Brendan Barnes
Integrative counsellorAbout Me
Committing to counselling is a big step for many people and often comes at a point of difficulty in their lives. Change is sought but seems hard to achieve.
Feeling safe in a space where your thoughts are listened to and acknowledged is important. I aim to support client's understanding of the values, beliefs, choices and assumptions that have shaped their lives and their awareness of any underlying patterns and sources of difficulty. We work together to understand what is happening for you and the narrative of your life. Its a collaboration. I allow clients to define the direction and pace of the work, while encouraging them to deepen their reflection. An integrative approach means that different resources can be drawn on depending on your needs. I work online and can offer short-term counselling, but normally the duration of therapy is open-ended but with regular check-ins to ensure that the work remains relevant to the your needs. Clients can end counselling whenever they feel it is right for them to do so. In the recent past, I have worked with anxiety, stress, depression, anger and feelings of loss of meaning and direction.
In terms of background, I studied Psychology at University. Following graduation, I worked initially in London and, for the last 20 years, in Brussels. During this time I worked across different organisational and national cultures and with people holding different values. In 2016, following a period of personal reflection, I commenced training as an Integrative Counsellor and have been working with clients since 2019. My own experience with counselling led me to a conviction about its benefits and its contribution to enabling us to understand and accept ourselves as we are.
Issues often worked with
Therapy offered
Client groups
Fees
I charge £ 50 per session. Its important that you find a counsellor you feel you can be comfortable with, so I do not charge for the first session as I view this as a chance for us both to see whether we can work well together
Training and qualifications
BA (Hons) in Psychology
MBA
Diploma in Integrative Counselling
Verified professional membership
