About Me

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Hi, I am Alan.  I trained as a person-centred counsellor after careers in the RAF and then Education.

 I have developed counselling training courses and resources as a training manager.  

I have worked for a major health care provider as part of their Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

I have worked with disenfranchised people and helped individuals resolve issues that led to them offending.

I have extensive experience working within palliative care and End of Life roles, supporting both the person experiencing the illness and their family, carers and loved ones.  

In addition to my self-employed work I continue to support St Barnabas as a volunteer counsellor and have also presented professional development training events with them.

I hold a Professional Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.

I then qualified in Rewind Therapy after seeing how effective it was for a colleague who had been seriously assaulted.  More recently I trained in the Flash technique to support my trauma work.  I trained in Single Session Therapy with Prof. Dryden - who developed this approach.   I furthered this by studying a qualification in Effective Brief Therapy with The Human Givens Institute.

I have completed studies into:

 Online and Telephone Counselling

CPCAB Walk & Talk qualification.

Understanding Domestic Abuse

Self-Harm & Suicide awareness

I hold a diploma in Shinrin Yoku (Forest bathing) and a certificate in Ecotherapy & Walk and Talk.

 I am currently studying 'Dogs as Therapy' with the BCCS as I look towards introducing Murphy, the therapy dog into my work. 

I am Professionally Accredited by the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).

I believe that not all mental health issues are a mental illness and that we all deserve to be respected for who we are.

That means I will not 'diagnose you' or tell you what to do.  I will support you and help you find your own way forward through whatever issues you bring to our work together.  I will always be non-judgemental and respect you as a unique individual.  I will not tell you how to be or how to think but I will gently help you to challenge and make your own changes to any limiting beliefs holding you back.

To help find the thing that is wrong but is out of your grasp we can use Focusing to get a 'felt sense' of the issue and then work to resolve it

Having been a counselling training manager, I have a good understanding of several different therapeutic approaches and ways of working.

I remain person-centred in how I draw on this to support you, my client.  I will always keep you at the centre of our work.  

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My pricing reflects my belief that counselling should be accessible to as many people as possible, whilst reflecting the demands upon myself. 

Counselling Articles

https://welldoing.org/article/what-counselling-lobsters-can-teach-us-about-change-vulnerability

https://safetyinbeauty.com/what-is-mental-fluidity/