Ian Major
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients and may not respond to general enquiries at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients and may not respond to general enquiries at this time.
About me
About Therapy
Feeling unhappy can really impact on your life. Whether you’re struggling to deal with a current crisis such as anxiety, confidence, bereavement, stress levels at work, relationship issues, depression, or concerns about your alcohol intake; or whether there are difficulties that go back further that have been undermining you, or your enjoyment of life, for some time, you really don’t have to go on suffering alone.
In these uncertain times many of us can feel that we’re overwhelmed by events and by the painful and bewildering feelings that they generate within us. Perhaps you’re feeling worried or anxious, or you’ve been struggling with depressive feelings, or possibly you’ve just never felt quite as comfortable and confident in your own skin as you would like to. Or, it may be that there is some long standing pattern of behaviour or emotions that you know has been holding you back for too long now, but that you just can’t seem to break free from. Or, indeed, it could be something entirely different again; each one of us is as unique and distinctive as our individual lives’ stories.
If these themes sound familiar, and if you are looking for friendly, professional support to help you through difficult times, then counselling really may be able to help. Whether it’s anxiety, depression, worries about alcohol or a drug, low self-esteem, bereavement, relationship difficulties or psychological trauma etc etc, coming into therapy can be a truly transformative experience.
Training, qualifications & experience
About my background
I have been a full-time professional therapist since the year 2000, previously working in a busy Belfast based service where I managed to rise to the position of senior counsellor. As such I have a very considerable and grounded experience that I can bring to working with a wide range of issues and difficulties. I offer a discrete, friendly, professional, counselling service for adults (i.e. 18 and above), in comfortable surroundings, and at a location with plenty of convenient free parking.
****Update - with the arrival of Corona Virus I'm currently working primarily online, which is an excellent medium for therapeutic work, and offering the sessions using the Zoom video application, which can be accessed from a laptop, tablet or smartphone quite easily, or via other secure common video platforms. Sessions last one hour as usual. Contact me by telephone to discuss first if you're unsure or email me if you have any questions or apprehensions etc.
What you can expect
When you get in touch you can be assured of a warm welcome, and very often I am able to offer you an initial session within just a few days of your first enquiry. Sessions last 1 hour and prices are tailored to suit a range of incomes and budgets (details below) and I often suggest commencing with an initial 6 sessions working together, and thereafter we review our progress and decide if more sessions are required. I have extensive experience of providing both short term (6 – 12 sessions) and longer term work if that were needed. As an Integrative counsellor (meaning I carefully draw on a number of different counselling theories with which to help people) I am fully accredited by the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy), the primary overseeing body of the profession.
In particular, I have a considerable experience in working with anxiety and panic attacks, surviving difficult or damaging parenting, depression, relationship issues, building self-confidence, trauma / PTSD, alcohol / drug and prescription drug issues, (and also effective smoking cessation), work related stress, those who feel they are still impacted by events in their past, bullying, family issues, domestic violence, sexual abuse or emotional abuse, anger management and self-development. I have also worked with a number of therapists seeking to undertake their own personal therapy.
Member organisations
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.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety
Health Anxiety
Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder
PTSD / Post Traumatic Stress Disorder / Trauma
Alcohol problems
Addictions
Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT - used with Trauma in particular)
Relationship Issues
Attachment
Internal Family Systems Work
Depression
Family Issues
Sex and Pornography Addiction
Stress and Work related Stress
Smoking Cessation
Difficult or Painful Childhoods still affecting life as an adult
Confidence and Self Esteem
Separation and Divorce
Affairs and betrayals
Dealing with a Drug Addict in the Family
Feeling Sad / Low Mood
Therapies offered
Fees
£45.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
Call me* if you would like to discuss your situation briefly or to arrange a free initial telephone consultation, or if you have any other questions about the service I offer. (I can also be contacted by email, text, WhatsApp).
(*And, like any counsellor, I'm very aware that the idea of getting in contact can seem a little daunting sometimes and so I really do try to make this experience as easy and as straightforward as possible)
Costs
£45 for a one hour session & some concessionary slots are available
Supervision: £60 for 1½ hours
While this is a full-time counselling and psychotherapy practise some Evening Slots are sometimes available. For Specific details of what and when is currently available see below - 'When I Work'.
When I work
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No availability at the minute - try again soo.
(Last Updated 03/07/2024)
Further information
Clinical Supervision
I began the supervision of student counsellors in 2007 and then obtained my Diploma in Supervision in 2010. I now have many years of experience in working with student, interim and experienced counsellors who are working with an adult client base. My own way of working as an Integrative Counsellor draws on Person Centred and Psychodynamic practise, laterally incorporating some aspects of both Internal Family Systems and Cognitive and Behavioural theory.
As a supervisor I particularly enjoy helping other counsellors to develop and explore their practise in a safe, supportive environment, and to form an effective working synthesis between their professional and personal selves – that is, to really find the way of working that is right for each individual supervisee, and to build confidence in the process of effective, ethical counselling. As a former senior counsellor I have years of experience in working with often complex issues, overseeing the running and the work of a team of counsellors, setting up & establishing a new counselling service, and dealing with the undoubted challenges of the modern work environment.
Additional Experience
Fully Qualified and experienced Clinical Supervisor
I have designed and delivered a number of workshops on
Addictions
Stress Management
Meditation and Mindfulness
Personal Development
Working with Trauma and PTSD
In 2002 I set up and established a brand new voluntary sector counselling service in Lisburn that is still in place today.
From 2008 I successfully supervised and ran a team of counsellors working in a cross community setting in N Belfast and continued to oversee that team until I moved into private practise in 2017
I have also undertaken extensive additional training
Panic Disorder, Anxiety and Generalized Anxiety
Addiction
Internal Family Systems (working with the various 'parts' that make up us)
Trauma and PTSD
Overcoming Depression
Gambling Addiction
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Somatic Experiencing (i.e. working with traumatic feelings held in the body)
Relationship Issues and Attachment
LGBT Affirmative Therapy
Working with Survivors of Rape and Sexual Abuse
The Misuse of Prescription Medications
ASIST suicide intervention skills training
Self Harm
Child and Vulnerable Adult Training
Brief Solution Focused Therapy
Grief and Bereavement
Art Therapy and Sand Trays
A Dual Diagnostic Approach in Addictions
Mental Health
Hidden Harm, (i.e. Working with the families affected by a loved one’s alcohol or drug misuse)
