Frank O'Donovan
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
Sometimes life can feel overwhelming, stuck, or quietly empty - even when it's hard to explain why. Perhaps you're carrying anxiety that won't switch off, grieving a loss, struggling through a major change, or simply feeling that something important is missing. Whatever has brought you here, therapy can offer a space to slow down, make sense of what you're experiencing, and begin to find a way forward.
I am an experienced UKCP psychotherapist and counsellor with over 15 years' experience working with individuals and couples and more than 9,500 hours of clinical work. I offer a warm, relaxed and confidential space - not a place to be analysed or judged, but a genuinely collaborative relationship where you can speak freely and explore what matters most to you.
I support people with a wide range of issues, including anxiety, depression, stress, ADHD, addiction, bereavement, sexual abuse, relationship issues, lack of meaning in life. Many clients come to me during times of uncertainty, transition or emotional difficulty, seeking greater clarity, stability and self- understanding
You can find out more on my Website: www.fodonovan.co.uk or see the 'Visit Website" link above.
How I work:
I work in a friendly and relaxed way and my training is relational informed by existential therapy. I'm interested in your unique experience of life and in working collaboratively to understand your concerns at a deeper level. I'm less interested in labeling what's 'wrong' with you and more interested in understanding your personal experience of life; what has shaped you, what you're carrying and what you might need to live more fully.
We live in a stressful society and it's not unusual to feel anxious, stuck, or disconnected. Therapy can offer a space to slow down, reflect and develop a more meaningful relationship with yourself and others. Many people find that this process opens the way to greater resilience, self-acceptance and a renewed sense of possibility.
Areas I specialise in
Anxiety and stress - Whether it's persistent worry, social anxiety, panic or a background hum of dread, I can help you understand what's driving it and develop a calmer, more grounded relationship with yourself.
Depression and low mood - If life feels flat, meaningless or hard to engage with, therapy can help you engage with what matters and find a renewed sense of possibility.
Trauma and sexual abuse - I have extensive experience supporting survivors of sexual abuse and rape. This is sensitive, careful work carried out at your pace.
Bereavement and loss - I have worked in a specialist bereavement centre and understand that grief rarely follows a neat path. I offer a space to sit with loss without pressure to 'move on'.
Life transitions and identity - Major life changes: career shifts, relationships endings, questions of meaning or direction - can unsettle even the most resilient people. I've navigated significant life changes myself and bring that understanding to my work.
Workplace stress and burnout - The pressures of modern working life are real. I work with many professionals managing stress, exhaustion, or a growing sense of disconnection from their work.
To find out more or arrange a brief, no obligation call, you are welcome to get in touch: 0780 7051162. If I don't answer please leave a message and I will return your call.
Practicalities:
At the first session we can explore your situation, how you are feeling and your expectations of therapy - there is no obligation on you to commit to further sessions nor any commitment required to a minimum number of sessions.
I work short term (up to 6 to 8 sessions), as well as long term therapy or open ended therapy.
I accept cash or debit/credit cards at the end of each session. For online sessions, payment may be made via PayPal or direct bank transfer.
Off-street parking in Wimbledon is available.
I subscribe to the Code of Ethics of the UKCP and I am fully covered by Professional Liability Insurance.
Training, qualifications & experience
Background and experience
Before training as a therapist I spent many years working in finance in the City. In my early fifties I changed direction entirely, a transition that gave me a deep personal understanding of what it means to reassess your life and start again.
BA (Hons) in English Literature.
Diploma in Psychoanalytic Psychology, Birkbeck (university of London), three year course.
Masters Degree (MA) in Existential Psychotherapy and Counselling from Middlesex University through my studies at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London.
I am fully accredited with the Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA), and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP).
Clinical Experience:
I have extensive experience working with clients with anxiety, social anxiety, depression, ADHD, abortion, sexuality, LGBTQ* issues.
I have been trained in Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) at Guy's Hospital, London, where I worked for nearly four years as an honorary counsellor.
I continue to attend workshops and seminars as part of my professional development.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Universities Psychotherapy & Counselling Association
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Should you try therapy?
There's a lot that holds us back from trying therapy. There's the idea that you have to be a little mad or have some strange problem in order to go and see a therapist.
But therapy is for everyone because it entirely reasonable for a person to be anxious and confused by life, challenged by relationships, family life and the direction of your career. So really the only qualification for going to therapy is to be a normal human being.
There is also the worry about the strangeness of therapy, it will be you and a person you've never met to whom you're expected to divulge nothing less than your inner life. Why not talk to a friend - however, friends are not properly trained to listen, friends interrupt, and sometimes it's easier to tell someone who has no prior knowledge or expectations of you the big and important things about who you are. Also, therapists are the last people ever to judge: we view the concept of a normal human being as being far more expansive than that held by society at large. Therapists know how unusual and surprising people can be especially around sex and anxiety.
So many of our problems come down to not having enough insight into how our minds work. What we want, what we fear, why we act the way we do, and overwhelmed by certain feelings. The goal of therapy is self knowledge. By talking a lot to someone who listens very carefully over many weeks, you come to deeper insights into the mind you inhabit.
To get the most of therapy you need to approach sessions with honesty, openness and empathy. Every person is unique and the journey is different for each client. Therapy is not a quick fix and often requires time and commitment into the process in order to find answers into your problems.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£105.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Fees are:
- South Kensington, SW7: £120 per session; Couples £140
- Wimbledon, SW20: £105 per session; Couples £120
There is no obligation on you to commit to further sessions nor any commitment required for a minimum number of sessions.
Supervision Fees: £80 per 50 minute session.
I accept cash or cards at the end of each session.
Fees are revised on an annual basis.
Please note that missed sessions or sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice are charged at full fee, except in exceptional circumstances.
Concessions for students and low income earners may be available for therapy and supervision.
Registered Practioner with Aviva Health UK Ltd., AXA PPP Healthcare, Vitality Health Insurance.
The duration of each session is 50 minutes and takes place at the same time and day each week.
Subject to availability, I can offer the following session times:
Wimbledon SW20: Monday to Thursday daytime and evening appointments
South Kensington SW7: Friday daytime and evening appointments.
Zoom and Skype sessions are also available.
Further information
Detailed directions will be provided when an appointment is made.
- Directions, SW20 :
My practice location is on Coombe Lane, mid-way between Cambridge Rd and Avenue Rd.
Car: Off street parking available
Bus: Route 57, Cambridge Rd stop (either direction) 3 minutes walk away.
Overground Rail: Raynes Park station 10 mins walk. 57 Bus picks up outside station and then 3 stops.
Bicycle: Secure parking available
