Tom Bulpit
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hey, I’m Tom!
I'm the Practice Manager at Southampton Counselling Practice, as well as a Person-Centred/integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. I work with a small team of independent therapists, working both in-person and online in Southampton. You can find our website at www.southampton-counselling.co.uk
Thinking about getting support can feel scary and difficult – and making that decision to pick up the phone or go to your first counselling session can feel terrifying. I know this because a long time ago it was me making that first phone call too, and that's why I decided to become a counsellor.
I am hugely passionate about the power of good counselling, and being able to talk to a real person who is not directly involved in your own life. Work, home life, stress – this can all have a massive impact on our mental health and can feel totally overwhelming.
I’m what we call a “Person-Centred” counsellor. This means that I believe that counselling should be all about you, and that as your counsellor I am not an expert in your life. I’m not here to judge you, analyse you or tell you what to think or to feel. In our sessions together, my goal is to empower you to talk about whatever you want to. I don’t set an agenda – I work entirely for you. My job is to listen to you and care about what you are going through. If there are any answers to find, then we can work to find them together.
I cover a wide range of topics and issues, all of which can be really challenging and difficult for people. Some examples are depression, anxiety, anger, trauma, addiction, abuse, sexual assault, relationships, grief, self-harm and suicide. No subject is ever off limits with me – like I said – my job is simply to listen and work with you as your ally.
I also offer counselling for couples and families. Life can be complicated and so can our relationships at home. As humans we can often come into conflict with one another, or we might have experienced a trauma and want to find our way through our journey together rather than on our own. As a Person-Centred therapist, I'm never here to judge or "take sides". My role is to help mediate and hold the emotions of everyone in the room and help everyone understand what is being said and felt. Everyone is treated as an equal and everybody gets to be heard. I have particular experience working with young people and their families through my previous work at No Limits.
I choose to be trained and regulated by an organisation called the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). They ensure that my qualifications are up to scratch, and that my work is ethical, honest and safe – and I wouldn’t have this any other way.
The more important ethical rule I am required to follow is confidentiality, and it’s simple. What you say to me, stays with me. The only exception is if you tell me something where there is a serious and immediate threat to someone’s life, or to a child under the age of 18. And if you did, I’d work with you during our session to find the best outcome to keep you and that person safe.
If I feel like the right fit for you – please contact me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.
Training, qualifications & experience
I began my journey into counselling over five years ago, having worked in support of the emergency services for seven years.
I began working as a counsellor during the Covid-19 pandemic, including 18 months at the young people's charity, No Limits, and 9 months for a bereavement service. I loved this work, but I felt frustrated that my clients always had to face long waiting lists, and could only ever have a limited number of sessions.
I established my independent practice in July 2022, deciding that this was the best way to be able to offer immediate access, flexible and open-ended counselling to my clients, putting them in control.
My practice has been fortunate to grow quickly, and in June 2023 I expanded to form the Southampton Counselling Practice, working with five other counsellors, where we support each other and can offer a holistic approach to working with families or clients who might already know each other.
I've also been lucky enough to have been published in Happiful Magazine, HuffPost and Sainsbury's Lifestyle magazine, where I write about mental health issues.
I am fully regulated by the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy and hold MBACP Registered Member status. I am also a Member of the Hampshire Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy and the Person Centred Association.
I hold a Diploma of Higher Education in Person-Centred Counselling and undertook over 350 hours of clinical work during my training.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have additional specialist training in:
- Working with Young People
- Safeguarding Adults & Children
- Trauma (Trauma-Based Approach)
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- Eating Disorders
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£60.00 - £80.00
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Sessions are up to 50 minutes (or 60 for couples and families), and can be offered over email, text, phone or video as well as in-person at my office in Ocean Village, Southampton.
I offer a free 20 minute consultation over the phone for new clients. This is so that you get a proper chance to meet me and see if I am the right fit for you. If you choose to work with me further, sessions are then billed as follows:
- Individuals - £50
- Couples & Families - £70
I ask that session fees are paid at least 48 hours in advance. Refunds can be given on cancellations if at least 24 hours notice is given.
When I work
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I see clients in-person in Ocean Village, Southampton on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 11am until 6pm. I see clients remotely on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 11am until 7pm.
