Simon Dix
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This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
This professional is currently not accepting new clients at this time.
About me
Hello to you, anxious / troubled / neurodivergent reader. Welcome.
To create the perfect counselling environment, I channelled over 50 years of living with the side effects of undiagnosed AUDHD into designing exactly the kind of relaxing, understanding, supportive and stress-free counselling set-up that I wish I had been able to experience in my formative years.
I work across all 7 days, between 11.59am and 11.59pm. But I never have more than 12 sessions per week, because I'm not one of these people who can see 6 or 7 clients a day, one after the other, and still guarantee focussed, mentally alert, carefully tailored sessions.
My Brain would go on strike if I tried. I need to be able to connect to your descriptions of what you experience, using your perspective, to really understand what you're going through. And that takes a particular kind of mental agility. Of which I simply don't have a limitless supply anymore. Between 90 and 120 minutes, two times a day, is about my ceiling.
There are no forms to fill in, no contracts to sign, no minimum number of sessions to agree to, literally no pressure involved at all. Because pressure leads to stress, and we all have enough of that to deal with already. That and anxiety, because the world seems designed to cause plenty of that too.
If I'd had any therapy at all as a young person, anything really to help me to begin to actually understand myself, and how I might manage to function successfully in neurotypical society without feeling stretched to breaking point all the time, I'm certain life would've been immeasurably easier. I might not have tried quite so hard, for instance, to drink my autism to death in my teens, after learning that alcohol abuse kills brain cells and deciding that it was worth the risk to the good bits of my brain, to attempt to kill off some of the ones which made me different and awkward and anxious. A dangerous misunderstanding which could easily have been avoided if I'd felt able to discuss it with anyone. Didn't even know it was autism back then, let alone autism mixed with adhd. I just longed to be less different; more anonymous, identical to the herd, safe.
It is the great potential for positive change at an impressionable life stage which motivates me to provide the sort of counselling service that I do, driven by the simple desire to Help, which is one of my major traits.
Having someone who is guaranteed to listen to your point of view and see your side of the story can be an enormous help, particularly if you're feeling generally nervous or lacking in self-confidence. It can be a starting point for a change .
The new pay-what-you-can-on-the-day rate is between £20 and £40 for 90+mins. That's as cheap as I can make it. Stupid, neurotypical accountancy facts...
Training, qualifications & experience
- DipHE Person-Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy, UHI
- Certificate in Counselling Children and Young People, University of Strathclyde
- Various trainings and short courses in mental health topics
- Counselling experience in schools (15+) and the voluntary sector (adults)
Contributing member of various online groups and forums supporting mental health, especially ND mental health, because this neurotypical-designed and run world is immensely difficult to navigate at times, and I am strongly motivated by witnessing unfairness and people struggling in the face of it.
Member organisations
COSCA is the professional body for counselling and psychotherapy in Scotland, and seeks to advance all forms of counselling and psychotherapy and the use of counselling skills by promoting best practice and through the delivery of a range of sustainable services. COSCA Counsellor Accreditation is a pathway to entry onto the UKRC. It is a requirement of all individual and organisational members of COSCA to abide by its Statement of Ethics and Code of Practice and be accountable to the Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£20.00 - £40.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
The standard fee is whatever you can afford on the day, between £20 and £40 for 90 minutes, because the 50 minute therapeutic hour is never long enough for my tribe.
I don't charge for cancellations and missed appointments (within reason), and a degree of lateness is absolutely not a problem. If I didn't understand these things what sort of a neurodivergent-supportive counsellor would I be? :D
Free, 30 minute visit available, if you require this before committing to any actual counselling sessions, so you can meet me / experience the room, then go away and think about it.
Everything about my set-up is designed to be as easy and un-pressured as possible, so if you find anything at all to be even slightly unclear, confusing or worrying, please do let me know and I'll attempt to resolve whatever it is.
When I work
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I generally only offer 2 appointments per day, and no more than 12 per week. This ensures that all of my clients always receive the same level of carefully tailored attention.
Further information
Please see my website for my gigantic explanation of my counselling practice, or email me or text ( 07407 247070 ) if you've had enough of wading through counselling blurbs and just want to communicate. I will always respond, because autism, but not necessarily immediately, because adhd...
