Roland Oliver

Hi, my name is Roland and welcome to my site.

I understand it takes some courage from you to begin to address the experiences that are bothering you and causing suffering in your life.  It can also be difficult to choose a therapist/counsellor who we think will be a 'good fit' and who we can feel safe working with.

I work both psychodynamically and intuitively and believe that therapy is not about any particular technique, but ultimately that healing occurs through a safe and trusting relationship, and therefore through our therapeutic relationship. It is vitally important to me and to your healing process, that I am myself in the therapy room and this means being professional, authentic with a sense of humour and being open and honest with you. 

I have suffered the experiences of, trauma manifested through painful emotional 'wounding,' leading to anxiety, depression confusion, desperation and helplessness. I often found it very difficult to ask for help and this appeared to mirror my early childhood and upbringing.  I had become conditioned and traumatised by my own life experiences. Through therapy I became mindful of how vulnerable we can all be, particularly in the very early stages of life, but this experience can greatly affect us in the present.

My approach to therapy is influenced by 'mindfulness' which is the practice of focusing attention on the present experience in a way that is non-judgmental, and such as “mindfulness and awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations and the surrounding area through a gentle nurturing lens”.

Reality is only ever experienced in the present, and mindfulness-based therapy in particular brings us back to this, allowing for us to be with whatever is happening for us in the here and now, in our bodies and minds. It is in working through what is present for us at any given moment through our direct experience that real opportunity for change and personal growth occurs.

​Our past influences our present, and by exploring the past we can often start to understand our present day struggles, including that of anxiety, shame, anger, depression or feelings of helplessness, in a different more helpful way. I believe we are all born with inherent health, but this is ‘clouded’ or obscured by our learned patterns of behaviour. Being mindful or aware of our ‘stuff,’ can help us to re-engage in and transform our lives.

​Our patterned or 'conditioned behaviour' can keep us stuck or going in circles in our lives. The painful emotional 'wounding' or trauma that we may have experienced in our early lives is often deeply buried in our unconscious mind or held in our body. This is where working on a deeper level and bypassing the conscious mind is needed. 

Identifying emotional patterns and habits and exploring the reasons they were formed can be an illuminating experience, which can be helpful as we try to unhook and process our 'old' habits from the past. A "process" is simply a term used to describe a facilitated exercise that takes you past our conditioned conscious mind, and helps you to dive deeper into exploring what is actually at the root of your issues - and healing it. 

Together, we can explore and make sense of your difficulties and challenges and the way you are dealing with them. In this way, a space is created for you to reflect, increase awareness and discover better choices in how you respond rather than react to life’s difficulties.  We will explore deeper-seated patterns of behaviour, feelings, and meaning, so you can expect to learn more about yourself, build greater awareness of your thoughts and feelings, and understand how this affects you and the people around you.

Try one session for free, to see if you feel comfortable, and decide if therapy may help you.

Standard fees

£60 per session (1 hour) 

Affordable fees

In order to make therapy more accessible, I offer therapy on the basis of ability to pay, with affordable fees starting from £40. These spaces are limited, so please contact me for more information.

I have suffered the experiences of, trauma, painful emotional 'wounding,' confusion, desperation and helplessness.  I often found it very difficult to ask for help and this appeared to mirror my early childhood and upbringing.  I had become conditioned and traumatised by my own life experiences. Through therapy I became mindful of how vulnerable we can all be, particularly in the very early stages of life, but this experience can greatly affect us in the present.

We are hard-wired to seek out intimate bonds with those closest to us, but early impingements can significantly affect our attachment process to our caregivers which can detrimentally affect the foundations of ourselves and our personality development.

​Psychotherapy gave me the space to process these experiences and make some sense of my life.  It allowed a sense of relief and for healing to take place. It was, for me, life changing. These experiences inspired me to become a psychotherapist and it is has become my joy to support others on their own journey in gaining awareness and making transformations in their lives. 

Our "mindfulness" can lead to awareness and the beginning of our healing. We can learn how to slow our "process" down and regulate the effects of anxiety, depression, anger, numbness, shame, and hopelessness.

Our experiences are one side of the healing journey. Even when we are suffering greatly, it is possible to find meaning in our pain and become wiser. These challenges can teach us how to be more self-contained, have the presence of mind and gain tranquillity and restore our inherent health.