Alexander Arthur

I am a Person Centred Counsellor.

I believe that by exploring our own internal landscape we can find a way to live in the world as we really are, to be more secure in our choices, and to relate to others in a way that is engaged and authentic.

It can help us to function in an increasingly chaotic and demanding social environment.

I don't think we can make these changes by following a set of instructions of by applying a specific theoretical framework. I think that we make them by allowing our own feelings and recollections to guide us towards a new way of being.

It can be hard to do this on our own.

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Before becoming a Counsellor, I had a long experience of pastoral support roles - student advising and union casework - in a Higher Education setting.

I think I have discovered the creative potential of 'real conversation' in many contexts - personal interactions, academic seminars, union negotiations, administrative engagements, and therapeutic relationships.

If you would like to meet, I do not charge for an assessment session.

Training, qualifications & experience

MA (Philosophy) 1975

CA (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland) 1981

MLitt (Philosophy) 1987

PG Diploma in Person Centred Counselling (Aberdeen) 2016

I worked as an accountant in the oil industry before joining the University of Aberdeen Business School in 1990. While working at the University I was a personal caseworker for the UCU (University and College Union), and also a student adviser.

I have had a long interest in mental health issues, and served on the Board of Mental Health Aberdeen for many years. I started my formal Counselling training on my retirement from the University in 2011.

My philosophical interests are mainly focused on language and meaning - the role of conversation in discovery and exploration.

I work within the person-centred approach to support your development as a counsellor.

I do not make a strong distinction between professional growth and personal growth, as I see these as deeply integrated. Our client work both contributes to and depends upon our own self-actualising processes.

I also have a range of knowledge and experience that I can bring to conversations about the more specific practical, ethical, and administrative issues that arise for working counsellors.