Martin Linton - Viewsaboutlife Counselling

Training, qualifications & experience

I have counselled many years at Mind and am used to working with a wide range of presenting problems. e.g. from the general public, Doctor, Hospital referrals and also other counsellors. All this is complimentary to a wide scope of transferable skills and understandings form both my work and personal history. My work / life experience has taken me to a broad array of demographics / contexts / and situations where counselling skills and knowledge have been key.

• Inner Systems or Internal Family Systems (IFS). I am one of the lucky few attending the practitioner mastering skills trainings, (sponsored continuing professional development).  IFS is the new wave of very effective Systemic Therapy, it is useful for both the individual or couples. IFS is evidence based and non-pathologizing.
• Systemic Counselling (BACP Accredited), Honoured Batchelor of Science (B.Sc Hons); integrating Mindfulness / phenomenology / Existentialist and Mentalization ideas with Systemic Thinking (The home of Solution Focused Therapy).
• CBT: Cognitive Behavioural Therapies, studied with a focus on Trauma therapies.
• Trauma therapy: "Rewind" practitioner, (trained directly by Dr Muss). An effective way to quickly take the sting out of traumatic affect.
• Diploma: Systemic Counselling, (Solution Focused constructivist, Modernist strategic / structural, and Post-modern non-pathologising theory - integrating IFS theory and practices).
• Diploma: Psychotherapeutic Counselling, (Solution Focused, Humanistic, and traditional Cognitive Behavioural Therapies).
• Integrative studies: i.e. Three Routes of Counselling (Traditional: Humanistic, Psychodynamic and Rational Emotive Cognitive Behavioural Therapies).
• Metacognition: Embedding the Self in Culture: Brain plasticity and how to achieve it for self-development at the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute.
• Vipassana x30 (Mindfulness stress reduction and coping tequniques): Experiential acceptance and commitment training and consultation. This involves the therapeutic use of "metta balm" consciousness and compassion focused strategies; useful for therapeutic work with craving / compulsion, depression, anxiety and trauma.
• Intrusive Thoughts & The Critical Inner Voice.  Workshop influenced by IFS ideas.
• Relationship Rescue. Workshop delivered ideas and technique for couples counselling.
• Conflict Resolution. Basic training for private and social practice.
• EMDR. Workshop for stress reduction by using left and right consciousness'.
• EFT. Workshop for stress reduction by using meridian points, pressure and the energies contained inside the body.
• ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Trained) Suicide Prevention trained + updated.

The counselling methods that are used are for collaborating closely, intuitively, and sensitively towards assisting with identifying a healthy relational balance within the self or with other. This usually becomes very useful to generate new-perspectives that in-turn help towards meaningful well-being, with felt improvements / transformative changes to life experiences. The relationship can utilize or embed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness, and Integrative ideas within a Humanistic / Systemic counselling context - to work with and assist the clients own choices and nature.

Other areas of counselling I deal with

• Non-Voyeuristic Counselling,
• Emotional Dissolution (relief),
• Inner children, others.
• Excessive Shame / Guilt.
• Living with the effects of medical birth,
• Living with Asthma and / or Allergies.

Further information

Enhanced Public Child and Adult DBS clearance is in place.

• telephone counselling is usually for senior citizens / disabled only