Tim Branson

Covid Statement! For those clients who remain vulnerable or worried about Covid, or are out of the area but wish to access therapy with me, I can work safely over media platforms like FaceTime, Zoom, Watsapp with encrypted (confidential) video calls.  I offer telephone and video sessions. For those who prefer to work face to face, I have confidential and covid friendly consulting rooms in Newport Isle of Wight and in Southsea where social distancing is easily achievable.

DATA PROTECTION NOTICE: Please be aware that should you contact me by email and become a client, I keep your e mails electronically for the duration of our relationship, and then deleted.  I would keep them longer if our sessions have determined issues of risk or crime.  Sorry to be one of these informed consent - opt in types, but I'll assume you're OK with this if you e-mail me! Please ask if you want more information.  Thank you!!

Now those things are out of the way...

Hello, and thanks for taking time to look at my details. Hopefully you will find a fair bit of general information below, not only about how I work, but what you might need to know before choosing a professional who might be best placed to help you move forward with your current concerns. 

I am an NHS experienced ex-Psychological Therapist / Specialist Counsellor / Clinical Supervisor and for ten years worked for the Acute Mental Health Team. I now have moved away from offering therapy and use a CBT oriented coaching approach to help people recover from anxiety in a forward focused way. I have a private practice in Southsea and on the Isle of Wight.  Whilst my profession is ticked as ‘counsellor’ I am no longer registered as such, and offer CBT oriented coaching - informed by over 20 years of psychotherapy practice. 

I have great and varied practice experience and have endeavoured to become as qualified and well practiced as I possibly can as I have an extremely strong ethic toward giving my clients my very best practice, whatever their concerns might be.

So if you are looking for support for issues like (and not only):

ANXIETY (PANIC ATTACKS, HEALTH, GENERAL ANXIETY DISORDER, PHOBIA, SOCIAL, HOARDING, SKIN PICKING, HAIR PULLING ETC.)

LOW CONFIDENCE, LOW SELF ESTEEM 

EATING DIFFICULTIES   

DEPRESSION, LOW MOOD

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER (OCD)

DISTRESSING INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS - USUALLY ABOUT YOU BEING REALLY BAD

WORRY, UPSET, FEELING LOW

CONFUSION, SADNESS, LONELINESS

RELATIONSHIP ISSUES

WORK STRESS, BULLYING                                                                               

- OR JUST WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE - TO WORK A FEW THINGS OUT

...then don't hesitate to call to discuss what it is that is troubling you, and how you might be able to move forward. 

So what kinds of approach are there... what happens?

If you choose Counselling, this helps you to look at problems you are facing now. You might focus on a specific problem, process, decision or crisis for example. This is usually an in depth process that takes time.

Whilst many counsellors and therapists like to work in their own way, actually different approaches suit different people and/or issues in different ways. That is why it is important to choose a practitioner who can work in a way tailored to your precise needs.  Because of this an initial ‘assessment’ session is really important. I am happy for you to ‘test drive’ coaching first - before committing to sessions!

It shouldn’t be difficult to work out what sort of therapy you are being offered.  Ask what experience potential professionals have with your type of issue.  Look for Accreditation and long years of training!  Most important to your progress is the strength of the relationship you have with the person you choose.  You should feel safe, mutual trust, equal, empowered and not judged, patronised or feel like you are being told what to do.

A couple of different approaches:

You may have heard about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. CBT practitioners aim to help people change patterns of thinking or behaviour that are causing problems.  Changing how you think and behave also changes how you feel.  It is a structured approach – you agree goals and try things out between sessions.  You work collaboratively toward where you want to be. 

EMDR. If you are experiencing trauma, for example like an attack, domestic violence, accident - in it or witnessed it, war zone stuff, traumatic near miss, fire, flood, crash etc., EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing) can help.  Google it!

Psychodynamic Therapy explores your experiences and identifies connections between present feelings and actions and past events.  We might make more sense of the ‘cause and effect-ness’ of your past on your present. 

I do not work as a counsellor or psychotherapist at all but offer CBT oriented coaching to help people with life issues and anxiety, OCD etc. I help them quickly understand how they became this way - enough to help them move forward, focus on their future and come to an understanding of what they want and need in their lives and how to move toward it.

I do not work with addiction, families, or clients with mental health concerns who would be better served with a psychotherapeutic approach.  I am happy to recommend determined and professional clinicians through my practice at 34 The Mall where we have a community of counsellors and therapists all coming together under one roof. 

What sort of things do people ask for help with?

I have encountered all of these presenting issues and client groups and coaching is an evidence based intervention with proven 'success' in many instances:

Depression   Work Stress   Negative Thinking     Uncertainty Worry   Relationship issues   Phobias     Anxiety     LGBTQ issues     Couples   Violent or disgusting unwanted intrusive thoughts      Family difficulties   Fear     Loss     Low Confidence     Self Esteem     Sexual Problems   Panic disorder   Guilt     Social Phobia   Workplace  Bullying     Anger.   Illness   Obsessive Compulsive Disorder  OCD     Sexuality         Health Anxiety  Moving forward after Relationships       Breakdown     Affairs     Betrayals     Divorce   Grief     Bereavement       Obsessions     Debt     Stress   Adults     Students     Young People     Problems   Confusion Redundancy     Unhappiness     Cultural issues   Sadness Pregnancy     Termination     Violence       Men's issues     Ageing       RAGE     Personal Development      Terminal Illness     Unwanted thoughts     Love     Disgust     Isolation    Meaninglessness     Groundlessness     Death!

And my CBT informed coaching approach lends itself perfectly to working with my specialism of Anxiety, Depression, OCD, making change happen, identifying choices and life coaching. 

I have been an associate lecturer in counselling at a local university and facilitate men’s groups for men affected by cancer, and also co host 34 The Mall in Newport Isle of Wight which offers a home to a  community of counsellors, coaches, psychotherapists and all manner of physical and complementary therapists under one roof, in a beautiful Georgian townhouse just a few moments stroll from Newport's busy centre.

I have supervised all level of counselling work including counsellors working in private practice, the NHS, third sector voluntary and GP referred organisations both on the mainland and the Island, Primary Care therapists, NHS Drug & Alcohol counsellors, Psychologists and Community Psychiatric Nurses and bring this experience to my coaching practice. 

Unwanted upsetting intrusive thoughts that form part of the Anxiety Disorder OCD (though many people experiencing them do not realise this) usually falling into the following categories: disgusting thoughts, abusive thoughts, violent thoughts, thoughts of hurting or killing others - thoughts of hurting or killing loved ones, any horrific, or anything that makes you really anxious, really quickly. 

My fees start at £80 per session for new private clients. Couples for relationship coaching is £140 (longer session). 

I allow a space for two clients at any one time to see me at reduced fees if appropriate. Call to see.

If we meet and you can get a similar service elsewhere free then I will refer you to it if required. If one of us feels that CBT coaching with me would not feel quite right then there is of course no commitment to any further sessions and I will happily refer you to a suitable colleague or specialism.

Like all other professionals however, I do charge for missed sessions, but endeavour to rearrange wherever possible.

I work Tuesday, Thursday, 10.00 am - 6.00 pm in Southsea. 
My Newport, Isle of Wight clinic is 10.00 - 6.00 pm on a Wednesday and Friday.  I currently have a space for new clients.

Thank you!

How do you choose a therapist?

Well we all have a lot of qualifications and letters after our names so you'd be well advised to find one with an actual degree in counselling or psychotherapy; be accredited to one of the main credible professional organisations and have years of experience. Ask if they've completed an accredited University course that included their own personal therapy as this can make a vital difference to your therapy. I'm guessing you wouldn't want a therapist who had never experienced having therapy themselves? Or a dentist who had never had a filling?

Some counsellors train in one core model and believe that this will work for everyone.

Others have experience and training in many and can tailor their therapeutic interventions to suit not only the person, but the problem itself.

Be advised, the NHS National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommend certain evidence based therapies for certain problems or disorders and do not recommend others. You may be well advised to check out what you're worried about and see what approach they advise. They have a website www.nice.org.uk


Meanwhile... POSSIBLE QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN YOU ARE INTERROGATING A POTENTIAL THERAPIST! (Warning - if they are not sure about their answers, try someone else!)

• What kind of therapy do you offer and what is it trying to achieve?

• Have you had your own personal therapy as part of your training? (You're looking for a 'yes' here!)

• How long are sessions and how often are they held?

• How long might therapy last for and how does it end - is there a set number with regular reviews?

• How long before I should expect to feel some benefit from therapy?

• Can I contact you between sessions if I need to?

• What training have you had, and how many years have you been practising?

• What professional organisations are you accredited with?

• Have you had experience of working with people with similar problems to mine?

• Is therapy confidential and when might confidentiality be broken?

• Might you refer me to, or contact other health professionals involved in my care - and is this something you are experienced in? Can you discuss my medication needs for example?

• How much do I pay per session, and is there a missed session fee?

• Do you work from home or from a professional office or rooms?

• Do you keep notes about me and are they kept confidentially? What will happen to them if you drop dead!? How will I know?

• What if we don't get on?

That said, research shows that generally, the most important influencing factor linked to therapeutic 'success' is the strength of the relationship you have with him or her. So choose someone you like!

If at any time you experience any difficulty with any therapist, if it cannot be resolved once you have discussed it with them, I would encourage you to contact their registering body for information and support. The BACP being my primary registration, at www.bacp.co.uk

If at any time you feel pressured into doing something you don't want to by your therapist, the chances are it is not right. Your therapist should be very much 'on your team' and as such NEVER tell you off or be judgemental about what you tell them! If they do, contact their professional body for advice.

If you have a long standing problem it is not automatically the case that it will take ages to address - but beware the 'magic' or 'quick fix' for any upset as it is unlikely to be an effective intervention. (EMDR is sometimes an exception to this as it can work really quickly on simple trauma).