Mark Douthwaite

I currently have very limited availability for new clients.

Please contact me to discuss availability further.

I can offer you a safe, boundaried and confidential space within the therapy room or outdoors, which will help to empower you to share and explore your feelings and emotions with me alongside you.

Although my underlying approach is Person Centred (the belief that every individual has the capacity and desire for personal growth and change), I am an integrative practitioner, meaning I can take different approaches to therapy depending on your individual needs. This means that I can draw on a range of practical and creative approaches, both inside the therapy room, and while working outdoors to explore the causes of any problems you may be experiencing. This is with the goal of helping you heal, grow and become aware of the strength within yourself.

These approaches can provide you with coping strategies and techniques to use on a day-to-day basis, while also having the option to work at real depth to explore why they exist and to challenge them and discover new ways of being.

Client confidentiality is paramount to the way I work. As a registered member of the BACP I am bound by their Ethical Framework for good practice. Therefore, only in situations which would indicate a risk to life, the safety of children, or disclosure of acts of crime or terrorism, would I make contact with third parties.

I pride myself on my flexibility and ability to respond to the individual needs of each of my clients in all of our sessions together.

I have recently completed a rigorous five year Psychotherapy course at a highly respected institution in Newcastle with a local and national reputation for excellence.

As I am a qualified Psychotherapeutic Counsellor who is a Registered Member of BACP, I am held to extremely high standards, and in addition to my training and workshops, I have had, and continue to have, extensive clinical supervision to carefully progress and assess the way in which I work.

It was a course requirement that I undertake personal therapy for the duration of my training. To date I have had over 160 hours of personal therapy.

This has afforded me the opportunity to experience therapy as the client, and to understand myself at a deeper level.

Through personal therapy and supervised practice I have learned how to establish and maintain the Psychotherapeutic Counselling relationship which is fundamental to allow exploration and create the environment for effective and long-lasting change.

I am also a qualified Buteyko Breathing Instructor.

The Buteyko breathing method focusses on breathing through the nose using the diaphragm. It's ideal for people who over-breathe or those who have issues with hyperventilation. These issues are common in people who have asthma or struggle with anxiety.

Buteyko breathing can help alleviate stress and improve athletic performance, as well as improve sleep quality.

I am located on the top floor of Newburn Activity Centre, and have a fully equipped, safe, private, welcoming and comfortable therapy room.
Outdoor therapy sessions are available starting from my therapy room in Newburn and walking along the river on a scenic and circular route. Outdoor therapy sessions will mainly take the form of ‘walk and talk’ therapy, but I am open to exploring different ways of working outdoors with my clients.

We can discuss your session preference in our free 20 minute initial consultation.

The decision to search for a therapist is a huge step which I feel can be celebrated.

I encourage you to reach out and make contact with me.

It’s important that I can assess your needs and decide if I am the best person to help you, but also, it’s just as important that you are happy and comfortable with me. That’s why I offer a free 20-minute initial consultation over the phone. This allows me to ask you questions in relation to your history, how you feel now and what you’d like to get from therapy. This is a fluid process which will be tailored to each individual. I like to ensure I have as much information about you as possible to formulate a detailed and supportive therapy plan for our work together, but I also aim to make you feel comfortable to share whatever you are able to.

The consultation serves as an opportunity for you to ask me any questions you may have.

From our initial consultation and the first therapy session, we can explore the therapeutic relationship together and begin working on your goals.