Tom Yeats
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About me
Hello, I’m Tom, a warm and kind counsellor working in Clifton in Bristol and online. I am a queer, neurodivergent man and bring the experience of these parts of myself to my counselling work. I think it's important to be myself when I work with people; my hope it that over time, you will feel comfortable to be yourself with me too.
There’s no right or wrong way to be in therapy; you can share whatever you want and need to in the way that feels most comfortable. Swearing and humour are welcome, as is anything you’re feeling, whether that’s sadness, anger, anxiety, not knowing what you’re experiencing or not feeling anything at all.
The people I work with often come to therapy because they have been feeling low or anxious and want to feel differently. This might be caused by changes to life circumstances, whether that’s relationship difficulties, a new diagnosis that impacts how they live and understand themselves, difficulties with work or perhaps they are moving into a new stage in their lives. Many people wish to explore their identities, whether they are LGBTQIA+, have a disability, are autistic, have ADHD or are from a racialised community. We often explore the impact that bad treatment from others because of these identities can have, particularly if you belong to more than one of these groups.
Others I work with attend counselling to deepen their understanding of themselves, their past and relationships or to make changes to behaviours that they now find to be unhelpful.
I also work with people who are holding strong feelings about the climate crisis, to help them be able to better tolerate these emotions so that they might live their lives whilst also attending to the climate emergency.
My understanding of therapy is that we are collaborative, equal partners in the process of exploring you, your past and your present difficulties. In this way, our relationship is a fundamental part of counselling; my job is to create a space where you feel safe-enough to explore and experiment with different ways of being. You are the expert of your own experience and I will be with you to point out what I’ve noticed, share my understanding of what you have said, perhaps offering activities or creative ways of exploring your experience, to help you feel appreciated as you are and to move through what you are finding difficult.
I am a psychotherapeutic counsellor, trained in relational therapies, including person centred, psychodynamic and gestalt. This means that I draw upon aspects of these different therapies to work in a way that best meets your needs. We will work together to decide what this might look like and continually review our work to be sure that we are working in the best way for you.
If you have any questions or would like to find out more, I offer a free 20 minute video call; please feel free to get in touch and we can book something in.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications:
- MA in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of the West of England
- Level 4 Certificate in Counselling Skills from the University of the West of England
- MSc. In Psychology from Manchester Metropolitan University
Experience:
I have worked as a counsellor with mental health charities in England and Wales and worked in and managed several NHS services.
I also worked as a teacher for almost ten years before leaving the profession, meaning I have an understanding and experience of the challenges that students and staff might face in the education system.
I attend training courses regularly, here are some recent ones that I have been to:
- ADHD, Autism and Burnout Summit delivered by Seed Talks
- Supporting Clients in Processing Trauma Safely delivered by Jane Ivall and Sarah Fleet
- Understanding and Supporting Autistic Clients delivered by Lisa Cromar
- Eco-anxiety, to Eco-empathy: Catastrophe or Transformation delivered by Caroline Hickman
- Through the Door: Facing the Climate Crisis for Therapeutic Professionals, delivered by the Climate Psychology Alliance.
Member organisations
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
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
£60.00 per session
When I work
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I work in person on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in Clifton, Bristol and online in the afternoons on these days.
I have some flexibility in my week so get in touch if you would like to work together but can't see a time that works for you.
Further information
I am a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and adhere to their ethical framework. You can find me on their register of qualified counsellors.
I am committed to social justice and believe that counselling can be a vehicle for this work. To this end, we may make reference to the specific systems that are making life more challenging, consequently impacting your mental and emotional wellbeing.
My practice is neuro and queer affirming; I bring my lived experience of belonging to these groups to the work we might do together.
When I’m not working, I love to be outside, often with a sketchbook; this is when I feel most peaceful and myself. I love to read, particularly fiction written by women and queer people that explores relationships and future possibilities.
