About me
Accepting that you need the help of someone else can be hard. Making the decision to attend counselling can be even harder. Partners, peers and family may not understand, you may feel like you've failed somehow, you may feel like you are not enough. This is far from the truth however.
Attending counselling is often the first step on a journey that allows us to confront our difficulties, face our fears, become more self-aware and ultimately take a path that can lead to a better quality of life.
My name is Michael. Going to counselling myself, studying counselling and then becoming a counsellor are three of the best life decisions I have ever made.
I am a fully qualified MBACP Professional Therapeutic Counsellor specialising in Person Centred Therapy, CBT and Psychodynamic Therapy. I also carry out a lot of work relating to men’s mental health.
During our sessions you will be the focus. Obviously other people are discussed but ultimately the sessions are about you, your feelings and emotions and the difficulties that you are facing.
Our sessions will give you the opportunity to be open and vulnerable in a safe space without being judged as we work through your issues together. Ultimately we will work towards improving your quality of life and resolving these difficulties together.
Training, qualifications & experience
Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling (QCF)
BACP Membership number: 00945082
Register number:388808
As a counsellor I have dealt with issues relating to depression, loss, grief, anxiety, men's issues, divorce, infidelity, narcissistic behaviour, anger, neurodiversity, ADHD, Autism, sexuality, gender transitioning, body dysmorphia, self-harm, eating disorders, alcohol issues, drug issues, bullying, debt, peer group/friendship issues, workplace issues, relationship issues, family issues, confidence and stress.
In my practice I operate as an Integrative Counsellor meaning I incorporate various methods of counselling in order to help you work through your difficulties.
I use Person Centred Therapy where the focus is on you, your feelings and your emotions.
I use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy(CBT) in order to help you understand and work through difficult behavioural patterns and I use Psychodynamic Therapy in order to help you gain a greater understanding of your true self.
The aim of our sessions will ultimately be for them to provide you with an opportunity to improve the quality of your life and work through your difficulties as they arise naturally in our sessions.
I believe that counselling is a very personal and confidential form of support and as your counsellor I offer you time to share your concerns, looking at alternative ways of coping. With support from myself, I will enable you to decide the most appropriate way for you to resolve your difficulties. I will listen to you without judging you or imposing my values and beliefs upon you. For me to give advice or to make decisions for you would be wrong. I can only help and encourage you to decide what is best for you.
Counselling can help you learn more about yourself and make sense of your thoughts, feelings and motivations, giving you a clearer perspective on life. It can also help you to explore your options and make decisions so that you are able to make positive changes. Counselling can help you resolve your difficulties and live a happier, more productive life.
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
As well as the areas of counselling mentioned above, I am also currently finding that I am dealing with a lot more males as more and more men acknowledge that reaching out for help and attending counselling is a positive step rather than a step to be embarrassed or ashamed of.
Men's mental health is an area I relate to, empathise with and hold strong experience of dealing with. I understand the difficulties men face in modern society and how the historical expectations placed upon men can be difficult to manage.
The counselling I offer can help with this and help men live a happier, more productive and more fulfilling life.
Therapies offered
Fees
£46.00 - £58.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
I offer a free 20-30 minute telephone consultation where we can discuss the difficulties you are facing in further detail. I will then explain how I work and from there, if you decide you would like to work with me, we can then book you in for some sessions.
I charge £58 per hour for face-to-face sessions or £46 per hour for video/telephone sessions.
If you would like to contact me I welcome both telephone and e mail enquiries.
When I work
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I am flexible in my working hours and I am happy to discuss times and dates that are suitable for you.
