Drew Cooper

I currently do have some availability. I can generally be fairly flexible about working hours including week daytimes and some evenings.

I use the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model in my counselling. This is, in my view, is a beautifully non-pathologising approach. It recognises that we all have different aspects to ourselves and a core self, which has qualities like calmness, curiosity and connectedness. The aim of this approach is to promote self-compassion and internal harmony. 

When we experience something as traumatic, if we are able to work through this, we can then move on from it- and issues we experience as traumatic can be wide ranging, including, for example, neglect, bullying, or a series of events- However, it may be that for very good reason, we were not able to process the impact of the trauma on ourselves around the time when it happened. As a result we can end up pushing away parts of ourselves which carry hurt and emotions from what happened to us at the time. These parts of us may also have developed beliefs about ourselves as we tried to make sense of what was happening at the time. Other parts of us then take on extreme protective roles. Their aim is often two fold:

- to prevent us from being overwhelmed by those parts which carry those emotions and that hurt from that trauma.

-to protect us against the same thing happening to us again.

So the IFS approach works to promote internal dialogue. IFS very much recognises the positive intention as to why parts of us do what they do for us. Once parts of us which have taken  extreme protective roles are more understood and only once they are willing, we can then go to the parts of us that carry hurt and help them heal and let go of what they hold.

In IFS, where we are disproportionately triggered by something, this can be so valuable in helping us identify and with our protective parts agreement, going and helping those parts of us which carry hurt.

I offer online and telephone counselling. Sessions are £70 for one and a half  hour sessions. I welcome people looking for counselling from any part of the world.

Each session is lead by what you want to focus on. Frequency of sessions can be flexible, to suit your needs. Sessions can also be open ended, for example be either short term or more ongoing, again according to your needs

I do offer a concessionary rate of £45 per hour and a half for those on low incomes. If you are struggling financially and are interested in accessing counselling with me, let me know and we can discuss what i can offer beyond this.

My Background/ Qualifications.

I qualified as a person centred/ integrative counsellor, level 4 CPCAB, in 2019, but then fell in love with this wonderful IFS model. I am level 1 qualified in IFS, having trained with the outstanding trio of Osnat Arbel, Anibal Henriques and Alexia Rothman, some of the giants of the IFS world. I have also attended training and a supervision group with Alexia Rothman. I am currently signed up to Cece Sykes consultation group; Another IFS leading figure/ trainer.

I offer a free half hour initial meeting, with no obligation to proceed with the counselling. This is for you to discuss what you would like to work on, but also for you to get a feel about myself and the way i work, to see if you would like to go ahead with counselling with me.