Richard Kershaw

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Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Reg. MBACP (Accred)
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

York, YO31
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

I offer counselling and psychotherapy to individuals and couples. My work, since 2010, has been to invite personal change and growth by developing a therapeutic relationship together. Here is a place to experience ‘welcome’, to be ‘arrived’ and to be heard fully

What has emerged through my practice is a person-centred approach integrated with transactional analysis (or ‘TA’); This seems to bring a relational feel to my work which can move directly towards the middle of things.

Are any of these familiar to you?

- Your relationship is under strain or has ended in the same way as others before

- You seem always to be low in energy with lower motivation & little fun

- You’re tired but don’t sleep well, or maybe you’re preoccupied by something

- You’re saying ‘This just isn’t like me’

- You're experiencing anxiety or stress at work or on your course

- You’ve been prescribed medication for anxiety or depression by your GP

- Someone close has passed away leaving an enormous space

- You’re feeling ‘in transition’, maybe a life-stage is changing

- You’re having difficult memories about the past

All of us have a tendency to grow and heal - both of these are completely natural. Most often we grow spontaneously and develop despite, or perhaps as a result of, the difficulties and challenges that life presents to us.

Yet sometimes this natural process of growthful change seems blocked. Perhaps a life-event such as illness or bereavement seems to offer an insurmountable barrier. Or, perhaps, there is a long standing pattern in our behaviour or relationships that seems to get in the way of everything, or keeps leading us back to square-one.

Counselling offers a way beyond our blockages to natural change. Here's a confidential space to talk and be fully heard. I will be your ally and walk beside you in this without judgement.

Our work together is 'contracted'; which means that we agree on the direction and pace of our work. I won't tell you 'what to do'. Although I have specialist counselling skills, I'm not the 'expert about you'. You are the expert about you.
This relationship we build in counselling is a safe place to explore what's happening for you and to go beyond our usual ways of being in the world.

As we grow beyond our old patterns, as we go beyond our current difficulties

- relationships become easier to us and, where there are difficulties, we're every bit enough to deal with this.

- we spend more time doing what we want and getting what we need.

- we're out in the World in an able and relaxed way, ready to meet it and be welcomed by it.

- we’re inclined to meet our old woundings with less reactivity and more awareness, even acceptance.

These painful experiences have invited you to seek, and your seeking has already brought you this far. I offer an introductory session without fee as a way to explore how I might help - so, the difficult bit is over. I would say email me, let’s see how we might work together.

Or, if you would like to know more about my practice, or counselling generally, below are links to some short videos that I made as a way to support you in your seeking.

And, you can always follow the link to my website to discover more, to answer frequently asked questions and for full contact details; www.counsellingyork.com

Training, qualifications & experience

I began my training at York St. John University College in Person-Centred Counselling where I gained my Certificate in Counselling (2006).

After this, my training focused on Transactional Analysis and I continued to train at Leeds Psychotherapy Institute before completing my Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling at The Ellesmere Centre in Hull (2012).

In 2014 I completed my Certificate in Working with Couples with Leeds Centre for Psychological Development.

I am an Accredited and Registered Member of BACP.

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

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
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Other areas of counselling I deal with

I offer to meet clients through life stage moments and other periods of transition. I offer pilgrimage support, support with shifts towards more meaningful career and working through creative block.

If you're working with the 'law of attraction' or other creative visualisation techniques and not manifesting that next version of your self, I can offer to walk with and listen to that as a way to invite away any blockages.

I'm happy to meet my clients' embodied experience and inner knowing to make psychospiritual meaning of symptoms, including unexplained medical symptoms, and to find grounding and insight in clients' meditation, qi gong or yoga practice.

If you're wondering whether I might be able to help with your specific concern, just email - it's the simplest way to begin and, if I can't help, I can often signpost to someone/somewhere who might.

Photos & videos

Fees

£50.00 per session
Free initial online session

Concessions offered for

  • Trainee counsellors

Health Insurance/EAP

  • Aviva
  • WPA

Additional information

Individuals - I charge £50 per 60 minute session. Couples - I charge £80 per 90 minute session. I accept payment by online & mobile banking including PayPal.

I offer an introductory session (without fee) to begin exploring and to see how each of us feels.

This is like an 'assessment' but not in any formal way - I'll be asking myself 'Can I be of genuine help in this situation?' and I guess you might be assessing e.g. 'Do I want to do more?' or 'Is this the right person to be working with?' etc.

Towards the end of this first session I'll offer some ideas of how I believe I can help, or ideas about other ways you might want to explore.

And, at the end of our first session, it's OK for you to take time to reflect on what we've discussed then get back in touch to arrange further sessions if that's what you choose. 

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

My weekly schedule is from Monday to Thursday, during the daytime and into early evening. I also see clients most Saturday mornings.

Please see my homepage for my latest availability.

Further information

My website has lots more information about my practice and counselling generally. I know that beginning in counselling can feel like a big step; It can seem complex too, and any anxiety around this is completely natural.

This is why I made a few short videos (some links above) - to support your seeking with information, to bring forward an experience of meeting, and to invite your beginning in this.

I'm happy to receive an email to answer any further questions you might have.

Heworth, York, YO31

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Older adults
Couples

Online platforms

Skype
Zoom

Social

Richard Kershaw
Richard Kershaw