Counselling & Therapy
Therapy can help people to access inner resources to cope with life’s challenges. Sometimes we forget we have these, or they may appear buried and difficult to access or not sufficient for us as adults.
Over the years we may become ‘stuck’, often repeating the same behaviours and coping strategies, feeling the same feelings and emotions that we experienced when young and we can find ourselves playing out the same patterns, or scripts, in our adult lives.
This can leave us feeling diminished, lost, angry, anxious or in despair.
What people bring to therapy often involves the current (or even much delayed) responses to trauma, abuse, separation, shame and grief and therapy can be a process of becoming more resilient to challenges in the present whilst gaining a better understanding of ourselves and our past.
Therapy can help increase our ability to navigate uncertainty whilst moving outside of the limitations in which we sometimes place ourselves.
This can help us to become fuller, more autonomous and connected versions of ourselves.
The core of therapy is change.
I offer 1:1 Therapy for individual adults (18+)
- Face to Face at my Therapy Rooms in Dolgellau
- Online Sessions via Zoom
- Outdoor Therapeutic Sessions in Dolgellau and surrounding areas.
- Weekly Regular Sessions
My core therapeutic approaches are through the lenses of Embodied Relational Therapy and Transactional Analysis (TA).
Fees: 1 Hour Session = £50
I set aside a number of session slots for those on lower incomes. These are on a sliding scale basis according to means. Please contact me for more information on this and we can discuss available options.
I offer a first session free of charge. It is important to take this time for us to ask questions, for you to share your reasons for coming to therapy and to see if I am the right therapist for you. I will answer any questions you have. For face to face sessions I also feel it is important for you to see the therapy rooms and get a feel for the environment in which we may work together.
About Me
I’m a South Gwynedd based Embodied Relational Therapist and have also had extensive training in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy. I offer a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space for you to bring whatever you may need to bring to therapy.
I am interested in ways in which we relate inwards to ourselves and outwards into the world and when working with individuals and their issues I am aware of, and interested in, the wider political, cultural and social systems - power imbalances and prejudice, poverty, etc - in which we live.
I believe that therapy can be a powerful tool for change and is helpful for many issues. I have a special interest in working with those who have experience of domestic abuse, violence and relational trauma.
I am a cisgender male (he/him) and have an interest in GSRD (Gender, Sex & Relationship Diversity) and am LGBTQIA+ affirming and trans inclusive.
I have an Enhanced DBS and Professional and Public Liability Insurance and am in regular and frequent supervision. I have ongoing Continued Professional Development and trainings.
I am an Affiliate Counsellor for Traumaform, an Aberystwyth based non-profit community interest company who offer long-term, affordable trauma-informed therapy.
I am a member of ERTA (Embodied Relational Therapy Association), ITAA (International Transactional Analysis Association) and the Body Psychotherapy Network (UK).
Alongside my training in psychotherapy I have worked in mental health for a number of years in a support role for individuals with complex mental disorders. Apart from working in mental health much of my working background has been in the arts and the media with over 15 years as a portrait and documentary wedding photographer and a number of years working in theatre.
Qualifications & Training
- Advanced Diploma in Embodied-Relational Therapy
- Four Years UKCP Accredited Training in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy
- Certificate in Diversity Within Contemporary Relationships
- Diploma in Embodied-Relational Therapy
- Certificate in Existential Group Psychotherapy & Counselling
- Certificate in Working with the Body
- Certificate in Interpersonal Neurobiology
- Certificate in Counselling Skills
- Foundation Certificate in Transactional Analysis Psychotherapy
- TA 101
Creative & Imaginative Therapy
I approach therapy in a curious, flexible and creative way. Every client is different which means every therapeutic relationship is different. There is no one size fits all and so the shape of each therapeutic session created between us is unique. With my background in the arts I am interested in an integrative and imaginative way of working and as such each session can possibly incorporate...
- Talking Therapy
- Art-based Therapeutic approaches
- Body, Movement and Breath
- Visualisation and Meditation
I also have a small number of session times put aside for working outdoors. Being outside in nature can bring an added environmental element to our sessions and has many benefits as we move through the forests, beaches and wild places of this part of Wales.
I am able to offer Outdoor Therapy Sessions in...
- Dolgellau
- Arthog
- Fairbourne
- Llwyngwril
- Bryncrug
- Tywyn
- Abergynolwyn
- Aberdyfi
- Pennal
- Corris
Embodied-Relational Therapy
Embodied-Relational Therapy (ERT) is a form of Psychotherapy developed by the body psychotherapist Nick Totton and Em Edmondson in the 1980’s and further developed and refined over the years since. At its core it holds two truths of human existence; that we are embodied (we have bodies) and that we exist in relation to ‘Other’ (humans, non-humans, environment).
As embodied and relational humans we have an innate drive to express ourselves and our nature freely whilst also seeking to protect and defend ourselves against traumatic difficulties in life. This shifting and contradictory process is often held in our bodies and out of our awareness.
In a safe shared therapeutic space, ERT seeks to explore the wholeness of our embodied selves through curious examination of our held bodies, words, movement, gestures, breath and touch; how we move in, and out, of contact with others and what emotions and feelings arise when we do so.
Transactional Analysis
Transactional Analysis (T.A) Psychotherapy is a versatile therapeutic model of working which integrates cognitive-behavioural, relational and psychodynamic approaches with humanistic-existential perspectives. It provides ways of looking at our life histories and psychological make-up and the many ways we relate to ourselves, other people and our environments.
Problems in the present can be seen to be a result from decisions, or conclusions, made in the past, subconsciously and out of our awareness, in order to cope with difficult experiences. These coping strategies may no longer be helpful and new decisions may need to be made which are more suitable to the us we are now, leading to feeling more empowered, autonomous and free.
T.A is suited to both short-term, goal-focused work and longer-term more exploratory psychotherapy.
The Therapy Rooms
I have a small Private Practice in Dolgellau in which to see clients face to face. It is situated in the centre of town and is divided into two rooms. Downstairs is an area where we can sit and talk in a safe and confidential environment. Upstairs is an art room where we can sit side by side at a worktop for more art based approaches. I'll send you directions before our first meeting.
The practice is by appointment only.
Accessibility
Downstairs is wheelchair accessible and I have ramps to provide access from outside. The upstairs art room is only accessible by stairs.
Toilets
There are no toilets at the practice but the nearest public toilet is less than a minutes' walk.
Car Parking
There is a public car park across the road from the practice.
The Therapy Rooms & Outdoor Therapy
