About me
I'm a counsellor in Bude, North Cornwall, working with couples, individuals, and children and young people, in person at Neetside Community Centre and online across the UK.
Couples and relationships
Something's not working, and you've probably already tried to fix it yourselves. Maybe you're going round the same argument without ever quite resolving it. Maybe the distance between you has grown and you're not sure when it started. Maybe one of you wants to be here more than the other. All of that is normal, and all of it is workable.
Couples counselling isn't about deciding who's right. It's about understanding what's happening between you, and creating enough safety for something different to become possible. I work relationally, which means I'm as interested in what happens in the room as in what's being talked about; a lot of what goes on between two people doesn't come out in words.
Individuals
I also work with adults individually, in person or online: anxiety, trauma, significant life changes, and the kind of low-level unhappiness that doesn't have an obvious cause but doesn't go away either. I hold a particular interest in men's mental health.
Children and young people
I see children and young people in person in Bude: children finding school hard or refusing it altogether, children who've gone quiet or anxious, and children in care or living with kinship guardians. This work is face to face only.
About me
I'm a relational counsellor and psychotherapist, an accredited registrant with the NCPS, with a particular focus on couples work. I hold student membership with COSRT and am working toward their specialist relationship therapy register, one of the only dedicated registers for relationship therapists in the UK.
Before I trained as a counsellor in 2018, I spent thirty years in work that all fed into this: a therapeutic community, teaching, foster parenting, and men's group work. It shapes how I sit with people now. My practice is trauma-informed, LGBTQ+ affirming and neurodiverse affirming.
How we'd work
Sessions are led by what matters to you. There's no fixed agenda and no homework unless it's useful. You set the pace.
Getting started
The easiest way to begin is a free phone call. You can also email or text me directly. Details and booking at johnwaltercounsellor.com.
Training, qualifications & experience
I first began working in mental health with children and young people in 1986. Later, as a teacher, I supported students who found it difficult to access formal education. I have also been a foster parent and have run my own business using music to bring people together and build community.
These experiences, together with my own recovery from personal trauma, led me to train formally as a therapist in 2018. Since then, I have worked with clients facing long-term challenges such as bereavement, relationship breakdowns, stress, and the lasting effects of trauma.
I have particular experience supporting LGBTQ+ clients, including people exploring gender or sexual identity, helping them navigate family relationships, self-understanding, and social pressures.
All of these experiences shape how I work today: with empathy, creativity and respect for the different paths people take toward healing.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£40.00 - £60.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Face to Face £40 for under 18's - Adults £60 - Couples £95
Online Adults £75
The lowest rate is only for students and young people
Online couples pay £120 for an initial 90-minute session, after which we will contract for subsequent sessions.
When I work
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Further information
Face-to-face in a busy Community Centre in Bude, Mon Tues and Thurs afternoons
Online via Zoom from home.
