Frank O'Donovan
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am an experienced UKCP and BACP psychotherapist and counsellor with 15 years' of experience working with individuals and couples.
The issues and concerns I work with include anxiety, depression, stress, addiction, bereavement, sexual abuse, relationship issues, lack of meaning in life.
Before training as a therapist I worked for 30 years in finance in London. In my early 50s I left finance and gained a Master's degree in psychotherapy and accreditation as a psychotherapist. I have 8,000+ hours experience working with clients, both individuals and couples.
I have worked in a wide variety of counselling settings including Guy's Hospital, Pentonville Prison, a bereavement centre, a university and a centre for survivors of sexual abuse and rape. I have worked with a wide range of people of different ages, social, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
You can find out more on my Website: www.fodonovan.co.uk or see the 'Visit Website" link above. Feel free to ring me now to talk about therapy and how it might help you: 0780 7051162.
How I work:
The focus of the work will be to explore and understand the concerns you may have about your life in a safe and supportive setting, what has happened to you and not just what is 'wrong' with you. I aim to create a compassionate and confidential space in order to develop a working partnership.
We live in a stressful society and many people experience unprecedented levels of anxiety concerning relationships, careers and our lives in general. Persistent worry and stress can undermine our physical and mental health and rob us of what should be a broadly stable and contented life.
While we each carry our own hopes and expectations of life, sometimes our lives can feel empty and meaningless, we seem to be drifting and disappointed. No one teaches us what we need to know to be at peace. Starting counselling could be the beginning of healing and discovering a different and more meaningful approach to life.
Ring me for a brief and no-obligation chat: 0780 7051162. If I don't answer please leave a message and I will return your call.
Issues we can explore:
Psychotherapy can help at times when we feel isolated or experiencing a major life change, such as:
- couples/relationship issues
- general anxiety disorder
- depression
- low self esteem
- ADHD
- addictions
- panic disorder
- issues of sexuality and gender
- family issues.
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 is available at SW20.
My Training:
My training is broadly based which means that I draw upon a range of different therapeutic models but is essentially focused on you and your experiences of life.
I subscribe to the Code of Ethics of the UKCP and BACP and I am fully covered by Professional Liability Insurance.
Member of the SEA (Society for Existential Analysis)
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold a BA (Hons) in English Literature.
My initial psychotherapy training was at Birkbeck College (University of London) where, over three years, I gained a Diploma in Psychoanalytic Psychology.
I subsequently gained a 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), the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and BACP.
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 have also worked as a counsellor at a bereavement centre, university, sexual abuse centre and at HM Pentonville Prison.
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.
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.
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
Fees
£90.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Fees are:
- South Kensington, SW7: £120 per session; Couples £140
- Wimbledon, SW20: £90per session; Couples £110
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 Ave (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