About me
I am an experienced Person-Centred Counsellor offering unlimited sessions. Alongside counselling I also work in further education as a Tutor, training adults to become counsellors. When I describe myself as ‘Person-Centred’ I mean that you get to decide what you talk about, and I do what I can to understand what's going on for you and to help you to better understand that too. Sometimes things can feel overwhelming and it can be helpful to have someone separate from the rest of your life to explore things with. I am actively engaged in the room, rather than a silent listener, working with you to help you figure things out.
My focus will be on your feelings in the present moment, although people can talk broadly about their lives and their past in order to make sense of things. There is no pressure to do this though - it's up to you what you want to bring into the room.
I aim to offer you a space where you talk about anything that is on your mind without judgment, and where we can explore it togther. Throughout, I will be as honest as I can with you about my understanding of things, what I'm feeling in response, and if I observe anything that might be helpful. Empathy, acceptance and genuineness are central to how I work.
Finding the right counsellor can be difficult and I am happy to talk initially on the phone or chat via email so you can decide if we're a good fit.
Recent feedback:
"David helped me figure out the answers for my life myself. He was somebody there for me, listening, not telling me what to do, but always helping me understand. He helped me get things out there so I could make sense of them. A big thank you for your time, expertise and professionalism."
Training, qualifications & experience
I have experience with a large number of clients covering a wide variety of issues. I have extensive experience working with adults, young people (12-18) and children and have an additional qualification specifically in counselling children. I have previously spent time managing a counselling service in a school and as mentioned above, I am also a qualified teacher and currently work in further education as a Counselling Tutor.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
I charge £25 per session online, or £35 for a face to face session. The service is equal - the increased cost accounts for hiring a room in Leeds.
£25 is cheaper than many. Why are you so cheap?
I only work in private practice on Mondays and work as a Counselling Tutor for the rest of the week. For that reason, I am not so reliant on my private practice in order to get by and want to pass that benefit on to clients.
Concessions offered for
Availability
I am mainly available during the daytime on Mondays.
Further information
I work at an office in Leeds City Centre or if you prefer online via Zoom.