Shane O'Brien

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MBACP (Accred), PG Dip. Couns
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

London SE1
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Though we do carry our past experiences, upbringing and patterns with us, we are so much more than that too. The aim of the therapy is to expand our awareness, so that we can move beyond our patterns and experiences to make choices that serve us. We can explore in a safe environment what makes your life meaningful as well as what you would like to change.

In addition to Psychosynthesis, I also work with techniques from: Gestalt, Autogenic Training, EMDR, NLP, Kinesiology, Meditation and Family Constellations. I have worked extensively with actors, singers, performers, artists and creatives utilising my experience and awareness of the unique challenges within the arts and entertainment industry. I also work with the complexities of celebrity and those in public life.

The work can be challenging, dynamic, compassionate and creative, and invites you to use your innate potential, your talents and limitations; your challenges and triumphs.

What is Psychosynthesis?

Psychosynthesis is based on the work of Dr Roberto Assagioli, who was originally a student of Freud. Psychosynthesis emerges out of Freudian thinking and develops a view of the human psyche that looks at human potential as well as human suffering.

When it is balanced and healthy, human growth proceeds in all directions: it looks like an expanding sphere rather than a straight line. It is for precisely this reason that Psychosynthesis endeavours to take into consideration all the dimensions of human life which truly matter and which, if left unacknowledged, lead to a fragmented, even absurd existence:

  • The emergence of will and self-determination
  • The sharpening of the mind
  • The enjoyment of beauty
  • The enrichment of the imagination
  • The awakening of the intuition
  • The realisation of love
  • The discovery of the Self and its purpose.

(Piero Ferrucci, 1982, What We May Be, Turnstone Press)

Training, qualifications & experience

I have a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosynthesis Counselling from the University of East London and a Senior Practitioner Diploma in Supervision from the Centre for Supervision and Team Development, London. I am an accredited member (MBACP Accred) of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and abide by its ethical framework. I enjoy helping to empower people to manifest their potential, and find meaning in their wide-ranging experiences.

I was an actor and singer for many years. I have also directed several choirs and done a number of vocal arrangements for them. I have coached performers, helping them to engage with their material and their audience. I have used my experience and interest in the creative arts as a resource which influences my therapeutic and supervisory work. I researched and developed workshops utilising drama improvisation skills within supervision and therapy.

As a dyslexic, I have an interest in neurodivergence and the importance of inclusion, celebrating my own and others' difference to offer a neurodivergent affirming way of working. 

Recognising the need for unity in diversity, I have been involved in the fields of personal development and community development for over 25 years. I worked as a facilitator for the Institute for the Healing of Racism, and consulted with police and faith communities after the 7/7 bombings in London 2005. I worked at the City Lit (adult education college) for three academic years offering counselling to students and staff. I have assisted on numerous workshops for personal and professional development. Between 2011 and 2019, I regularly assisted in training new counsellors. I worked at the Royal Bethlem Psychiatric hospital as a Chaplaincy volunteer.

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

Stage fright/Performance anxiety.
Creativity/Creative blocks
Celebrity/Public life

Fees

£65.00 per session

Concessions offered for

  • Low income
  • OAPs
  • Students
  • Trainee counsellors
  • Unemployed
  • Refugees

Additional information

The sessions last for 50 minutes and occur weekly.

I operate a sliding fee scale. The current normal fee is £65 per session.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Night

Borough House Rooms, 80 Borough High Street, London Bridge, London, SE1 1LL

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Adults
Older Adults

Online platforms

Zoom

Supervision

In person
Online
Phone

I have a Senior Practitioner Diploma in Supervision from the Centre for Supervision and Team Development, London.

View supervision profile

Shane O'Brien
Shane O'Brien