Sam Berey

Welcome

My specialisms are anxiety and depression, trauma, bereavement and loss. This could be the loss of a relationship through separation or divorce; loss experienced through transitions such as mid-life and aging or the loss of meaning or purpose in life. It may be the loss of a loved one through death or illness. I am particularly interested in how we protect ourselves from the hurt we have experienced and how this may get in the way of our living our lives fully.

I have completed specialist training on grief and bereavement including working with complex bereavement such as suicide or sudden bereavement. I have completed several specialist trauma-working courses.

I work both short and long term with clients. My practice is inclusive.

Clients typically come to me because they feel overwhelmed or confused or stuck, as if they are going round in circles. They may feel disconnected from themselves; they may be struggling to 'move through' or 'let go' of something, navigating a point of transition in their lives. If this is your experience, then please get in contact.

I specialise in helping people:

* Manage anxiety and overwhelming emotions to feel more in control
* Turn low-self-esteem & self-judgement to self-understanding & compassion
* Take action to become unstuck
* Overcome fear of decision making
* Quieten negative and critical internal voices
* Counter feelings of isolation and withdrawal
* Become more settled within themselves and their world
* Soothe body tensions and stress
* Develop resilience by re-connecting with internal resources

How I work  - a glass of water

I believe the hurt we experience gets locked away and we spend lots of energy trying to keep this hurt out of view. We do a good job at this. You may be very good at keeping your pain hidden, even from yourself. But it is there, and it weighs on you, even if you are not in direct contact with it.

Think of carrying a glass of water upstairs, one that you feel is precious and you must not spill. How you climb the stairs is directly affected by this glass of water. You will likely climb slowly and carefully, trying hard not to stumble. And yet sometimes the water spills over. Then, how do you respond? Perhaps by treading even more carefully. Or feeling angry and frustrated. Or being hard on yourself. Perhaps you’ll feel disappointed or sad or feel that you can never get anything right.

It is these responses that we will focus on in our work. Together we can explore these patterns and behaviours and begin to experiment with doing things differently. Working at a pace that is always respectful of what feels okay for you, I will guide you to reconnect and support aspects of yourself that may be reliving the past. I will guide you to reconnect with yourself as you make sense of these feelings and restore your own internal balance.

I work within a Gestalt framework and integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS). Both these models believe that it is through re-connecting with our own potential that we are able to heal and grow.

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 £20 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 £60. 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 Church Road in central Hove, on the junction of Wilbury Road. 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.

I offer an initial 50 minute assessment session at £20 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 £60 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.

Hove:

My counselling rooms are disability accessible.

Located on Church Road in Hove, near the Hove Tesco's, George Street and Hove Library. This is around 10 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.