Michael Persaud
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
It is often the case that people have been through difficult events and experiences in their lives, which have impacted them, affecting how they feel and their ability to function as they would like. Counselling involves a natural process of talking to another person, albeit a trained counsellor, with the purpose of feeling better. As a counsellor, it is my job to help provide a pathway for you. In order for this to happen, I must:
- show sensitivity, attention to detail and clarity when supporting you.
- not jump to conclusions during this process.
- assist you in building a bigger picture of yourself.
- assist you in putting the words to what you are feeling.
- being a supportive presence for you in the room, and genuinely interested in what you have to share.
I offer
- Face to Face sessions in the North West London areas of NW10 & HA9
- home visits within the Greater London area
- walk and talk sessions
- sessions over Zoom or Skype
- over the phone
- or even by text or email if preferred (just trying to be modern!)
Happy to answer any questions.
Training, qualifications & experience
I studied at Citylit college in London and earned my diploma in Therapeutic Counselling in 2022. For the past two years, I have worked as a volunteer Counsellor with a local Bereavement counselling service in North West London.
The work I do with clients has been enhanced through the Bioenergetics (Body Psychotherapy) Group I was involved with for ten years at the Open Centre, in London, UK with Guy Gladstone. I am also an experienced Focusor" undertaking Focusing workshops under the guidance of Peter Afford in London, UK. Focusing is a subtle therapeutic technique originally devised by American psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin in the 1960s. For the last three years, I have supported numerous clients afflicted by mental health conditions through my involvement in the mental health charity MIND.
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
Additional information
My fee is £50 for a one hour session. However I do offer my first session free of charge, so you can "try me out" before committing yourself. Concessionary rates are available too.
Further information
I'm mindful of when I first speak to clients who show an interest in counselling. I try to give as much information as possible in terms of what they might expect from it, so they are able to come to an informed decision.
I came to be interested in counselling because I liked the idea of being able to "sort out people's problems". However, as I began my studies, I realised that phrase does not accurately reflect the work that I do. My role predominantly helps my clients to see themselves without the distraction of others, including those who may have gotten in the way of your life's journey or progress. It helps you to feel more at the centre, with a better view of where you are going and what you wish for yourself, right down to the finer details.
The benefits of what is possible from this process I often compare to being able to let go of one heavy bag of shopping, when you have continually felt like you've been carrying two. Or the pleasure and ease of travelling downhill, when up to that point it has always felt like going uphill.
The original therapeutic philosophy that got me started on this journey was actually the Person Centred Approach. This wasn't intentional, but coincidental, but I was to learn about its "humanistic qualities" which in my opinion, makes it very relatable and user friendly. However, this development would not have been possible without the original pioneering work of figures such as Freud, Jung, Adler and others. in those earlier and less informed times, it must have been like working in the relative dark trying to bring their theoretical ideas to life in a form that could help people. As therapists, whichever philosophies we hold dear, still have to endeavour to deliver the very best of what we have learned.
