Mark Dudley

Hello, my name is Mark, and I imagine that if you are reading this page you are dealing with some difficult issues.  The good news is counselling/psychotherapy can help.

Receiving therapy many years ago transformed my life and set me off an a fantastic journey of healing and self-discovery.  With hard work and dedication, it can be the same for you too.

Finding the right therapist may be confusing and daunting, but the bottom line is this… the key to successful counselling is the relationship between the client and the counsellor.

About me

I worked for many years as an IT Project Manager until personal tragedy and trauma caused me to re-evaluate my life. I sought out personal therapy and the experience changed me. I turned my back on a successful but deeply unfulfilling career to become a Counsellor/Psychotherapist, and I am now passionately dedicated to providing the same help that I received to others.

Until recently, I worked for York St John University's Counselling and Mental Health Centre in addition to my private practice, dealing with some of the more complex cases the Centre receives, as well as providing counselling to individuals on low income on a voluntary basis. I also previously worked as an NHS referral therapist for Mind (Hull and East Yorkshire).

My varied life experiences, positive and negative, provide real benefit to me as a therapist. I have in the past experienced hardship, despair and many of the issues that my clients deal with. This enables me to bring real empathy and understanding to therapy.

As a therapist I find that I am able to build very strong relationships with my clients and this enables me to help them to affect real change in their lives. 

My sessions can be extremely dynamic, fuelled by my belief that motivation is an important part of therapy as well as exploration and healing.

 My approach to therapy is to work collaboratively with each client to build a unique way of working, using a real human relationship. I draw from a variety of therapeutic models (see below) and adapt the therapy to make use of these models as and when required based on the clients’ needs.

As an example, long periods of silence are important for many clients to form and vocalise their thoughts and feelings but for others, this can be very uncomfortable.  I appreciate this and for these clients, I work with more of an engaging, conversational style.  

I work either short-term (3 to 6 sessions is sufficient to enable some clients to overcome their more immediate difficulties) or medium term (10 to 20 sessions) but I also have clients who I have worked with for a number of years.

I do not request that clients agree to a minimum number of sessions nor that they pay for these in advance. Therapy ends when my clients want it to. I also always guarantee to find room for former clients who decide that they wish to return to therapy, however long in the future that might be.

My working week is Monday to Thursday from 10.30am to 8pm and I limit the number of clients I work with to six per day for these four days. This enables me to offer a good deal of flexibility to clients when it comes to choosing the day and time of sessions. Some prefer a regular slot, but the majority appreciate being able to move around the day and/or time of day of their sessions to fit in with their busy lives.

I offer a 20 to 30 minute introductory session during which my client and I may decide if we wish to work together. This session may be via Zoom or telephone, and is non-chargeable.

My fees thereafter are £60 for a 60-minute session.  

Please note that I offer 60-minute sessions rather than the standard 50 minute 'therapeutic hour'.  This provides five minutes at the start and end of the session for greeting, parting and arranging the next session and ensures that these tasks do not have to be performed as part of the standard therapeutic hour.

I offer 'in person' therapy which can either be -

- indoor - I have my own private and well-appointed room on Fishergate

- walking - some of my clients prefer the option of 'walking therapy' in which we meet in a quiet public space and walk for the duration of the session

I am no longer taking on clients solely for Zoom or telephone sessions, ie. clients who live outside of the York area. I do however offer this flexibility to existing clients should they be unable to meet in person for a scheduled session.

Please also note that availability for evening slots is currently very limited.