About me
I'm Max (he/him/his), a Gestalt counsellor (MBACP) in Camden Kings Cross London (NW1), Croydon (CR0), and Wimbledon (SW19), working with adults, young people, and creative professionals - both in person and online.
Before therapy training, I spent several years in LGBTQ+ mental health, asylum support services, community settings, and arts communities. That's shaped how I see mental health - as something influenced by our intersectional identities, power, belonging, and the systems around us, not just something internal.
I work from Gestalt therapy - a relational, trauma-informed approach that focuses on what's happening now. Rather than just exploring your past, we explore how patterns show up in the present: in your body, in our conversations, in the moments when something shifts.
For example: how you respond when something feels uncomfortable, what happens in your body when certain topics come up, or the moments when you pull back or push forward. These aren't interruptions - they're information about how you navigate the world and relate to yourself and others.
Often, patterns that once helped us become outdated and limit our choices. Therapy is about expanding awareness of these patterns so new possibilities open up - different ways of relating, responding, being. I'm interested in how you've learned to adapt, what parts of yourself you've kept hidden, and what might shift when there's room to notice together.
My arts background means I'm comfortable with ambiguity and what can't easily be put into words.
Issues I often work with:
- Anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout (especially linked to identity or discrimination)
- Coming out, gender exploration, feeling between worlds
- LGBTQ+ specific challenges and experiences
- Relationship patterns: people-pleasing, trust issues, repeating dynamics
- Self-esteem, shame, perfectionism, and self-criticism
- Identity questions: cultural, racial, sexual, relational - who you are and where you belong
- Class identity, working-class experience, and the complexity of social mobility
- The impact of difficult or overwhelming experiences on the body, relationships, and sense of self
- Neurodivergence - including ADHD and autism, and the experience of navigating a world not designed for how your mind works
- Life transitions and periods of uncertainty
- Loneliness, isolation, and difficulty connecting with others
- Refugee and asylum experiences
- Working with creative practitioners and artists
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications and training:
- Diploma in Counselling, Gestalt Centre
- Working Alongside Trans and Non-Binary Clients, Gendered Intelligence
- Certificate in Humanistic Counselling Skills, Gestalt Centre
- Trans Awareness Training, Gendered Intelligence
- Adult and youth Mental Health First Aid Certification , MHFA
- Community Organising, Citizens UK
Professional membership:
BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) - registered member
Experience:
- 6+ years in LGBTQ+ mental health support services
- Experienced with issues impacting refugees and people seeking asylum
- Working with young people in further and higher education settings
- Designing and delivering training on mental health awareness, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and trauma-informed practice for community organisations and settings
- Background in arts and creative practice
Training delivery:
- Conflict Resolution Training
- Navigating the Hostile Environment
- Immigration and asylum awareness training
- Trans Awareness training (co-developed and co-delivered alongside trans colleagues)
- Supporting and building LGBTQI+ communities
- LGBTQI+ Allyship training
Ongoing professional development:
- Member of the Gendered Intelligence Therapists and Counsellors Network
- Regular clinical and peer supervision
- Committed to ongoing training in trauma-informed and relational approaches
- Ongoing training in facilitation skills
- Ongoing engagement with LGBTQ+ community knowledge and developments
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Anxiety, depression, stress, and burnout (especially linked to identity or discrimination)
- Trauma and its effects on the body and relationships
- Coming out, gender exploration, feeling between worlds
- Relationship patterns: people-pleasing, trust issues, repeating dynamics
- Self-esteem, shame, perfectionism, and self-criticism
- Identity questions: cultural, racial, sexual, relational - who you are and where you belong
- Life transitions and periods of uncertainty
- Loneliness, isolation, and difficulty connecting with others
- LGBTQ+ specific challenges and experiences
- Polyamory, ENM, and non-monogamy
- Refugee and asylum experiences
- Working with creative practitioners and artists
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£65.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer flexible scheduling with evening and weekend appointments to support shift workers, key workers, and anyone with non-standard working patterns. Sessions are available both in person (Kings Cross, Wimbledon, and Croydon) and online, and I work with clients in both short-term and long-term therapy.
Individual Session Cost: £65 per 50-minute session.
Concession Rates: Reduced-fee and sliding-scale options are available. If you're considering a concession rate, we can explore this together, openly and transparently. We can talk about what feels manageable for you financially and what supports a steady, sustainable therapeutic process.
Lower-cost spaces vary depending on demand, and we can discuss what's possible when we connect.
When I work
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Further information
I work across sites in Camden near Kings Cross, Westminster, Wimbledon, and in Croydon (East Croydon station, 15 mins from London Bridge). Online sessions are held via Zoom. I offer a free 20-minute phone or video consultation. Please get in touch to find out more or to check availability.
My practice is LGBTQ+ affirming, meaning I won't make assumptions about your identity, relationships, or experiences, and who you are is radically accepted and welcomed in the room. I have a background in LGBTQ+ mental health, and while this shapes my practice, I work with anyone, whatever your identity or background.
