Counselling

What is counselling?

Counselling is a way of supporting mental health that involves talking with a trained professional to address personal or emotional problems. It is a safe and confidential environment where you can express your feelings, thoughts and experiences.

What can counselling help with?

It can be a great relief to share your worries and fears with someone who acknowledges your feelings and is able to help you reach a positive solution.

Counselling can provide support for a wide range of issues such as

• depression or sadness
• anxiety
• obsessive behaviours
• bereavement or grief
• relationship problems
• redundancy or work-related stress
• exploring sexual identity
• going through a major life change
• undergoing changes in deeply-held beliefs
• feeling ‘stuck’ or unable to achieve your ambitions
• understanding yourself and your problems better
• a lack of confidence in dealing with life or relationships
• developing a better understanding of other people’s points of view
• living with illness (yourself or others)

What are the benefits of counselling?

Improved Mental Health: Counselling can help you understand and manage your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, leading to improved mental health.

Better Relationships: Counselling can help you improve your relationships by providing you with the tools and skills to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts. It can also help you improve your self-esteem, which can positively impact all aspects of your life, including relationships.

Increased Coping Skills: Counselling provides you with coping skills and strategies to help you manage stress and difficult situations. This can help you feel more in control and lead to improved overall well-being.

Personal Growth: Counselling is an opportunity for you to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This can lead to personal growth and self-discovery, helping you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your place in the world.

Supportive Environment: Counselling provides you with a safe and confidential environment to talk about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This support can be invaluable if you have no-one else to talk to or if your are hesitant to talk about your problems with friends or family.

Combining counselling and coaching

Since I am qualified in both counselling and coaching, I can work in an integrated way, combining elements of both approaches. An integrated approach keeps you firmly in control of the process whilst providing more opportunities to explore and focus on your goals.

Coaching

What is coaching?

Coaching, or life coaching, is a form of personal development where a trained coach works with an individual to help them achieve their personal and professional goals and live a more fulfilling life. Coaches provide guidance, support, and accountability, helping clients to identify their strengths and weaknesses, set realistic goals, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles and achieve success.

What happens during coaching?

During coaching I use a variety of techniques and approaches, including goal setting, active listening, and reflective questioning, to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your goals. This can help you to identify and overcome limiting beliefs, increase your self-awareness and confidence, and improve your communication and relationship-building skills.

What are the benefits of coaching?

Improved Self-Awareness: Coaching can help you to better understand yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, values, and goals, which leads to a greater sense of self-awareness and personal empowerment.

Clarity and Focus: Coaching can assist you in clarifying your goals and creating a plan to achieve them, which leads to increased focus and direction in life.

Enhanced Communication Skills: Coaching can help to improve your communication skills and develop healthier relationships with others.

Increased Confidence: Coaching can help to build your self-confidence and overcome limiting beliefs, leading to greater success and fulfilment in all areas of life.

Overcoming Obstacles: Coaching can help you to identify and overcome obstacles and challenges, helping you to achieve your goals and live a more fulfilling life.

Combining counselling and coaching

Since I am qualified in both counselling and coaching, I can work in an integrated way, combining elements of both approaches. An integrated approach keeps you firmly in control of the process whilst providing more opportunities to explore and focus on your goals.

Deconstruction

What is happening to me?

You didn’t choose to question your faith. Doubt seems like a bad thing and yet you can’t help it. The faith that comforted you for so long no longer seems real.

A change in your beliefs can have far-reaching consequences, affecting relationships, friendships, self-worth, identity and even your sense of the meaning to life. You may wonder what is happening to you, or struggle with depression, guilt or anger.

• Your faith community might not welcome your faith-related questions, leading you to feel alone.
• You may be afraid your doubts will lead you astray and may be ashamed of your questions or doubts.
• When you seek support you might receive trite platitudes such as, “you should have childlike faith,” or you might be told to pray or read the scriptures rather than receiving proper care and support.
• You might feel isolated from your spouse, partner, family, or friends as you feel no-one else understands or is experiencing these questions.
• You might be afraid of what will happen to you if you leave the faith and how that might impact your support system.

I have a special interest in supporting those who are undergoing deconstruction – a shift in religious faith – or have experienced negative experiences of religion. I myself have experienced the damaging effects of high-demand religion and know how difficult it can be to break free from these experiences and harmful ways of thinking. I offer you a judgement-free space to reflect on what is happening and what you really want from your future life.

About Me

Hello

I’m Andy. Over a 30-year career in education I coached colleagues and students on many occasions and gained a qualification in coaching and mentoring. I regularly found myself providing help and support to people going through difficult times, but often felt I was lacking a solid framework to base this on. It was this that led me embark on training as a counsellor in 2019, finally becoming qualified in 2022. I am a passionate believer in the mental health benefits of deepening our connection with the more-than-human world, and in 2022 also trained as a nature-based health and well-being practitioner.

Approach

My training is in the humanistic, person-centred approach to counselling. This is based on the belief that, given the right conditions, every person can reach their full potential and become their true self, a process known as ‘self-actualisation’.

In our counselling sessions you’ll be encouraged to bring your own issues to the session – the counselling is led by you rather than being directed by me.

I am not the expert who will sort your problems out for you. Rather, I will help you to explore your own issues, feelings, beliefs, behaviour, and worldview, so you can become more self-aware and achieve greater independence.

Qualifications

• Diploma in Theraputic Counselling (Level 4), Skills & Education Group
• Foundations in Ecopsychology & Nature-Based Practice (Level 3), Open College Network
• Online Counselling Primer, The Open University/BACP
• Postgraduate Certificate – Mentoring & Coaching (Level 7), Liverpool John Moores University

Professional membership

Testimonials

‘Andy held an empathic, gentle space for me to explore issues related to my religious background, which greatly helped me to process, reflect and come to terms with some painful experiences. Andy guides you through difficult emotions with sensitivity and wisdom. He allows room to explore as much as you feel comfortable with, and brings clarity and fresh insight to each discussion. I came across Andy through a recommendation, and I would not hesitate to also recommend him to others.’ – Jess

‘I sought help from Andy following a bereavement compounded by challenging personal circumstances. Andy provided a safe and supportive space for me to process some difficult experiences and emotions, while gently helping me to explore ways to take better care of myself in the circumstances in which I find myself. I’d be very happy to recommend Andy to others.’ – Jo

‘I’d highly recommend Andy as a counsellor for anyone undergoing a faith shift. He is very familiar with the feelings, realities and small details that others may not get about going through a deconstruction or a change in their faith. He truly creates a space free of judgement and allows room for self-reflection and interrogation about why we may have the feelings or thoughts we do.’  – Ayo

Taking the first step

You may feel you want help but are not sure if counselling will work for you, or if I will be the right counsellor for you. It’s important to me that you feel in control at every step, and have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. Please get in touch to arrange an informal chat to get to know each other a little and to explore any questions or concerns.