‘Psychological practitioners reflect the society we live in – including its divisions. At our best, we also reflect on it, identifying its problems and offering possible ways forward; and, indeed, reflect on our relationship with it.’

Introduction of ‘Vital Signs – Psychological responses to Ecological Crisis’ (Eds. Rust and Totton)

Background and approach

My starting point is that we are all okay just as we are, with everything that is here right now. What if  you were to allow yourself to be seen from a perspective that all of who you are is okay to be and is worthy of being met with love and awareness? This is how I see you. Wherever you are I will do my best to be right there with you. My style is to be quite active in exploring together what is going on; I’m simply interested in what is going on whatever that is.

I may fall into my agendas for how I think life should be, but as soon as I become aware that I am lost in an agenda, I come back to being aware. My practice is being aware. When I am not aware, there are consequences, which,  if I am listening, will alert me and I come back to being present and aware.  To me this describes power to love unconditionally. To me this is the meaning of love.

All this fits, at least for me, with the practice of the person-centred approach to therapy.

I offer sessions indoors and/or outdoors and online

Working indoors and outdoors offer different possibilities.

Working indoors we are sheltered from the weather, other people and there is some sense of relative predictability in our physical environment. This environment might feel safer to some people and less safe to others.

Being outside offers the possibility of encounters with the rain, the wind, animals, trees, the ground, and sky, rivers and rocks, spaces we like and don’t like, people, human made structures, fences, barbed wire, ice, sunshine and warmth.  We go out together and we are both affected as we move about in the physical environment, needing to respond, navigate and find flexibility in relation to what is arising around us, or trip and stumble or fall. We pay attention to what is happening in the present and also to what is arising in relation to it – to our reactions to what is happening. We might walk, or find a place to sit; it is up to us. Whatever happens we start at an agreed physical place at an agreed time and end at an agreed place at an agreed time.

Often a combination of indoor and outdoor sessions are very helpful and enlightening.

Online sessions also offer an important space which are limited in another set of ways as well as offering a different set of opportunities to meeting in person. I find this also a very useful space which can also be combined with in person sessions as we decide and feels right to support the work we are doing together. We listen and we experiment and we find out as we go along.

Fees

An initial meeting for up to one hour carries no expectation of a charge though you may choose to offer an amount of money. Sometimes what seems to feel right is the amount which is half of the amount that you choose to pay if we agree to go forward and work together in a therapy relationship. The first meeting  is an opportunity for us each to meet each other and find out if we want to work together, that is its purpose.

During, or sometimes after, the initial session we look at the amount of money that you would give to me per hour if we were to continue working together. My suggested fee is £85.00 for one hour. However,  and more importantly you pay what you can – this may mean that you pay more if you have more, or it may mean that you pay less if you have less. I see money as energy and energy wants to flow, so it is interesting to pay attention to how this flow or block works between us and this immediately brings in lots of information we can look at together about your relating with yourself and the world. You may find tuning into the fee you want to pay easy, or you may face some challenges. We will work with any challenges you face as part of the therapy process.