About me
I’m John, an integrative counsellor offering face-to-face counselling in central Sevenoaks and online sessions across the UK.
Sometimes life becomes difficult in ways we don’t fully understand. You might be experiencing anxiety or stress, struggling to balance work and family pressures, or having difficulties in important relationships. You may feel exhausted or burned out, be questioning your confidence or purpose, or simply recognise that something in your life needs to change.
Counselling gives you somewhere to stop, talk openly and begin to make sense of what is happening.
I work with men and women experiencing difficulties in their lives, relationships or work. I also have a particular interest in men’s mental health. Many men find it difficult to say when they’re struggling. There can be a strong pressure to cope, stay in control and deal with things yourself, even when things aren’t really okay.
You don’t need to arrive at counselling knowing exactly what’s wrong or what you want to change. We can work that out together.
My approach is warm, collaborative and relationship-focused. I won’t tell you how you should live your life or try to fit you into a particular psychological category. I’m active and present in sessions and offer thoughts and reflections where appropriate and helpful.
As an integrative counsellor, I don’t believe there is just one way of working. We can explore what is happening in your life now while also looking at earlier experiences and relationships and how these may have shaped the way you see yourself, relate to others or respond to situations today.
The theory sits in the background. You remain at the centre of the work.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and hold a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
Alongside my private practice, I am a volunteer counsellor with Mind.
I also have experience of counselling adolescent boys aged 14+ in school settings and am available to work with young adults.
As an integrative counsellor, my practice is informed by a range of therapeutic ideas and approaches. I have completed additional training in Trauma-Informed Counselling and Internal Family Systems (IFS) and am continuing my professional development through further training in psychodynamic counselling.
My work is relationship-focused and person-centred, while also drawing on psychodynamic thinking to explore how earlier experiences and relationships may influence how we experience ourselves and others today.
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
£50.00 per session
Additional information
Finding the right counsellor is important, so I offer a free initial 30-minute telephone conversation. This gives you an opportunity to tell me a little about what has brought you to counselling, ask any questions and get a sense of whether working together might feel right.
If it feels like a good fit, we can arrange our first session and take it from there.
Further information
Sessions are 50 minutes and are available face-to-face from therapy rooms in central Sevenoaks or online.
I offer both short-term and longer-term counselling. We can work on an open-ended basis or agree a particular number of sessions depending on what feels most appropriate for you.
I currently offer morning, daytime and evening appointments, with sessions available between 8am and 8pm.
