Alan Bell

I have availability currently, (04/03/24).

It takes courage to make this first step in seeking support and I appreciate the need to find the right person to support you on your journey. 

As a BACP therapist and Mental Health Mentor I can offer you a confidential, non-judgemental therapeutic space to explore the circumstances that have bought you to this point and by exploring these together, gaining insight, understanding and awareness, we open the possibility to create a positive lasting and significant change.

People use counselling for many reasons. You might be considering counselling if you’re feeling anxious or depressed, you’ve experienced grief or loss, your relationships feel difficult or if you’d like to process events from your past or present.

Or you may have found this site because you are struggling and in pain and stuck and need support to help you find ways to manage or change this. You may want to try to understand relationships in your life or better understand patterns of behaviour.

Whatever it might be counselling, sometimes called talking therapy, can offer you the time and space that you need to process your thoughts and feelings, and work through these in a way that brings you self-understanding. This can be either short or short term. 

As a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) I follow Ethical Guidelines and am passionate about helping others navigate their way to a happier or more contented self.

I also have ADHD, diagnosed as an older adult and enjoy working with difference.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or are unsure about something.

Person centred counselling is a humanistic approach devised by Carl Rogers who felt that if we gave someone the right conditions they would become their true self. These conditions include accepting and valuing you, being honest with you and sitting in your shoes to see the world as you do. In sessions we will explore whatever you wish, with no judgements. Sometimes more integrative aspects are introduced to encourage you to reframe or understand more fully aspects of your self and often I will ask you to "tell me more" so I can understand what you mean more fully. I prefer to work in the long term as this helps with the process of understanding for you but I can, when it's useful, work for shorter periods. It's always your choice.

Usually, in the first instance, we would meet for 30 mins online to check our suitability, which is free of charge. In this short session we can talk about the issues or problems or areas of concern and I can explain more fully how we would work together. I'm told that I'm easy to get on with, which helps.