Garry Brennan

Hello and thank you very much for reading my profile. 

I fully appreciate that for some people, reaching out for help from a counsellor is very daunting. Talking about ourselves can make us feel very vulnerable and burdened by a feeling that we have somehow 'failed' by needing to ask for help. I appreciate also that you will be anxious about the kind of counsellor you will get and whether their style of counselling will suit you. For many counselling clients, they just like a safe and confidential space to be heard and understood. Others will feel more comfortable with a counsellor who is more interactive and challenging. The important thing is that you choose what suits you best. You will get a sense of that with me in an initial free phone conversation where you can check me out and see if we have a rapport. If it's the case that you would find it uncomfortable sitting in a lot of silence with a therapist staring at you, then don't worry, that's not me. 

The session will of course be guided by you but as a therapist, I am quite interactive and work in a down to earth way and hopefully using a communication style that you can relate to. Humour is also allowed in therapy. It's what you want it to be! 

I do very much believe that our challenges in life are very heavily influenced by the attachments we had with family members when we were young. This does not mean that it's always about 'blaming our parents', although you are free to do so, but also understanding how we (and our parents) got shaped as individuals by the way we related to significant people in our lives as children, whether that be parents, siblings, friends or even teachers. You would be amazed by how much this influences the kind of relationships we go on to have, the friendships we make and more importantly, the sense of identity we have ended up with and what our levels of self-worth are. 

Therapy helps you to get more in touch with who you are and how you got to be where you presently are. I can assure you that getting to know yourself better is enormously liberating. Therapy gives you a space to talk about yourself in a way that you have probably never done before.

From our very first contact, I will strive to help you feel at ease as I like to work in a down to earth and natural way. By offering you respect, understanding and support without judgement, I hope that I can help you grow in confidence and understand more about the roots of your difficulties. Counselling is a collaborative effort and so my aim is to work along side you and to help you 'tell your story' and to assist you in working out what the limitations may be that are stopping you from pursuing a more authentic and meaningful life. The goal should always be what is best for you and I will always work at your pace. 

I have 27 years therapeutic experience of working with individuals, couples and families covering a range of issues. I have particular experience of working with people who have experienced early life trauma in the area of adoption and child protection. Additionally I have a lot of experience of working with people in the areas of obsessive compulsive disorders, depression, attachment issues, chronic anxiety, relationship issues, bereavement and child loss, identity issues, domestic violence, alcohol and drug issues, loss and separation and confidence/self esteem issues.

I fully appreciate that paying for counselling and finding time to attend sessions whilst balancing your busy work/life schedules can be difficult and so I work flexibly with regard how often you want to attend and at what times. Each session lasts for 60 minutes and sessions can be face to face or online.


Adoption issues

One area of specialism I have is in helping individuals who have been adopted or who are processing the possibility of tracing their birth parents. Also helping couples process possible plans to adopt and families who have adopted and are experiencing difficulties. I am officially recognised as an Attachment Focused Therapist with the Barnardo's Link Counselling Service.

I work with all issues surrounding adoption.  Including individuals who have been adopted, couples planning to adopt and couples who already have an adoption placement.I offer adoption support through the Barnardo's Adoption agency.

I charge £50ph for individuals and  £60ph for couples. Sessions are a full 60 minutes.

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