Alan Sparkes

I currently have four spaces for new clients: two daytime and two evening. I work between 9am and 8pm, in person at Brighton & Hove Therapy Space on Church Road, Hove, and online.

If you'd like to talk before booking, I offer a free 20-minute phone call. I aim to reply to enquiries within [one working day].

Reduced-fee places are limited; please ask if you'd like to be considered.

Updated October 2026

An integrative psychotherapist with 20 years’ experience, working with shame and relational trauma, and with people who’ve had therapy before but found it didn’t reach the root of things.

I often work with men who’ve spent years holding it together, and with women living with the effects of early or relational trauma. What brings people is usually anxiety or depression, but underneath there’s something that has been there a long time: a harsh inner voice, a sense of never being quite good enough, relationship patterns that keep repeating, or simply not knowing why you feel the way you do.

I don't do psychic amputation. You can't cut off the parts of yourself you don't like, or that cause you pain, without running into more problems. Therapy can help those parts be understood and integrated, so you can live more fully.

I'm not a therapist who just nods and asks how that makes you feel. I'll tell you what I notice, and when it helps, I'll gently challenge you, always with care. I also work with couples, helping each partner understand what keeps happening between them.

I am a UKCP-registered psychotherapist. I built and ran a multi-room therapy practice in Hove, lead peer groups for practitioners, founded Brighton Counselling Directory, and also counsel with the Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton. Qualified therapists are welcome as clients.

I work with the whole person: the story you bring, the different parts of you that want different things, and what happens in the body. Some people come with a specific problem they want to address; others want space to go deeper. My approach is integrative, so I adapt how I work to what you need rather than fitting you to a single method.

Alongside talking, I sometimes use eye movement integration, a gentle technique that helps the mind process memories that still feel stuck or overwhelming. It is always paced carefully and only used when it feels right for you.

I work with individuals and couples. With couples, I help each partner understand what keeps happening between them and what each brings from their own history. I offer focused work over an agreed number of sessions with a review, and open-ended therapy. Sessions are face to face at Brighton & Hove Therapy Space on Church Road, Hove, or online, with flexible appointment times.

Individual sessions are £80, couples £100. I keep a small number of reduced-fee places for people who could not otherwise afford therapy. I welcome clients of all backgrounds, identities and life experiences.

The first session is a chance for us both to see whether working together makes sense. You can tell me what has brought you here, at whatever pace feels right, and ask me anything about how I work.

By the end, we'll have a sense of what you want to be different and how we might get there. Some people prefer a focused piece of work over a set number of sessions, with a review; others want open-ended therapy to go deeper. We can decide that together.

I have current availability daytime and late afternoons, with occasional early evening slots being available 

For people who've had therapy before and found it didn't reach the root of things. With 20 years in practice, I work with what's underneath.

I often work with men who’ve spent years holding it together, and with women living with the effects of early or relational trauma. What brings people is usually anxiety or depression, but underneath there’s something that has been there a long time: a harsh inner voice, a sense of never being quite good enough, relationship patterns that keep repeating, or simply not knowing why you feel the way you do.

I don't do psychic amputation. You can't cut off the parts of yourself you don't like, or that cause you pain, without running into more problems. Therapy can help those parts be understood and integrated, so you can live more fully.

I'm not a therapist who just nods and asks how that makes you feel. I'll tell you what I notice, and when it helps, I'll gently challenge you, always with care. I also work with couples, helping each partner understand what keeps happening between them.

I am a UKCP-registered psychotherapist. I built and ran a multi-room therapy practice in Hove, lead peer groups for practitioners, founded Brighton Counselling Directory, and also counsel with the Terrence Higgins Trust in Brighton. Qualified therapists are welcome as clients.

Training and qualifications

• Diploma in Contemporary Psychotherapy, Beeleaf Institute (integrative psychotherapy including hypno-psychotherapy and NLP)
• Four years' training in Transactional Analysis psychotherapy, Metanoia Institute
• Master Practitioner in Neuro-Linguistic Programming
• BSc (Hons) Psychology
• Continuing professional development in structural dissociation, parts-based work, somatic and polyvagal approaches, and eye movement integration (MEMI)
• Registered Member, BACP (MBACP); UKCP-registered psychotherapist

Previous experience includes Hackney Bereavement Service, private practice in North London, teaching psychology undergraduates and facilitating groups.

I work with the whole person: the story you bring, the different parts of you that want different things, and what happens in the body. Some people come with a specific problem they want to address; others want space to go deeper. My approach is integrative, so I adapt how I work to what you need rather than fitting you to a single method. You set the pace, nothing is rushed, and you're always in charge of what we explore.

Alongside talking, I sometimes use eye movement integration, a gentle technique that helps the mind process memories that still feel stuck or overwhelming. It is always paced carefully and only used when it feels right for you.

I work with individuals and couples. With couples, I help each partner understand what keeps happening between them and what each brings from their own history. I offer focused work over an agreed number of sessions with a review, and open-ended therapy. Sessions are face to face at Brighton & Hove Therapy Space on Church Road, Hove, or online, with flexible appointment times.

Individual sessions are £80, couples £100. I keep a small number of reduced-fee places for people who could not otherwise afford therapy. I welcome clients of all backgrounds, identities and life experiences.

The first session is a chance for us both to see whether working together makes sense. You can tell me what has brought you here, at whatever pace feels right, and ask me anything about how I work.

By the end, we'll have a sense of what you want to be different and how we might get there. Some people prefer a focused piece of work over a set number of sessions, with a review; others want open-ended therapy to go deeper. We can decide that together.