"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent"

~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Hi, my name is David. Imagine for a moment the thought of you telling someone about your deep rooted fears, debilitating guilt or historical shame. I would imagine that you might want to run for the hills (and I wouldn't blame you for this, for that is a very scary prospect).

However, I pride myself on creating a very safe and genuine space for you to gradually begin to speak about your life experiences and how those have shaped you. We can begin to look at the people who caused you harm and the people who were there for you (or maybe you wished they were there for you). Counselling is a process and it has to be done at your pace, but I will walk along that journey with you, so that you can gradually understand and take away the guilt, shame or fear that has held you prisoner for far too long.

I am an experienced integrative counsellor based near warrington in cheshire. With many years of experience working in the mental health and private sector, supporting clients who have faced some deeply emotional situations. Supporting clients with a wide range of challenges including: Self-worth issues, Gender identity, Anxiety (general and social), Depression, Trauma (physical, sexual and emotional), People pleasing patterns, Grief and loss and Relationship issues (Divorce, Affairs, separation and the family dynamics).

Being an honest and trustworthy counsellor is at the core of who I am. So I want to offer you that safe space to be seen as a human (thats both good, bad and everything in between) without any judgement, but rather a curiosity to see how the world is through your eyes.  

My specialities include:

• Helping you to discover your 'true-self', finding what 'You' want from life

• Supporting clients through divorce/separation/an affair and the family dynamics that are part of this picture

• Working through guilt, shame, grief and trauma (childhood, sexual and physical)

• Working with depression 

• Supporting men in understanding and expressing their emotions

• Building understanding, intimacy and trust within your relationships 

• Eliminating the debilitating people pleasing behaviours and patterns   
   

I have found that we all have our own unique story and experiences, which we absorb through childhood and take into adulthood. But do we really know and understand what exactly we have absorbed? to begin to understand this, we can start to ask ourselves some questions, here are a few examples:

• What values have I been given?

• What drives me?

• What is success for me?

• Why do I react negatively to certain people/behaviours?

• Why do I not understand my feelings? or do I even feel them?

• Why do I avoid certain situations?

• Why do I feel I need to please people to feel loved or accepted? 

Sometimes we find ourselves facing issues that are simply too overwhelming to face or too difficult to tell the people around us. This could manifest into having some very dark thoughts, loneliness or debilitating low self-worth. I too have experienced some of these issues throughout my life, so can identify and empathise with many client's feelings when they are having to face their own dark times.  A sad statement that I often hear is clients stating that "I will always feel like this", or "this is just how I am". These statements are not only false but they can damage our soul and close down our ‘true self’. 

Thankfully, talking confidentially to an accepting and trusted person, feeling heard, validated and understood can be the first step towards healing and taking those small, but very courageous movements towards healing and growth.

I would like to ask if you can identify with any of the questions below: 

• Do you feel overwhelmed by worry or sadness in your current situation?

• Is your anxiety becoming too much for you? 

• Are you experiencing dark or disturbing thoughts that worry you?

• Have you lost your direction or purpose in life?

• Have you suffered abuse (emotional, physical or sexual) from people in your past or the present?

• Have you experienced a loss (divorce, relationship, job loss or any loss that has impacted you)

• Is bereavement effecting you? this may be a sudden traumatic bereavement or a past bereavement. 

• Do you question your sexual identity or gender? 

• Do you feel that depression is consuming you? 

• Are you affected by a divorce, a relationship issue or an affair?

• Does stress seem to control your life and relationships?

• Is self harm something you want to talk about, understand and process with a safe and trusted person?

• Do you want to truly value yourself for who you are?

If the answer to these questions are yes, then I would love the opportunity to work with yourself, and help you begin to process what you are experiencing. I believe we all need someone who genuinely 'sees us' for who we truly are, without judgement and can look beyond our situation, our shame and our fears.

I offer a free of charge 15 minute consultation session, to see if counselling with me would work for you. There is no obligation to continue after the free session, the most important thing is to see if it feels right for you. The sessions can either be over telephone, online or face to face, which will give you the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. 

Counselling can be expensive, however, it can also be life affirming and ultimately life changing. My sessions are usually weekly, however, if this doesn't work with your finances or time restraints, fortnightly or even monthly sessions are also an option. 

As a qualified integrative counsellor with many years experience in working in mental health, the approaches I use are Cognitive behavioural therapy, Person-centred therapy, Solution focused therapy, Psychodynamic therapy and mindfulness. I also offer the practice of metaphors of movement, using images and metaphors to evoke insights beyond our conscious awareness.

I am a fully insured practitioner and an MBACP registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, as well as an accredited member of the NCPS (National Counselling Society).