Ian Butcher

Name: Ian Butcher
Telephone: +447876033204
Price range: £50.00 per session

Available for new clients

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Chepstow NP16 & Abergavenny NP7

Available for new clients

07876 033 204 07876 033 204

About me

Finding the right therapist may feel a little daunting. It’s like searching online for a new sofa: it may look the bee’s knees, but until you try it you’ll not know for sure if it’s the one for you. So here’s a bit about me for you to consider:

As the father of three grown up girls and with a background in TV, teaching and music I have an unusual and varied set of experiences to draw on. Hopefully, I gained a little wisdom and a lot of humility along the way. One thing I do know is that I love listening to people’s stories. Before becoming a therapist I was a film editor, composer, secondary school teacher, and singing coach. Whilst working with singers I became fascinated by the way our minds work. So many clients had been told they couldn’t sing, but in later life they still felt that urge. Unlocking their true voice was a unique challenge, like working out a Chinese puzzle box, difficult, but always possible. Just as I once helped singers find their voice I now help people re-establish contact with their own true nature. In finding this new way of seeing themselves, experiences, anxieties and fears are addressed and a new way of being can be found.

What is Gestalt?
Gestalt therapy is a humanistic, holistic, relational form of psychotherapy that focuses on a person's present life and challenges. This simply means the client is seen as an individual and their 'whole being' will be explored. This is done by 'walking alongside' the client. It is not an expert/patient relationship, it is a joint venture.The past will be discussed, but the emphasis will be on how that past affects the client in the here and now. Gestalt stresses the importance of understanding the context of a person’s experiences and identifying the forces, both internal and external, that shape the behaviour.

The Paradoxical Theory of Change

A key concept in Gestalt is that a therapist will hold no judgement or prejudice, meeting each disclosure with an open-minded acceptance that will help a client find understanding. I, as a therapists am not there to 'fix' a clients problems, but to help them find their own self-agency, so the changes come from within themselves. This is called the Paradoxical Theory of Change: only by becoming our true selves can meaningful change happen.

Where to find me

I work on Monday mornings and Tuesday afternoons in Chepstow. I also work in Abergavenny on Fridays at the Abergavenny Complimentary Practice.

Training, qualifications & experience

I trained as a therapist at Gestalt Centre Wales and am BACP registered.

I work with adults and children.

I have worked for Flying Start in Newport supporting young mothers and in my private I have helped men and women with issues such as bereavement, anxiety, end of life support, relationship problems, compulsive behaviour and depression.

My work with children is helped by my experience as a secondary school teacher, supporting young people with issues such as exam related anxiety, OCD, autism, family issues and peer pressure.