Because life can be a tricky balance.
Because life can be a tricky balance.
Hello, I’m Dom, I am a qualified Integrative Counsellor and registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. I offer counselling both in person and online.
Life can be a tricky balance. Our jobs, relationships, families and loss can all cause us stress and anxiety while past life events can contribute to how we deal with our everyday challenges.
Counselling can help us find some equilibrium.
Before qualifying as an Integrative Counsellor I enjoyed a career in a creative sector. I’ve experienced the stress and anxiety that juggling work with our home life can cause, and how this can spiral.
As we all emerged from the constraints of Covid I set up a local running group to provide peer to peer mental health support and help process the emotional damage that living through the pandemic had inflicted on us all. Very quickly I witnessed the profound value of talking, listening and human connection. I realised I needed some basic helping skills so that runners could share their feelings in a safe environment. This sowed a seed and began my formal training to become a counsellor.
As well as my private practice I volunteer at a not-for-profit agency, Counselling For Life that provides affordable counselling for people with a low income.
I have lived and worked in the Middle East and Asia amongst diverse cultures and faiths which has enhanced my understanding of difference and is intrinsic to my practice.
I have been awarded the following qualifications through the Counselling and Psychotherapy Central Awarding Body:
Level 2 Certificate: Counselling Skills
Level 3 Certificate: Counselling Studies
Level 4 Diploma: Therapeutic Counselling
CPD training courses: Working With Diversity, Trauma & The Counsellor’s Response
Lemn Sissay
As an integrative counsellor I practice a blended approach drawing on various modalities and theories that woven together enable a unique and curative relationship between myself and my client. Together we reflect on the present, explore the past and visualise a positive future.
I apply the tenets of Carl Rogers’ Person Centred Therapy approach to create a healing environment that is supportive and empathetic, enabling you to explore and understand yourself without fear of judgement. Rogers believed we all have the inner resources to foster personal growth and positive change. We all have the ability to heal.
I draw on Psychodynamic theories to help you understand how your life history has impacted on you. We all carry emotional scars, and we often allow ourselves to be defined by them, but by exploring what lies beneath we can understand the root cause, adjust our perspective, find acceptance and initiate change.
There is no magic wand, no bag of miracles, no advice – but there will be absolute faith that you have the resilience to find your pathway to change. I will accompany you on that path, by your side every step of the way. Your journey may be challenging but you will not be alone.
Depression
Anxiety
Stress management
Relationship difficulties
Loss & grief
Low self-esteem
Confidence issues
Life transitions
Overwhelming emotions
Pressures from work
I charge £55 for both online or in person sessions, payable in advance each week.
I can see clients in-person in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Maidstone. In each location my counselling rooms are comfortable, quiet spaces and all are centrally located close to public transport. Tonbridge and Maidstone rooms are fully accessible.
I work online with clients via Whereby which I find to be very user friendly and does not require you to download an app. I will send a link prior to the session.
Sessions are 50 minutes and we will meet once each week at the same time on the same day.
There is no maximum and everyone has different needs. I recommend making a commitment of 6 or 12 weekly sessions, and then review our work together. You may decide this is sufficient or you may choose to continue on an open-ended basis. As with all aspects of counselling this is your decision.
It is perfectly natural to feel a little apprehensive about beginning therapy. Our first session will be an initial assessment during which we will explore your needs and goals and I will outline what you can expect from me. This meeting is a chance for us to understand each other better and agree how we will work together. After the first session you are under no obligation to continue.
I kindly request a minimum of 48 hours notice if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment. With sufficient notice, I can accommodate rescheduling based on availability. The session will be charged at the full rate for cancellations made with less than 48 hours' notice.
No. I work on a self-referral basis but am happy to accept GP referrals if appropriate.