Stephen Robinson
About me
How Counselling Can Help:
At times in our lives, we can experience periods of difficulty and distress, which may seem overwhelming, with the result that we find ourselves preoccupied with upsetting thoughts and feelings. Sometimes the causes of how we are feeling can seem unclear, which can add to our sense of confusion. Counselling offers the opportunity to explore the problems you are facing with a trained therapist, in a safe, confidential and accepting space. The aims are to help you to gain a clearer understanding of your situation and to find better ways of coping with the particular issues you are facing. Counselling and psychotherapy take many different forms and it will be important to find the right counsellor for you, so I will explain a little about how I work and about my background, which I hope will help you in making your decision.
How I work:
I offer one-to-one counselling and psychotherapy to help you with the problems or difficulties you are facing in your life. Counselling tends to deal with specific problems that may be ongoing, including anxiety, depression, loss and relationship issues. Psychotherapy is a longer-term process where we might work together for periods of between six months and a couple of years or more. It tends to be helpful for more deeply rooted difficulties or problems that you may have been experiencing for some time and which may be connected to earlier life events.
My work is based on an integrative and relational approach, which means that I will draw on different counselling approaches, depending on your particular needs. The relational aspect refers to the importance of building a close and trusting relationship between us, where you will feel able to explore your problems with out any fear of judgement. I offer a safe and confidential space, where we can focus on your difficulties, helping you to gain a clearer understanding of your situation and allowing you to begin to make changes in your life, with the aim of improving your sense of well-being.
Training, qualifications & experience
Experience:
My counselling experience is both in private practice and in the voluntary sector. I have worked with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, self-esteem and relationship issues. I also have considerable experience working with adults who have experienced abuse during childhood and with adults who have experienced more recent sexual assault, having worked in a specialist counselling organization in Belfast.
As a practicing therapist and a lecturer in psychology and child development, I am committed to continuous professional development, attending research conferences and training in a range of areas including counselling practice, mental health, bullying and domestic violence.
I also attend regular training sessions, including Safetalk, Mental Health First Aid and Child Protection Training. I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and I work according to their Code of Ethics. I am also a graduate member of the British Psychological Society.
Qualifications:
CPCAB Level 5 Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling
CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
MSc in Psychological Methods, The Open University
BSc Hons in Psychology, Queen's University Belfast
Member organisations
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
BACP is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. Therapists registered with the Association fall into a number of different membership categories such as Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP and Registered Member MBACP (Accred), each standing for different levels of training and experience. MBACP (Accred) and MBACP (Snr Accred) members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the Association.
Registered members can be found on the BACP Register, which was the first register to achieve Accredited Voluntary Register status issued by the Professional Standards Authority. Individual Members will have completed an appropriate counselling and/or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but will not appear on the BACP Register until they've progressed to Registered Member MBACP status.
All members are bound by a Code of Ethics & Practice and a Complaints Procedure. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
Accredited register membership
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Availability
Day time and evening appointments available.
Further information
Making contact:
You are very welcome to contact me, so that we can arrange an initial telephone conversation, to explore your needs. It is easiest if you send me an email, with your contact details, so that I can then phone you. After that we would then arrange an initial meeting at my counselling room, either in Belfast (Lisburn Road), or Bangor (just off Main Street).
