you decide to contact me.
Training, qualifications & experience
I gained my Advanced Diploma in Gestalt Counselling from Fareham College, Hampshire in 2004, following four years' part-time study, a practice placement etc.
Since then, I have worked - both in counselling and in pastoral leadership roles - in youthwork charities, schools, Children's Centres etc (full details on request). At the moment, while practising as a counsellor, I continue to work at Tor School, Glastonbury as their Education & Family Support Worker.
Since qualifying as a counsellor, I have undertaken further training in
- addiction and families
- mindfulness
- emotion coaching (as part of EHCAP's offer - Public Health-funded - to local schools)
- delivering parenting courses
I have offered short training sessions (30 minutes to half-day) to fellow professionals in schools, colleges etc. in order to share the learning I have gained, for example, about mindfulness and about adolescent development.
Member organisations
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
Accredited Register Scheme
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
worry, preoccupation, low mood, feeling empty, feeling directionless, feeling dissatisfied, stress, feeling stressed, family concerns, family decisions, teenagers, adolescence, school, college, university, school refusal, friendship issues, life decisions, men's issues, fatherhood, identity issues, life stage issues, midlife crisis, work stress, retirement, LGBT issues, personal development, self-awareness, social media, social media pressures, grandparents, grandparent issues, grandparent as main carer, friendship politics, intergenerational issues
Therapies offered
Fees
My usual fee is £10 for the first telephone or online counselling session (which gives you a no-obligation chance to meet me and to find out if I'm someone you'd be interested to work with; it also gives me a chance to find more about what's brought you to counselling, and to make sure I'm competent and ready to work with you on your concerns - if it seems I'm not, I'll make every effort to match you with someone who is).
My usual fee for each subsequent counselling session is £35. This follows a recent reduction in fees while I will 'hold' during April, May and June, recognising that many of us are facing financial uncertainty at the present time.
If you contact me by phone or email, I can send you further information to help you decide whether to book a first counselling session.
Concessions offered for
Further information
Originally from West Yorkshire and based in the Mendips, Somerset, I am able to work with anyone in the United Kingdom via phone, Skype or Zoom.
I can offer a choice of times, including afternoons, evenings and weekends.
