I’m Mark (he/they).  I’m a qualified counsellor with experience of working with a diverse range of clients, to help them work through difficulties and challenges in their lives.

I believe in self-determination and empowerment, because when you are more able and confident in yourself, you can get so much more out of life.  When we feel freer of those feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, frustration and despair, they don’t hold us back so much and we can even make them work for us.    

I am qualified with a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, and have practised as a counsellor at METRO in London, working with LGBTQ+ people and those living with HIV, as well as areas of neurodiversity like ADHD (whether or not diagnosed).  My main training is in relational counselling - Petruska Clarkson’s 5 relationship model - and I primarily use a person-centred approach to build a trusting therapeutic alliance, so that the counselling can be effective.

After you get in touch, I would offer you a 20-30 minute consultation in person, by phone or on Zoom. This is an opportunity for you to tell me what you are experiencing and what you might like to gain from counselling.  It will also allow me to decide on how and if I could help.

Following this, we would then go on to arrange regular (usually weekly) sessions, reviewing how they are going regularly.  

At all times I will aim to provide a space that is gentle, containing, and without judgement, so that you can feel safe enough to explore at your own pace. You might not know exactly what you want from the therapy, and sometimes getting to know what you want and need is part of the journey. My philosophy is to help you to become more empowered in yourself so that you are more able to find this.

I can help with and have experience of working with:

• Living with and managing anxiety
• Becoming more empowered in yourself, especially in terms of gender identity and sexuality
• Aspects of neurodiversity (eg ADHD), and to turn them into assets rather than problems
• Racism
• Relationships with family, partners and friends
• Grief and loss
• Living with HIV
• Past trauma

I'm also BACP registered 379659 and  I have private and public indemnity insurance through Howdens.