Dr Niklas Serning, Existential and Child Psychotherapist, Psychologist
About me
There are many ways to practice psychotherapy; my focus is on how you experience and make sense of your life. I will try to get as close as possible to it, so that we can explore ways of changing as well as accepting this reality. Often, it is a matter of owning your experience despite others trying to deny it - a form of intellectual self defense!
I am an existential psychotherapist, child psychotherapist, chartered counselling psychologist and registered supervisor. I am the consultant psychotherapist for OTR, Bristol's award winning (King's Fund 2015) young people's organisation. I am also Senior Lecturer at The University of the West of England, teaching clinical practice and ethics, and supervising doctoral research. Finally, I teach ethics, sexuality and clinical supervision at doctoral level at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling in London, where I also supervise doctoral students.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have spent several years working with the United Nations, where I held senior positions in UNOPS and UNFPA – primarily operational roles in complex emergencies such as Afghanistan, Eritrea and Sri Lanka, but also more policy related work in New York and India. I very much appreciate the efficiency and focus of the intense environments in my earlier UN career, and try to bring some of the resilience needed in that work into the therapy room.
I work in an existential phenomenological way, yet my first degrees were in CBT and psychodynamic work with adults and children and I have also done training in core process psychotherapy. I'm a doctor of existential counselling psychology and psychotherapy.
I have experience from a wide range of settings and clients, and have set up the St Matthias Park Pupil Referral Unit counselling service. I'm also active in research, and have presented and published my work at the World Congress of Existential Therapy, Society of Psychotherapy, British Psychological Society, University of Bristol, the Hermeneutic Journal and Society of Existential Analysis. I'm a member of the editorial review panel of Existential Analysis, Professional Doctorate External Examiner at Teesside University and Regent's University - University of Wales, and also sit on the ethics board for NSPC/Middlesex University.
Member organisations
Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
British Psychological Society
British Psychological Society
UK Council for Psychotherapy
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Health and Care Professions Council
The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Accredited register membership
Accredited Register Scheme
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
Existential Phenomenological exploration of meaning and values
Therapies offered
Fees
I currently have limited spaces free to take new clients on. I charge £70 for a 50 minute session.
