Jonathan Richardson

Finding a therapist through a directory can feel a bit odd. You're reading profiles written by strangers, trying to work out who you might trust with something difficult. I hope this gives you a clearer sense of who I am and how I work — and if it sounds like it might be a good fit, I'd love to hear from you. I offer a free 15-minute phone call with no obligation, so we can have a proper conversation before any commitment is made. What will working with me be like? I work with thoughts, feelings, and what's happening in your body — I'll be asking about all of these. I also work with the imagination. You have one, even if you've convinced yourself you're not particularly creative. So I'll ask you to notice what's present in your mind's eye, to sense into what's happening beneath the words. I find this often gets closer to what's true than talking alone can. Above all, I work with the relationship between us. I believe the way we are together in the therapy room — what feels easy, what feels difficult, what gets avoided — holds clues to how you are in the rest of your life. That's not a problem to fix; it's a resource to work with. I bring warmth, patience, and genuine curiosity to this work. And I don't take myself so seriously that there's no room for playfulness too; We can work to find light in our darkness, as well as discover there can be darkness in what feels light. My approach My training is in Psychosynthesis — a form of therapy that takes your difficulties seriously without reducing you to them. We'll work with what's hard, but also with who you are beyond the hard thing: your strengths, your values, the sense of direction that might feel buried right now but is usually still there. This isn't a quick-fix model. It's a collaborative process, and you set the pace. What I specialise in I work with a wide range of issues and am always happy to have an initial conversation if you're unsure whether your situation fits. Areas of particular focus and experience include: Addiction and substance dependency Grief, loss, and endings LGBTQIA+ identity and experience — I'm a member of the LGBTQ+ community and welcome clients from all backgrounds and identities Creative blocks, stuckness, and the feeling that you're not living the life you meant to Will counselling make a difference? Honestly, I can't guarantee what therapy will do for you — no one can, and you should be cautious of anyone who says otherwise. What I can say is that I've witnessed real change in my clients, and I believe the process works. Not always quickly. Not always in the way you expect. But working with someone who takes you seriously, in a space that's genuinely yours, tends to shift things.