Peter Clarke
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I'm a psychodynamic counsellor, and I split my time between my practice rooms in Stroud, Gloucestershire, St Albans, Hertfordshire, and remotely by phone and online. I offer open-ended and brief counselling to adults, both in person and remotely.
What is psychodynamic counselling?
Derived from psychoanalysis, psychodynamic counselling is a talking therapy that aims to shine a light on the unconscious processes that shape how we think, feel, and behave.
While some psychological therapies (such as CBT) are solution-focussed, psychodynamic counselling grapples with the root causes of problems in order to provide longer-term relief from symptoms.
How does this type of counselling work?
Part of the process may involve releasing repressed emotions, making links between past and present to spot unhelpful patterns, and experiencing a new way of relating that can then be carried into other relationships. It’s an approach that lends itself to open-ended therapy, but it can also effectively be applied to more focussed, brief work.
Sessions
Whether in-person or remotely, I offer a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental space to talk. Typically, sessions last 50 minutes and occur once per week at an agreed time. Alternatively I offer brief counselling (6-12 weeks), as well as ad-hoc sessions, by arrangment. Contact me to arrange a free 20-minute phonecall to see whether we will feel comfortable working together.
Training, qualifications & experience
I'm a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), www.bacp.co.uk. My training was accredited by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC), and my clinical work is accredited by BACP. In a former life (before becoming a therapist), I achieved a distinction in MA Linguistics at UCL and went on to work in education and translation. This work feeds into an interest I have in the language we use, and how this can help uncover underlying feelings.
I’m qualified to offer open-ended counselling to adults, as well as time-limited and remote counselling. I have experience working with different genders, different ages, and a range of presentations, such as mental health issues, emotional and behavioural challenges, trauma and abuse, stress and anxiety, relationship difficulties, physical health problems, personality and attachment disorders, and suicidality.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£38.00 - £48.00
Free initial telephone session
Additional information
I believe in making counselling as accessble as possible, therefore I offer sessions at a reduced fee of £38 before 3pm.
When I work
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