About me
I work mainly with individuals . I will also consult with partners if and when appropriate to address relationship issues.
I offer open-ended counselling to help with a wide range of mental health conditions and emotional and psychological disturbances. I also offer shorter-term therapeutic consultancy to focus on particular professional issues. Having managed and consulted a variety of organizations , I am interested in peoples relationship to work. I have extensive experience working within education.
Whilst I am psychodynamically trained, my practice is essentially integrative, utilising approaches and techniques which myself and clients feel most helpful.
I work with relationships - to self , others , tasks. I work on difficulties in those relationships through an integrated approach of , understanding and strategy, which leads to meaningful,sustainable , relational and behavioural change.
Of course , the human condition is complex , however over 30 years of experience of learning from clients , has taught me some essential truths about it's mental component .
- difficulties generally arise in one's development
- we adapt to survive and thrive through that development
- as relationships ( love and work ) become more complex , the adaptations we made in childhood , may be , or feel , insufficient or problematic
Hence difficulties in love and work
- we cannot change , that which , we do not understand
- if one chooses to understand , difficulties in love and work , are , amenable to change
- through relational , and behavioral , re-adaptations , to those adopted in childhood
- we are relational by nature , hence a relationship is sometimes required , to understand , observe ....... and help you become your, understanding , observing and , accepting , self
Evidence would suggest I am generally helpful to clients but of course, it is the relationship that counts. I always offer an initial meeting as a mutual assessment to help inform both parties of the potential benefit of ongoing work.
My practice is UK wide as I work exclusively online , which I believe to be as effective and ensures I am able to offer very affordable rates.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have been a Senior Accredited Member of the BACP since the inception of the category. I have a Master's in Psychodynamic Counselling (Birkbeck; 1996) and have subsequently worked in a variety of settings, higher education, community, independent. I worked at Oxford University for 15 years as a counsellor, supervisor and lecturer/ tutor, as Course Leader of the Diploma in Psychodynamic Practice.
I was a member of the BACP Executive Committee for 4 years.
I currently work for Bristol University Staff Counselling Service.
Member organisations
school 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.
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
£40.00 - £50.00
Additional information
Individual Counselling
£40 per 50 minute session
Brief or Open Ended , normally weekly
Therapeutic Consultancy
£50 per 60 minute session
Work oriented issues - Structured , Focused , Strategic - normally 6 sessions
Further information
A very wise and eminent colleague once told me, effective counselling is having the most appropriate, therapeutic conversation. I hope this informs my practice to this day.
Testimonials
" my first experience of counselling ...could not have asked for a better guide through the process " ( verified client )
" Peter's ability to convey complex concepts ...with clarity ...really helped me understand and change " ( verified client )
