Will Farmer
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This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
This professional is temporarily unavailable and will not be responding to enquiries until they return.
About me
I have 6 years of counselling experience working with adults and young people (11+). My style of therapy is thoughtful and compassionate in a way that fosters emotional healing and growth. I also teach mindfulness techniques and offer expressive work using drawing or a sand tray to complement the talk therapy. Recently I have started working with clients outdoors in nature.
Over the years I have done my best work with clients who are experiencing depression and anxiety, or who are going through times of crisis, especially with difficult relationships. My clients and I have had success exploring their identity, including their sexuality and neurodiversity. I have helped clients to process trauma, and to undo unhelpful coping strategies such as porn addiction. Much of this work has boiled down to how each client understands and relates to themselves.
I also have personal experience of adopting. This has given me training and insight into the adoption process, and the issues it presents. I can work with adult adoptees and other people who want to explore issues to do with adoption. I am not a registered adoption support agency, so I cannot work with young people who want to discuss their own adoption, unless we have already started work on something else and the adoption issue arises after the therapeutic alliance has been established.
My style of counselling is based on building a trusting relationship with my clients. I create a safe environment where my clients feel free to discuss any problem that they have, without fear of judgement or criticism. This way of working is often a breath of fresh air for my clients, and there can be great energy to the work we do as a result. I work hard to foster a high degree of connection with empathy and compassion, so that I can stay with you whatever you may be experiencing. Through this process my clients develop deep personal insights that lead to growth and change.
I use trauma informed practices, teaching clients how to understand what their body, emotions and thoughts are doing and why. I teach clients how to stay grounded in difficult situations and how to take the actions that are correct for them. This often involves learning practical techniques, and developing a toolkit of healthy strategies for working through adversity.
Some of the techniques I teach can be called mindfulness. I prefer to think of them as exercises that let you understand yourself better, cope with distress, and develop more kindness and warmth. I also use techniques such as sand tray therapy to help express things that are difficult to put into words, connecting directly with the body and emotions. More recently I have taken clients to work in the woods, allowing the natural world to become a part of their healing process.
I have my own therapy room in the centre of Exeter, within easy reach of bus routes and car parks, and less than a minute’s walk from the beautiful Northernhay Gardens. My clients usually describe my room as being very cosy and calm. Occasionally, when it has felt appropriate, sessions have started in my counselling room and ended in Northernhay Gardens, sitting in the sunshine.
Here are a couple of excerpts from my Google reviews to give you a sense of how my clients experienced me:
“Will is a very calm and thoughtful soul. He is incredibly observant and insightful, and has a range of techniques to suit different situations, which can help break the ice when conversations are difficult to start.”
“Will has an innate ability to make you feel safe and welcome within his therapy space.”
“I was able to speak freely to Will about absolutely anything that was on my mind and I was able to do this knowing that he would not pass judgement. He simply validated my feelings and helped me to see the light in a very dark time.”
The most important thing now is to give it a go. Get in touch with me by email or phone and we can arrange a free face-to-face introduction session so that you start on your way to a happier future.
Training, qualifications & experience
Qualifications
- Level 4 Advanced Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling
- Level 5 Advanced Specialist Diploma in Working Therapeutically with Young People
- Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training
- Advanced Social Meditation Facilitator
- Certificate in Online and Telephone Counselling
Experience
- Private Practice - ongoing short and long term work with wonderful people
- Hospiscare - providing telephone bereavement support
- Pete's Dragons - counselling people affected by suicide
- Dartmoor Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy - providing low cost counselling
- Enabling/Personal assistant work - working with individuals with mental health difficulties to lead a happy independent life.
- Age UK Devon - assessing the needs of older people after a major life event
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£55.00 per session
Free initial in-person session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
The first time we meet will be to get to know each other. We can discuss your goals if you know them, and I can answer any questions you might have about counselling. This will be free of charge and lasts up to 1 hour.
Subsequent sessions cost £55 for 1 hour.
I offer a limited number of low cost spaces at a fee we can negotiate on an ongoing basis.
When I work
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