Tony Hall

I work Monday to Thursday. My first session of the day begins at 8am, with the latest ending at 6.30pm. I do have a limited number of later evening sessions available and I may occasionally be able to offer Saturday sessions. Please get in touch to ask about evening and Saturday availability. 

I initially initially trained as a counsellor over 20 years ago and have experience of supporting people through all sorts of difficulties. 

I now work exclusively with Autistic and ADHD adults.

My qualifications include: MA Autism;  Dip. Integrative Psychotherapy; Dip. T.A. Counselling; BSc (hons.) Psychology

The issues I most commonly work with include burnout, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. I am particularly keen to provide a safe, accepting space in which clients can explore long-held feelings of being ‘different’ — of being tolerated but not fully accepted — or of feeling dissatisfied, disappointed and exhausted by the effort involved in trying to meet others' expectations, or be ‘good enough’.

For many people, it is a relief to realise they are not alone in feeling this way, and that it is possible to find a preferred way of being in the world, and to stop feeling the need to justify simply being yourself and having your needs met. 

Alongside my clinical work, I am a doctoral researcher with a particular interest in autistic workplace burnout. This research is closely informed by my therapeutic work, where I see how harsh self-judgement can pervade all areas of life for autistic and ADHD adults. I have a particular interest in supporting clients to understand and lessen the impact of this self-criticism, given how often it contributes to burnout.

I also have a keen interest in working with people as they move through further or higher education, or who are considering returning to education after earlier difficult experiences.

Unfortunately, many autistic adults report poor experiences of counselling or psychotherapy where the practitioner has not had sufficient understanding of how differently the world can be experienced. I have a particular interest in supporting adults who are struggling to make sense of what it means to be autistic, and clients often tell me that the support I offer feels very different from what they have experienced elsewhere.

I meet clients in a quiet, purpose built, very comfortable office. A plentiful supply of tea, coffee and cold drinks is always on offer. Toilet faciliities can be accessed in the next room. An off road parking space is always available. An outside space next to open countryside is often also available for sessions to take place in, though this is weather dependant! When the weather allows, a 'walk and talk' can be a great way to feel less pressured when talking about things that might feel difficult to share.

I aim for sessions to feel very un-pressured.

In addition to meeting in person, I can also offer telephone and online sessions to clients who prefer this way of working or who wish to access my services from other parts of the country.

I do offer a limited number of discounted sessions / consessions each week to clients most in need but who would otherwise struggle to afford the full cost of therapy. These slots are obviously in high demand and are usually taken up quickly. If you do think you would struggle with the full cost of therapy, please don't be afraid to ask about availability of discounted sessions, as I am always happy to discuss your situation.

I 'm very happy to have a brief informal chat in the first instance, if you would like to know more about how I may be able to help. Please get in touch (email is best) to arrange a convenient time to speak.

I understand the anxiety people have in making initial contact. I also understand that my autistic clients may sometimes do this with the support of a partner, friend or relative. Though I am more than happy to speak to a third party in the first instance to provide further information, I do ask that those making a referral or initial enquiry ensure they do so with the knowledge and consent of the person being referred. 

I offer an intial, free 30 minute consultation.

Email is usually the best way to get in touch initially, though please think carefully before sending very sensitive or personal information by email, as I cannot guarantee the security of information sent this way. I usually find the most effective way of making an initial enquiry by email is to make the enquiry very general in nature and we can arrange to follow this up with a phone call if necessary.