About me
People come to therapy for all sorts of reasons. Sometimes something specific has happened. Sometimes anxiety, depression, relationships, trauma or the past are getting in the way. Sometimes life simply isn’t being lived in the way you want it to be. And sometimes you just need another person to talk to, to be with you.
For me, therapy starts there.
I’m Jack, a psychotherapist based in Canterbury. When we meet, I’m less interested in putting a label on what is happening than in understanding you as a person and what your life is actually like.
We’ll explore what is going on now, where you have come from, the relationships and experiences that have shaped you, and what you want from therapy and from your life. What sessions feel like will depend on what we are exploring. Therapy can be serious, but it can also be creative, playful and energising.
I see therapy as something we do together. I’m not there to tell you how to live your life, but to be alongside you while we try to understand what is happening, make sense of things that are difficult to see alone, and work out what might be possible from here.
A lot of my work is about helping people understand themselves more clearly: the roles they take in relationships, the ways they have learned to protect themselves, what they need from other people, what they avoid, what they long for, and the choices they may not realise they are making. Greater understanding does not solve everything, but it can give us more freedom in how we respond and how we choose to live.
I work from both existential and psychodynamic perspectives. In practice, that means I’m interested in your inner world and your history, but also in the life you are living now: your relationships, your body, your social world, your values, identity, meaning and the bigger questions that come with being human.
I also draw on CBT, mindfulness, systemic and relational ideas where they are useful. I don’t think one way of doing therapy fits everyone. A structured approach can sometimes be exactly what is needed; at other times we may need to slow down and understand something before trying to change it. I follow the person rather than the method.
Neurodiversity, sexuality and gender diversity are areas I feel particularly comfortable working with. I work openly and affirmatively, while remaining curious about each person’s own experience, culture and identity.
You do not need to arrive with everything worked out. The first session is an informal conversation. I will ask questions because I want to understand you, but there is no expectation that you tell me your whole life story straight away. We start with what matters to you and work from there.
More than anything, I think people need connection. Therapy gives you another person with whom you can think, question, experiment and sometimes sit with things that do not yet have an answer. My hope is that, over time, you feel understood, less alone, clearer about yourself and your life, and more able to choose how you want to live it.
I see people in person from a quiet, plant-filled conservatory in Canterbury, as well as online.
Alongside my clinical practice, I am undertaking doctoral research exploring fathers’ experiences of parenting. Curiosity about how people make sense of their lives — rather than simply how they fit into categories — runs through both my research and my work as a therapist.
If you would like to see whether working together feels right, you can book a free 15-minute call or contact me directly to arrange an initial session.
Jack Rigden MSc, MBACP
Psychotherapist
jack@mentavera.com
www.mentavera.com
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold an MSc in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Studies (2010), with a thesis focused on borderline personality disorder. As part of this training, I completed specialist training in working with personality disorders within an NHS therapeutic community.
I have completed MA-level training in Existential Psychotherapy (2024) and am continuing toward a doctorate (DProf). Alongside this, I have undertaken specialist training in CBT, systemic therapy, supervision, and gender and sexuality. My current doctoral research explores single parenting and fatherhood, themes that also inform my clinical work.
I have completed the Foundation Course in Group Analysis at the Institute of Group Analysis (IGA), and additional training in existential group work, reflecting my interest in relational dynamics and group processes.
I am a registered member of the BACP, fully insured, and enhanced DBS checked. I practice in line with the BACP’s ethical framework and meet all safeguarding and data protection requirements, including GDPR.
Member organisations
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
- Men's mental health
- Fatherhood
- Parenting
- Life transitions
- Single Parents
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£70.00 per session
Additional information
Sessions are £70 for 50 minutes.
I offer in-person sessions in Canterbury CT2 and online sessions by secure video. Sessions are usually weekly, though we can discuss what feels appropriate.
Payment is by bank transfer and is due before each session.
I ask for 48 hours’ notice for cancellations. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice are charged at the full fee.
There is no fixed number of sessions. Some people come for short-term work around something specific, while others choose longer-term therapy to explore deeper patterns, relationships, or questions about who they are and how they want to live. We can review the work as we go.
Any questions welcome...
https://wa.me/message/YBLKBBTJ5BKCC1
When I work
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Further information
Before we begin, I will send you a short intake form, a therapy agreement, and a client welcome sheet, so you have the practical information you need before attending.
For further information about me and how I work, please visit www.mentavera.com. If you have any questions at all, you are very welcome to get in touch by email, phone, or WhatsApp: https://wa.me/447356286967
Writing on therapy,
mind & meaning
https://mentavera.com/articles.html
