David O'Hara
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am a Person-Centred Counsellor who has studied to diploma at Bury College. My background is ten years’ experience in mental health settings, working with a wide variety of clients such as a forensic background, personality disorders, drug, and alcohol issues. I have worked within care homes, forensic step-down services and in the charity sector. I am a member of the BACP and will be receiving full accreditation in April 2021.
Counselling is a form of therapy which can help individuals understand and work through painful and seemingly overwhelming issues; it can help you discover new directions and positive ways of enriching your life. As a person-centred counsellor, I offer a safe and confidential space where personal and private feelings can be explored, where issues can be shared without the worry of being judged. Counselling allows time to identify the problem and to look at alternative options with the goal of empowering you to make necessary changes.
Counselling
Person centred counselling is a type of talking therapy that centres on the client’s emotional responses to the issues that affect them. It offers the client the opportunity to discuss a variety of issues with a skilled practitioner who will facilitate the client to explore and reflect on their emotions, responses and actions to events in their life.
Person centred therapy is built on the respect for the client’s autonomy in finding solutions to their issues and in their authority on their own experiences. We will look at what matters to you, how you want to be able to resolve issues, look at what motivates you and help you find the ways and the confidence to achieve your goals.
The role of a person-centred counsellor is to create a non-judgemental space that facilitates the growth of the client, through reflection and self-discovery. The counsellor’s role is to shine a light on where there is an incongruence between beliefs and actions that cause the distress that clients feel. A person-centred therapist will not seek to lead the sessions so it will be up to the client to be willing to engage with their emotions and feelings as the sessions will not be structured by the counsellor directing the work. The goal is to be open to new experiences; both positive and negative and support you to feel able to deal with the issues that come forward rather than denying them.
Person centred counselling works well with people who are feeling depressed, anxious or bereaved. As the work is non-directive it works well with people who are able to express themselves, have an urge to explore their own emotions and are willing to accept the support to understand and process their thoughts as they are supported to understand the way they see the world.
Person-centred counselling deals with emotions, so if you are not comfortable or willing to explore your emotional responses to your issues then this process will not benefit you. Clients will need to be open and honest about their actions and responses to events and be willing to discuss what has informed these decisions. You will also need to be able to accept challenge on why you act in certain ways and be willing to change as a person. If you are unwilling to do this then you will gain few benefits from this approach and the sessions and a different method may suit you better.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling level 4
- Level 3 counselling skills
- Level 2 Counselling skills
- Certificate in Health and Social Care
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
Fees
£45.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
£45 per session
A major part of the therapeutic process is being with the right counsellor; a brief introduction should be enough to work out if we are a fit. I don't want the process with me to not be beneficial and this puts you off the process with a counsellor who is a better match for you.
When I work
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I have some flexibility with hours. I am happy for you to contact me to enquire about this.