About me
JOHN MACKENZIE: PERSON-CENTRED COUNSELLOR
With over 23 years of military experience and more than 30 years in HR management and consulting, I bring a wealth of knowledge and empathy to my counselling practice. As a registered member of both COSCA and BACP, I am committed to upholding the highest professional standards. My experience as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) further enhances my understanding of diverse professional backgrounds.
PREVIOUS LIFE EXPERIENCE
My counselling experience includes working with veterans, police officers, neurodivergence, adults of all ages and genders including LGBT . Drawing on my international work experiences in Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Far East, I am well used to respecting and working with various cultures.
HOW COUNSELLING CAN HELP
My approach is rooted in creating a safe, inclusive environment where clients feel accepted and welcomed. I believe that everyone has the capacity to grow and heal regardless of age and background, and I am here to support you on your journey.
ABOUT ME AND MY THERAPY
What I offer is person-centred counselling. This means helping others become empowered to discover solutions themselves to issues of concern in a supportive, empathic, warm and caring environment. I will not judge you in any way; you are unique as a human being and my role is to help you be who you want to be.
MY APPROACH
As a counsellor I offer you my honesty and respect while we explore issues you feel you would like to bring to counselling, at the times that we have agreed. An essential element in successful counselling is the relationship between counsellor and client, so during the first sessions I work with you to develop trust.
HELPING YOU DEVELOP
As a person-centred, BACP approved counsellor, I seek to enable clients to develop self-resources for making desired changes in their lives. I do this without being directive, rather, helping the client work out the best way forward for themselves.
EMPATHY, TRUST AND RESPECT
I seek to achieve this through empathic understanding and unconditional positive regard. This means I respect individuals and their capacity for self-development regardless of their beliefs, gender, age, history, culture, neurodivergence, ability or background.
For example, early on we may examine how you feel about yourself and, if necessary, what past events might have led you to have this self-concept. At the appropriate time, I would then invite you to look for possible ways in which you could move forward to a more positive place. What you choose to share with me is entirely up to yourself; I do appreciate that some past events may be difficult to talk about.
MY PRACTICE
What can you expect from me?
● To be available at the agreed time.
● To start and end on time.
● To offer a quiet, appropriate and undisturbed space.
● To maintain safe, professional boundaries.
● To regard all contact and information as confidential unless I have reasonable doubt concerning actual safety of yourself or others.
● To communicate genuine respect and trust in your ability to develop your self-healing resources.
● To encourage client autonomy; You, the Client, are in control.
● To work within the BACP guidelines for regular supervision.
● To abide by the BACP Code of Ethics.
● To review therapeutic work with you and our relationship regularly.
● To inform you in advance either by phone or email should any situation arise which may cause a session to be delayed or cancelled.
● In the unlikely event of my needing to cancel for any reason, an alternative appointment will be offered ASAP at a time best suited to yourself.
What would I expect from you?
● To be on time for counselling sessions.
● To give a minimum of 24 hours’ notice when cancelling/ changing an appointment (or the full fee becomes payable).
● To pay for the session in full within 24 hours of each appointment.
● Communicating with myself only through the contact details provided. Contact outside agreed counselling sessions needs to be limited to making, changing or cancelling an appointment, unless by prior arrangement.
● To agree to give permission to contact a third party if I have serious concerns about risk to yourself, my client, or others.
● To discuss with myself when you feel you are ready to end therapy. You are free to cancel therapy at any time.
● To let me know if you are in or are considering entering another therapeutic relationship.
INITIAL CONTACT
Prospective clients email or phone me using the contact information provided. I would normally then arrange a short phone call so that we can get to know one another a little before we have our first session. In addition to introducing ourselves to each other, this provides you with an opportunity to let me know directly what benefit you believe you may get from counselling.
ASSESSMENT
Depending upon the circumstances around your counselling needs, I may request that you complete an assessment, which will typically be in the form of a questionnaire followed by a discussion. The purpose of assessment is to ensure that I can provide you with a service that meets your needs. If I think it might help, the assessment questionnaire may be sent by email for you to complete. This is normally completed during our first session.
FIRST SESSION
Our first session will be spent getting to know one another. It is essential that we build a trusting relationship whereby you feel able to discuss any personal issues of concern. We shall also discuss how many sessions you may require. We agree the terms and conditions of our counselling sessions and sign a contract. This will be copied and sent by email or, if the first session is face-to-face, then handed over directly once we've both signed. For overseas clients, the contract will be subject to UK law and legal jurisdiction.
DURATION OF COUNSELLING
The number of sessions you think may be required is entirely up to yourself. You may feel that you would like to have one session as a trial before continuing...that's fine! You are in control at all times! We may initially agree a fixed number of sessions, perhaps on a set time each week at the best time for you, taking into account your other ongoing commitments. I would also need to ensure that I would be available at the time and day of the week you request.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Registered MBACP, Mar 2025
- COSCA, Professional Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling, Jan 2025
- Post-Graduate Diploma, Employment Law & Practice (with Merit), 2010
- Chartered Fellow, CIPD, 2007
- MSc Psychology, 2005
- European Federation of Psychological Assessments, 2005
- Bachelor of Arts, Open University, 1992
- Diploma in Management Studies, 1988
- Warrant Officer, British Army, LSGC, GSM (N. Ireland) Retired in 1988
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£45.00 per session
Additional information
Clients book sessions by contacting me by phone or email.
I am currently accepting new clients for online sessions only. I am available most days of the week except Mondays', including weekends. I offer a free 15 minute phone conversation to answer any questions you may have before commencing counselling sessions with me.
Number of Sessions
We agree the number of counselling sessions you feel would be of benefit during our first session. You may wish to decide after our first session if you wish to continue with me; that's fine! You are in control at all times.
Payments and Cancellations
Payment is required 24 hours' before a scheduled session. If you need to cancel or reschedule, I would appreciate a minimum of 48 hours' notice. Unfortunately, sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours' notice are not refundable.
I offer a 10% discount to UK Armed Forces Veterans.
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Later evening sessions commence at 8pm in order to be completed by 9pm. Sessions commence at 9am and continue throughout the day at times agreed with individual clients.
