About me
Hi, I’m Mike.
If you’re used to holding things together on the outside while feeling anxious, overwhelmed, stuck or misunderstood underneath, I may be a good fit for you.
I specialise in working with neurodivergent adults and men who find it hard to talk openly about what they’re feeling. You might be living with ADHD, autistic traits, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, burnout, panic, low mood, anger, self-doubt, or simply the sense that life feels harder than it seems to for other people.
Many of the men I work with are not short of feelings — they’ve just never had a safe or natural way to express them. Sometimes it feels easier to begin through things like music, football, or everyday life before getting to what’s really going on underneath. I understand that, and I work with it rather than against it.
This is personal for me as well as professional. I’ve had my own struggles with anxiety and depression, and over time I came to understand more about my own neurodivergence. That experience shaped the way I work: with empathy, honesty and no judgement.
I’m an integrative, trauma-informed counsellor with 25 years in health and social care, and over 30 years of Buddhist practice and meditation. Where it feels helpful, I may also bring in relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness, music, or walk-and-talk sessions to help you feel more at ease and more able to connect with what’s going on.
I offer a specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for ADHD clients, to help them manage their symptoms.
I also offer as CBT package for women going through the menopause, and peri-menopause.
You don’t need to have the right words. You don’t need to explain yourself perfectly. We can start where you are.
I offer one-to-one counselling in Darlington, Guisborough and Middlesbrough, walk-and-talk sessions in the Tees Valley, and online sessions across the UK.
See website: www.clearlightcounselling.com
To learn more about myself and my counselling; visit www.clearlightcounselling.com, and by all means have a read of my blog articles.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Diploma Level 5 in Psychotherapeutic Counselling.
- Registered Member MBACP. Membership Number 01004854.
- 4 years experience in counselling. Trauma-informed. Neurodiversity affirmative.
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
£50.00 per session
Additional information
- Concessions £40 per 50-minute (unwaged/on benefits).
- One-off 75-minute session at £75 (£60 at concessionary rate).
Further information
See website: www.clearlightcounselling.com
