Ethan Bird
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About me
I’m a non-directive and non-judgemental counsellor. This means I invite you to simply come as you are and with whatever you would like to explore. I believe our relationship is what will facilitate change and develop insight. This means I use a collaborative approach to meet you where you are and help you find your own solutions and truth.
I’m trained in both psychodynamic and person-centred approaches. This means we can explore your early experiences and family dynamics, and how these contribute to unconscious patterns that may play out for you today. My training also allows me to attend to what is happening in the here-and-now between us. I will always strive to create an environment where you experience empathy and unconditional acceptance. I’m also trained in the therapeutic use of art and play materials, and will have these available if a creative approach feels easier.
I have an interest in intersubjective psychoanalysis, or how moments of profound mutual understanding are always in tension with our unconscious experiencing. This approach may help you explore what is typical yet unspoken about your day-to-day life, as it allows relational patterns to become felt, understood, and gradually transformed therapeutically.
Training, qualifications & experience
I work one-to-one with individuals over the age of 16 and offer weekly or fortnightly sessions. While I’m happy to accept enquiries from anyone who is interested, I have particular experience in working with young adults and students. This comes from my years of practice as a counsellor within MYPAS and Granton Youth. I also have substantial experience of working with issues surrounding gender identity, family, neurodivergence, grief, depression, anxiety, self-harm, traumatic experiences, relationship difficulties, and existential crises.
I have a particular interest in working with individuals who are feeling stuck or are in moments of transition within their life. I have experience of working with carers and those impacted by complex grief. I also enjoy working with counselling trainees.
I hold a Masters in Counselling and a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling from the University of Edinburgh. I also hold a BSc in Psychology from the University of Glasgow. My Masters research focused the experience of engaging with self-harm behaviours and how gendered experiencing impacts this. My Psychology research focused on how men experience their masculinity within different contexts and across different stimuli.
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
£60.00 - £70.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer some concessions for those who may need it to access counselling. Please contact me to discuss this further. Please also note these concessions are limited and not guaranteed.
Further information
Our first session will be spent getting to know you and what brings you to counselling. I will ask about what brings you here, any previous experience with therapy, what changes we will be working towards, your childhood and family relationships, medical history, and current lifestyle. I will also ask some questions related to risk. You are also welcome to ask me questions about how I work and what I offer. If we both agree that working together is a good fit, I encourage you to commit to six weeks to allow time to get a sense of what might be possible. This will also give us time to process what might arise in the initial sessions.
I offer a free 15-minute introductory call if you would like to clarify anything before our first meeting.
