Chris Allen

I will be offering face to face sessions from 1st April 2022, please email or message for availability

Calling all men! Stressed out with work? Issues with the family or relationship? Feel like you just can’t cope with life at the moment  because you should be the strong one? Been told to "man up"?

As a man it can be really difficult to express the stresses we face on a daily basis. Western culture portrays men as being strong, fearless and being able to tackle anything, but when you don’t feel like that inside it can lead to conflict and a struggle on how to be and who you really are. Feelings are normal for every human but for some reason there is a restriction for men not to show or deal with them. This may manifest in unhealthy coping behaviours such as drinking too much or on a regular basis more so than normal, getting angry at the slightest thing, lashing out at others or family members or not looking after yourself.

My mission is to help more men get in touch with those feelings in a safe, trusting and confidential space where those raw untouched feelings can be explored.

Fully BACP registered, I offer Person-centred counselling in a safe environment whether that is in person, online or over the phone. I have experience working with a range of issues with people of varying ages and have previously worked for the Samaritans and Health Society at The University of Salford.

As a Person-centred counsellor I believe that ultimately you hold the answers to your struggles and that you have the power to change the way you look at, experience and deal with these issues. You are the only person who knows what is best and truly understands what you need and where you are right now. Together we can explore what you feel you need and how you can make changes and move forward in order to build the life you want and deserve, and most importantly be happy.

It can be overwhelming even thinking about asking for help and as a man even more so as it is believed to portray weakness. This takes away the power you hold as a man to own your own feelings and be who you really want to be. Alongside the daily stresses we face, life changing experiences such as death of a child or spouse, trauma, illness or redundancy can put a massive amount of strain on men who are already struggling to cope. Our thoughts and feelings can become confusing and the places those thoughts go might be dark and look as though there is no way out. These can often lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms.

It is common for men to disregard these feelings and bury them or put them in a box never to be opened again or dealt with until they begin to force their way out and into everyday life. Having been a client before becoming a counsellor I have some understanding of how dark some of these places can be which led me into this role of counsellor.

Talking about these issues with family members or friends can be difficult when you’re a man, as it plays into the male stereotype of being strong and vulnerability is seen as weakness. The truth is it takes a stronger man to face those feelings, emotions and stereotype in order to become happier with life and yourself as a person.

As a man myself I know how difficult it can be to open up about painful experiences and feelings which is why I feel I can support you with the difficulties that you face in a fully confidential, non-judgemental and understanding environment. Working together to find the best solution that works for you will be paramount in working through the difficulties you bring.

Allowing us to work together with respect, trust, compassion and kindness we can navigate the path through the difficulties you face, recognising and understanding the feelings causing you pain with someone who can support you through every step.

I offer the session at £25 for 60 minutes as this allows us to get an idea of whether we can work together and also because I encourage you to look at more than one counsellor for you to get what feels right for you. From this we can decide how many sessions initially to contract for and begin from the next session.

We will also be looking at and discussing our counsellor/client contract in this first session.