About me
I believe that living asks us to show up and be courageous and that it’s at the edges of our lives where we grow, not the safe centre. I’ve over 10 years’ experience as a Gestalt therapist supporting people going through change. I work with the feelings that come up around this change, typically feelings of anxiety and overwhelm, of feeling stuck or confused or lost and hopeless. Much of my work is with people moving through transitions like loss, endings and changes in direction.
Whatever the change you’re going through, this struggle is your new edge. It may be unwelcome or forced upon you, but it is change, and it is happening. You can choose to fight this new reality (and likely amplify your feelings of anxiety and overwhelm) or allow this process of change to reshape you. As a Gestalt therapist I believe this tension between what has ended and what is yet to come is at the core of all change. I see our work together as supporting this struggle so it can resolve into a new way forwards.
Key to this is support. When we feel supported we surprise ourselves with what we can do. Unsupported anything can feel too much. So, in our sessions we’ll look at practical ways to help you reconnect with your own resources, through grounding techniques and gentle body-awareness practices. We’ll look at things that can support you day to day, activities and routines, people and places that matter. We’ll then explore how the things you’ve lived through are impacting and contributing to your current struggle.
At times we might look to amplify this struggle to understand ways forward. At times we might stay with the tension to give it the space to resolve. And at times we can try out practical ways of doing things differently to safely experiment with new possibilities. We will always work at a pace that is respectful of what feels okay for you, as this is the only way we can stay at the edge where this healing and growth happen.
Gestalt therapy is centred on what you are experiencing right now. As a Gestalt therapist I try always to be supportive of both you and this important edge. As I will be part of your ‘right now’ I try to be a real and genuine presence in the room with you, not a blank face leaving you in silence to struggle alone.
If you want to know more about me, about Gestalt therapy or how we might meet these edges together, then please get in touch. I’m very happy to arrange a twenty-minute introductory phone or Zoom video call at no charge, or to book an initial consultation session (either in-person or online) to meet and see if we feel like a good fit.
This is what some of the people I have worked with have said:
“Through working with Sam, I am now able to approach challenges I may face through a different lens, allowing me more balance and peace of mind.” – N
“The work that I undertook with Sam during our months together has helped me to be more confident and assured in setting boundaries in my personal and professional life.” – L
“I have been able to make peace with traumatised parts of myself and begin to show compassion and kindness to myself for the first time.” - P
“I felt very at ease with him from the initial phone call onwards and I felt like I mattered which helped me to open up about painful issues.” – H
What to expect
I offer an initial 50 minute consultation at £30 as an opportunity for you to explore what you wish to gain from counselling and so that you can get an experience of me and how we might work together.
Following this, sessions are typically weekly, for 50 minutes. Fees are £65. We will aim to find a regular time slot that works for us both. I typically have some slots available during the day and some evenings.
I believe strongly that counselling should be accessible to all and so I offer a limited number of low-cost, concessionary spaces within my practice. Please contact me to enquire about current availability for these.
Location
My practice rooms are on the junction of Church Road and Wilbury Road in central Hove. Unfortunately these are not disability accessible. My rooms are easily accessible by public transport and on-street parking is available outside and there are also car parks nearby.
Training, qualifications & experience
I graduated with a Post Graduate Diploma in Humanistic Psychotherapeutic Counselling from the University of Brighton and I have a Certificate in Counselling from the University of Chichester.
I am also trained as a bereavement counsellor and am ASIST trained (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). I have undergone specialist trauma training with Dr Janina Fisher, a leading expert on working with and integrating trauma. I have also completed trauma focused training with Dr Frank Anderson on integrating Internal Family Systems into trauma work.
I am a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). I hold full, professional liability insurance.
I have worked with CRI (now CGL) supporting homeless people in Brighton and Hove. I have also worked in a variety of commercial roles, in sales and marketing, management and business consultancy. This has given me a wide experience working with work and career, such as successfully achieving career changes and work - life balance.
In accordance with BACP guidelines, I am committed to continuous professional development through training courses, workshops, personal therapy and supervision.
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
Fees
£65.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer an initial 50 minute assessment session at £30 as an opportunity for you to explore what you wish to gain from counselling and so that you can get an experience of me and how we might work together.
Following this, I charge £65 per-session. Sessions are typically weekly and last for 50 minutes.
Please contact me by either phone or email and I will respond as soon as I am able and certainly within 24 hours. As I am often with clients please leave an answerphone message.
When I work
Available for daytime and evening appointments
Further information
Hove:
Located on the junction of Church Road and Wilbury Road in Hove. This is around 15 minutes walk from Hove train station.
Bus routes 1, 1A, 6, 49 and 60 stop outside. Routes 7, 21, 21A and the Coastliner 700 all stop nearby.
Street parking is available outside at £1 for an hour.
Brighton:
I work at the Brighton Therapy Practice, located in the centre of Brighton, near the Brighton Pavilion. My rooms are easily accessible by public transport and parking is available nearby.
