About me
Sometimes we lose our way, and we need a little help to find our path again.
Life brings complex pressures: difficult relationships, loneliness, loss, career stress, family conflicts, health issues, directionlessness. These challenges create anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. These can lead to a quiet, persistent realisation that you haven't felt truly yourself for a long time.
Many of my clients have experienced a growing sense that something is not quite right. A key benefit of therapy is simply understanding why you feel the way you do.
My approach is integrative, drawing on Person-Centred, Gestalt and Solution-Focussed schools of therapy to help untangle the emotional patterns that may be holding you back. We begin with a blank slate, enabling you to explain safely what has brought you to therapy. As our relationship develops, we’ll open up the dialogue, set some goals and bring further insights into your strengths as well as any weaknesses.
I provide both short-term focused work and longer-term explorative therapy. Every client is different and you will have an individual treatment plan tailored to your needs. Most clients report improved wellbeing within a few weeks.
Sessions are available in person at my practice in North Oxford, or online via secure video link.
I invite you to book a free, no-obligation initial consultation of 15 minutes by video or phone so that we can discuss your needs and see whether we are a good match.
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a Level 4 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling. This qualification reflects rigorous training across a range of therapeutic modalities. I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and adhere to their ethical framework.
In line with BACP standards, I maintain full professional indemnity insurance and receive regular clinical supervision. This ensures that I can give my clients the best possible help. I am committed to ongoing continuing professional development, reading widely and attending courses to deepen my practice.
I am part of the counselling team at Oxford Brookes University and have also worked at the Oxford Men's Counselling Service, roles that have given me particular experience of working with students and men.
In private practice I often deal with the challenges of mid-life and beyond. My areas of specialist expertise include depression, anxiety, and trauma. I also work with clients experiencing life transitions, loss, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, OCD, self-harm, work-related stress, neurodiversity — and more existential questions of identity and life's purpose.
Before becoming a counsellor, I worked in publishing, entrepreneurship, management, sales and business mentoring. This breadth of real-world experience gives me a particular empathy with clients facing work-related stress and career changes.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 per session
Additional information
My fee reflects the value of an experienced, qualified practitioner while remaining accessible.
I accept payment by bank transfer or cash.
When I work
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Please contact me for my detailed availability.
Saturday morning sessions are online only.
Further information
I work with adults of all ages, genders, sexual orientations, cultural backgrounds and ethnicities. I never forget that you are the expert on your own life, and I will always respect who you are and where you come from.
If you are wondering whether therapy is right for you, or unsure what to expect, I am happy to answer any questions. A free initial 15-minute consultation is an ideal opportunity to explore this informally, with no commitment required.
In our first full session, we will cover our working agreement and some practical administration before the therapeutic conversation begins. Where and how we start is entirely up to you. I will listen, and you will feel safe, heard and respected from the very beginning.
I see clients from my North Oxford consulting room or via video link. I offer flexible appointment times, including evenings, to suit working schedules. You can find more information about my practice, my approach and my background at www.davidgouldtherapy.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
