About me
"Grief demands a witness". Not someone to fix it, reframe it, or move you through it at a pace that suits everyone else, but someone who can stay present with it, without flinching, for as long as it needs.
That is the kind of counsellor I am.
I'm Joe Matthews, an integrative counsellor based in Bristol, specialising in grief and loss and ecotherapy. I offer outdoor walk-and-talk therapy in Bristol and online counselling across the UK.
Much of what brings people to therapy is not just painful, it is unwitnessed. Grief that others have grown uncomfortable with. Loss that doesn't have a name. A quiet disconnection from yourself that is hard to explain, let alone share. My work is about creating the conditions where those things can finally be met, with patience, with presence, and without pressure to resolve too quickly.
Being outdoors is often central to that process. There is something about the openness of a green space, the rhythm of walking side by side, that invites a different kind of attention. The body settles. The nervous system begins to regulate. Things surface that might not surface in a room, not because they are forced, but because there is finally enough space for them. Nature has a way of slowing us down to the pace at which we can actually hear ourselves.
My approach follows your lead. We pause when something needs pausing. We notice what is present, not just in your thoughts, but in your body, your breathing, the way something sits with you. I am not trying to fix or reframe what you bring. I am trying to help you understand it more fully, at a pace that feels safe. I also work with people experiencing suicidal ideation. This is an area close to my heart, and one I approach with great care, steadiness, and without judgement.
Practice description
I work with clients in two ways, depending on what works best for you.
Outdoor walk-and-talk therapy takes place in green spaces around Bristol, walking gently or sitting in nature according to what feels right on the day. Being outside changes something in how we relate to difficult feelings. Conversation flows differently. The body is less braced. For many people, particularly those carrying grief, overwhelm, or a deep tiredness they cannot quite name, working outdoors offers a quality of presence that is hard to find elsewhere.
Online counselling is available across the UK via a secure video platform. Many people find that working from their own space, somewhere already familiar and safe, makes it easier to settle and open up.
Sessions can be arranged weekly, fortnightly, or flexibly to suit where you are.
My first session
Before we begin, I offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video, a chance to speak briefly, get a sense of one another, and see if we feel like a good fit.
The first session is unhurried. We will explore what has brought you here and begin to find a way of working together that feels right for you.
If any of this resonates, please do get in touch. You don't need to have the words ready, or know exactly where to begin.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Level 6 Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling - Staffordshire University
- Level 4 Certificate in Psychotherapeutic Counselling - Staffordshire University
My practice is grounded in ongoing learning. I regularly attend continued professional development in the areas that matter most to my work, including grief and loss, ecotherapy, somatic therapy, trauma and inner child work.
Before moving into private practice, I worked in professional mental health roles within third sector charities, and as a counsellor for a dedicated bereavement and loss service. That experience sits underneath everything I do. It has given me a deep familiarity with emotional distress in all its forms, and a quiet confidence in being present with the parts of human experience that are most difficult to bear.
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
£60.00 per session
Additional information
£60 - 50-minute online session
£60 - 50-minute walk and talk session
£80 - 90-minute extended walk and talk (when you need more time and space to explore).
Concessionary rate available for client with financial constraints.
When I work
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