John Richardson

I’m a friendly and experienced counsellor and psychotherapist specialising in working with adults, young people and couples who are experiencing anxiety and anxiety-related issues. This includes feeling nervous, restless or tense, relationship problems, historic trauma and work-related stress. 

With over 10 years of experience and a background in the NHS on their Let's Talk service; I help clients with overwhelm, complex past, challenging difficulties, self-doubt and confusion that may impact your career, relationships and any sense of calm. I also work with neurodiversity which includes ADHD, autism and asperger's syndrome.

I have my own experiences with anxiety and ADHD (and probably a few other neurodivergent traits) and it’s a genuine pleasure to help others like I've been helped in the past myself. We can start to make some sense of where the anxiety comes from and then what to do about it. 

You can check out some of my videos below to get a better sense of who I am and how I work.

Here are some examples of the type of work I have done with clients in the past. For confidentiality purposes, the clients names have been changed. 

Laura is a professional woman, wife and mum of two. She feels rewarded by her work, is loving and giving but knows she compromises in relationships, seldom getting her needs met. She lives with a deep-seated unease and anxiety, choosing to be busy whilst suspecting that a "keep calm and carry on" approach isn’t really working for her anymore. 

In our sessions we talk about Laura’s anxieties, frustrations and achievements which helps to meet a long suppressed need to be seen and heard. We also discuss how her childhood (which was pretty chaotic and didn’t leave much space for her) impacts on her relationships particularly with herself, and how some historic trauma drives her need to be busy and invariably tired. We explore options she might have about that which enable her to be more present and recharge.

The sessions are gentle, patient but effective. Laura’s boundaries are respected and her needs validated. There are penny drop moments which lead to breakthroughs and a growing sense of self-confidence and calm which positively impacts her relationships and career.

A talking therapy can be the resources that cuts through the struggle, creates understanding and certainty leading to a sense of peace and connection with yourself and others. That's preferable to feeling like you're simply holding it all together. 

If you have similar experiences as 'Laura' then I offer a free initial online session or phone call for you to discuss your needs and how therapy with me would look and feel.

Clients have shared that they find me easy to talk to, non-judgemental and friendly.  It's Free and with FaceTime, WhatsApp or Zoom its convenient and a great way to get help from the comfort and privacy of your own home. 

In another characterised ‘client story', Tony has some autistic and ADHD traits and at 28 has felt out of place most of his life. He is frustrated with what he has achieved in his life so far, feels he should be doing better but struggles to work out how. Occasionally, when his anxiety subsides for a while he feels very angry but isn't sure why. He finds this cyclic process immensely confusing and frustrating.

Tony and I meet regularly and talk about his day-to-day life, what he finds doable and what he finds challenging, working together to find meaning and make progress. We discuss his relationship with his family which has historically been complex, his career and how he sees himself and his future. Often we talk about what he's really good at, qualities like his intelligence or his kindness. This is something he struggles to connect to but we talk about how by appreciating his 'goodness' he learns how to be kinder to himself and more hopeful.

Our sessions are a safe and supportive space where he can more fully express himself, develop and implement strategies to support his neurodivergence and make steady, sustained progress whilst remaining grounded enough in his comfort zone. 

The uncertainty and overwhelm that comes from feeling different and anxious most of the time is awful. It can leave you full of doubt, low on hope, lonely and exhausted. One of the worst things about anxiety is that it can get you to  battle the dreaded 'What if?' thinking for years before you feel like you can do something about it. 

If you can see some of yourself in either of those client stories and you’d like to find out if us working together would be helpful to you, click on book intro call, or email me to get the ball rolling, schedule your initial free session and we’ll see what progress we can make.

During the initial session people typically achieve a sense of clarity, a feeling of relief that they're not carrying all that worry alone anymore and some hope because they can see a way forward.

How Many Sessions Will I Need?

You'll always get to choose how many sessions you have. My suggestion is, start with one and see how you go. If you’ve found it useful and you’d like to book another one, then let’s do that. You’re always in charge of when you feel you’ve done enough.

Cost and Cancellations

The first session free and the charge is £60 a session after that. They are an hour long and I have a 24 hour cancellation policy. Payment by bank transfer on the same day as the session.

What to do next

If you'd like to book your free first session then simply click on Book Intro Call, or Email Me at the top of the page or, call or text me on 07866 807098 to book in.  We'll schedule a session at a mutually agreeable time and take it from there.

If you'd like to ask me any questions before booking then do feel free to do so by email or phone.

My first session is free, as a way for you to get an experience of therapy to see if it is something you'd wish to engage in with me. After the initial session I charge £60 a session. Sessions are an hour in length and I have a 24hr cancellation policy.

Working Online

Working online is a great way to do therapy. Some people have some reservations about sessions online and there are some drawbacks but here are the three main reasons why online working is definitely worth exploring.

1. It's effective - I worried a little bit in April last year when we went into Lockdown how online working would go as I hadn't done loads of it in the past, preferring to work face to face with clients. However, for all of my clients who took the plunge and went online (it wasn't everyone but it was most people) it was almost like the online element didn't really make much difference.  My clients and I have done some really great work online in the last year. It's been contactful, personal and really effective. It hasn't been a struggle or problematic at all.
2. It's convenient - Rather than battling with traffic, car parking spaces, leaving on time to make appointments, people can simply take their phone into another room, get comfy, prop it up and off we go... Online is a really easy way to access therapy. There have been a few technical difficulties over recent months but we tend to sort them pretty quickly. FaceTime, WhatsApp and Zoom are really user friendly. Screen fatigue can sometimes be there for people but one of the things I find we're talking about a lot since March last year is Self Care so actually, people are looking after themselves more because of these sessions, not less.
3. It's what we have right now - Covid is traumatic for the nation and it is a major problem that we're feeling disconnected. Disconnected from each other, disconnected from our way of living, disconnected from ourselves. What online therapy enables us to do is to manage the impact on us of this trauma as well as find ways to reconnect to ourselves, our capacity and our significant others. Online therapy is effective, its easy and its important.