Stewart Thurlow
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello, I'm Stewart.
I'm an NCPS accredited pluralistic psychotherapeutic counsellor based in Manchester.
I founded Honest Therapy Centre with the aim of creating a space for people looking to make meaningful change in their lives.
I grew up as the child of a military family so I know what it's like to move around a lot, to struggle to form and maintain relationships, and to feel distant from a parent who's often away on deployment. I faced homophobia as a young man and understand what it's like to carry the trauma of that experience around for years afterwards. I worked myself to complete burnout for a boss who expected me to give my entire life to a job, then made me redundant when I tried to put boundaries in place.
I've chosen to share these experiences with you to show you that first and foremost I'm a person who's lived a life and faced challenges, just like you. I didn't simply decide to become a therapist out of university. Therapy is my vocation; the culmination of what to do with all the lessons I've learned from all the experiences that have shaped me.
You might choose to work with me if you are experiencing difficulties in areas such as work or relationships, anxiety (including social anxiety), grief, depression, low self esteem, low self confidence and lack of motivation. You may just be feeling sad or low and simply don't know where to start. The aim of therapy is to explore the causes of these uncomfortable emotions in a safe environment.
How Are You Feeling?
When was the last time you took a moment to really check in with yourself? Answer honestly.
"Are you okay?" and "How're you?" have become standard greetings here in the U.K. Answering "I'm good, thanks" or "Yeah, I'm fine" is usually what's expected in reply. Whilst it might seem like you're giving an honest answer in the moment, you're probably not really asking yourself how you're feeling before responding.
Counselling can be used as a means of truly connecting with yourself; of looking inward and examining who you are, why you do the things you do and why you feel the things you feel. It's a daunting prospect but as your therapist, I'm there to help guide you through the process.
By prioritising your mental, emotional and spiritual health and embracing therapy as part of your regular self-care practice you can radically alter and improve your relationship with yourself, your life and with those around you. I invite you to contact me if this sounds like something you'd be interested in exploring.
What Should I Expect From Therapy?
Effective therapy can and should be challenging. Often we'll explore difficult feelings and emotions and how these might be affecting your life overall. That's why it's important to work with a qualified professional therapist.
Therapy is a process and there is no blueprint for how long it can take or what the end result will look like. For this reason I work on an open-ended, usually long-term basis. Doing so allows us to develop an understanding of how you came to be who and where you are today, hopefully allow to you see things from a different perspective and perhaps get you to a place of understanding and acceptance.
I aim to create a judgement free safe space, held with empathy, compassion and understanding where you can bring your most authentic and vulnerable self. Together we collaborate to create the potential for positive change and set you on a healing path of hope and happiness.
My Approach
My approach to therapy is pluralistic, which means that I don't believe there's one single 'best way' to do therapy. I understand that different clients need different things at different times and that the best way for me to find out how to help you is to talk to you about what you need.
My practice is rooted in the Humanistic (Person Centred) tradition, which means I believe that the person who knows you and what you need the best, is you. I combine this, where appropriate, with aspects of both Psychodynamic (which explores your past experiences and how these might be affecting your current thoughts, feelings and behaviours) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques.
I work collaboratively with each individual client to first understand their unique situation and then work out how best to approach their treatment.
.How We Work Together
It's vital to the success of your therapy that you feel like we can work together. The therapeutic relationship is considered essential to the success of therapy and is believed by many to be a significant part of the healing process. I offer a free, no obligation 15 minute phone or video call, where you can talk about what brings you to therapy and ask any questions you might have.
If we decide to work together, my role is not to advise you, tell you what to do or show you how to 'fix' your issues, rather it's to hold space for you to explore your experiences and arrive at your own conclusions. My goal is to help you find a sense of self-worth and clarity by really listening to you.
I currently work face to face at The Hadley Clinic in central Manchester. Sessions last 50 minutes (known as a therapeutic hour) and cost £65.
Get in touch
If you my approach resonates with you and you would like to find out more, I invite you to contact me for further information.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Professional Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling Practice (Prof.Dip PSY C.)
- Diploma in Counselling Skills and Theory (Dip CST)
- Certificate in Hypnotherapy and Counselling Skills (Cert Hyp CS)
- Usui Method of Natural Healing First Degree Reiki Healing
- Usui Method of Natural Healing Second Degree Reiki Healing
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
£65.00 per session
Free initial telephone session
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
