About me
I'm Steve, a person-centred counsellor with a particular focus on working with men.
A lot of men reach counselling after carrying things on their own for a long time. You might be dealing with anxiety, low mood, anger, relationship difficulties, grief, shame, stress or experiences from the past that you've never really had space to talk about. You may be used to getting on with things, keeping busy or telling yourself that other people have it worse.
Counselling can offer somewhere different.
You don't need to arrive knowing exactly what is wrong, and you don't need to be good at talking about feelings. You can start wherever you are.
My approach is person-centred, which means I won't tell you what you should think, feel or do. Instead, I'll work alongside you to understand what life is like from your point of view and help you explore the things that may be difficult to say anywhere else.
I aim to make counselling feel human rather than clinical. I'm warm, straightforward and comfortable talking about difficult, complicated or deeply personal subjects. There is no expectation that you perform, explain yourself perfectly or fit a particular idea of what a man is supposed to be.
I have particular experience working with men around identity, relationships, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, grief, trauma and experiences of abuse. I also work affirmatively with LGBTQ+ clients and with people who may have felt misunderstood, judged or unable to be fully themselves elsewhere.
My work is not exclusively with men, but supporting men is a central part of my practice.
If you've been managing on your own for a long time, counselling can be a place where you don't have to.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a person-centred counsellor with particular experience and interest in counselling for men, men's mental health, and issues relating to masculinity and identity.
My counselling experience has involved working one-to-one with adults bringing a wide range of experiences, including anxiety, depression and low mood, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, grief and loss, identity, sexuality, trauma, shame, loneliness and the lasting impact of difficult or abusive experiences.
Experience working with men
A particular focus of my practice is working with men.
Men can face some very particular pressures around emotion, vulnerability, relationships and asking for help. Sometimes the difficulty isn't simply anxiety, depression or stress itself, but having spent years feeling that you're supposed to cope with it quietly.
My experience has reinforced for me how important it is that counselling for men doesn't become another place where there is a "right" way to behave or communicate. You don't need to be comfortable talking about feelings, know why you feel the way you do, or arrive ready to disclose everything.
I am particularly interested in men's experiences of:
- anxiety, depression and low mood
- anger, frustration and emotional overwhelm
- relationships, separation and family difficulties
- loneliness and isolation
- self-esteem, confidence and feelings of inadequacy
- masculinity, identity and expectations of men
- shame and difficulty expressing vulnerability
- childhood experiences and trauma
- domestic abuse and sexual abuse
- sexuality and LGBTQ+ identity
- bereavement, loss and major life changes
- feeling stuck, disconnected or unsure of who you are
Counselling experience
I completed my clinical placement with the Leicestershire LGBTQ+ Centre, where I worked therapeutically with clients from a diverse range of backgrounds and gained extensive experience of identity, sexuality, relationships, acceptance, discrimination, family difficulties, trauma and mental health.
That experience has strongly influenced the counsellor I am today. I work affirmatively with LGBTQ+ clients and understand that someone's experiences cannot be separated neatly from their relationships, identity, upbringing, community or the wider world they live in.
I also have a particular interest in supporting people who have experienced abuse. I recognise that men who have experienced sexual or domestic abuse can face additional barriers to talking about what happened, including shame, self-blame, uncertainty about whether their experience "counts", or simply never having been given permission to talk about it.
My training
My core professional qualification is CPCAB Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
My training is rooted in the person-centred approach. Rather than treating you as a collection of symptoms to diagnose or problems to solve, person-centred counselling places the relationship between counsellor and client at the heart of therapy.
I continue to develop my knowledge and practice through ongoing professional development, reflective practice and clinical supervision.
What that means for you
Qualifications matter, but I don't think they are what makes counselling work. What matters just as much is whether you feel comfortable enough with your counsellor to be honest.
My training gives me the professional foundation to practise safely and thoughtfully. My aim in the room is much simpler: to understand you, take you seriously and create the kind of relationship in which you can gradually say the things that may have been difficult to say anywhere else.
Member organisations
school 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.
The National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society This Not For Profit association of counsellors and psychotherapists aim to support the counselling profession, members and training organisations. In 2013 the NCS register was accredited by the Professional Standards Authority under the Accredited Voluntary Register Scheme. 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
Fees
£50.00 per session
Additional information
Sessions are £50 for 50 minutes.
There is no requirement to commit to a fixed number of sessions. We can work together for as long as counselling feels useful to you, and review this as we go.
I offer a free initial 15 minute conversation before your first session, giving you the chance to ask questions, get a feel for how I work and decide whether I might be the right counsellor for you.
Sessions are currently offered online, making counselling accessible from home or another private space that feels comfortable for you.
When I work
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Further information
I currently offer counselling online, so you can attend from somewhere private and comfortable without the need to travel.
Sessions are relaxed, conversational and led by what feels most important to you. I don't work from scripts, worksheets or a fixed programme, and I won't push you to talk about anything before you're ready.
As a person-centred counsellor, I work relationally. That means our work develops through trust, honesty and understanding rather than me positioning myself as the expert on your life.
For men in particular, I know counselling can sometimes feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable at first. You don't need to be especially articulate, emotionally fluent or know what you want to talk about. We can start with whatever is there and work from that.
I aim to offer a space that feels human, straightforward and free from judgement, where difficult subjects can be talked about openly and at your own pace.
