Ben Bronstein

I typically offer sessions Monday-Friday between 8.30am and 8pm. In some circumstances I'm able to offer weekend sessions, but these cannot be guaranteed on a weekly basis.

I work with individuals, couples and families at my practice in St Albans and online. 

FOR INDIVIDUALS, I support my clients in whatever it takes to feel more authentically themselves with greater self-awareness and compassion. Typically that will involve some combination of:

1) PAST  - exploring the past and processing negative experiences, sometimes using EMDR to reprocess trauma into safer memories,

2) PRESENT - week-to-week maintenance and greater self-awareness in the present,

3) FUTURE - developing skills to move forwards with the strategies and mindset to live more contentedly and with greater agency in our lives with less impact from our past.

FOR COUPLES, accepting that something isn’t right and opening up about deeply personal and sensitive issues can be daunting. Yet the way you feel within your relationship truly matters. If you’re facing challenges, unsure about what comes next, feeling disconnected from what you once shared, or finding it hard to move beyond a particular issue, attending sessions together may be beneficial.

Couples counselling offers a space to understand what’s happening in your relationship, how you arrived at this point, and how to move forward in a more positive and fulfilling way.

When looking for couples therapy, it’s essential to choose a counsellor who has specific training and qualifications in working with couples.

Counselling can be one of the most rewarding but challenging processes you'll undertake, which is why finding someone you feel comfortable and safe with is essential. That's why I recommend a free 20-minute telephone or video consultation before starting sessions. It allows you a chance to get a sense of how it would be during sessions and for me to find out some more about what brings you to counselling.

Whatever your experience of the world, weekly therapy sessions can offer an opportunity to reflect and grow. Having someone to truly be with you in moments of difficulty can make an enormous difference. It is my intention to support my clients however they need - whether it's to feel heard for the first time, to help understand yourself or your relationships better, to process painful experiences or come to terms with your past.

I am an integrative counsellor which means I am trained in a number of theories and therapies, drawing upon what's most relevant for the client at the time. I work with EMDR - a targeted therapy for traumatic memories, CBT, person-centred therapy, psychodynamic therapy and others. 

I feel strongly that a holistic approach is required in order to heal and grow, so when relevant I use meditation, breath-work and practical mindfulness tools alongside traditional psychotherapeutic modalities. I only use tools that I have personally benefitted from myself - I practice what I share with my clients, because I know they work.

My work has taken me from psychiatric hospitals, NHS community mental health teams, voluntary charity work, colleges and private practice.

Alongside therapy I run a small pottery practice and travel. 

Ahead of a first session I ask clients to read and agree to a contract of how we work together. This can be discussed in the first session if there are any areas of concern. I invite clients to come with an open mind and not to feel a need to prepare.