Mark Pharoah

I offer one-to-one and couples therapy at the following times:

Monday 8am till 4pm

Tuesday 8am till 4pm

Wednesday 8am till 4pm

Thursday 8am till 4pm

Friday 8am till 4pm

I appreciate that there may be many reasons why you are seeking counselling. Your issues might have been triggered by recent events or could stretch far back to past trauma, abuse or narcissism. You might be suffering from anxiety, depression, loss or bereavement. There might be social anxiety, work anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, loneliness, or a sense of overwhelm, confusion or numbness. I also work neurodiversity and the particular challenges associated dyslexia, autism (ASD), ADHD. I have specialist training in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). I can help in these kinds of areas.

As a face-to-face and online integrative counsellor and psychotherapist I help with a range of issues both big and small over the short (6-12 sessions), medium (18-24 sessions) and long term (1+ years). I call on a variety of approaches: person-centred, existential, cognitive, psychodynamic, and relational. I also am trained in Emotional Freedom Technique (similar to EMDR) which I might use to help regulate overwhelming emotions and process trauma.This integrative counselling enables me to be very adaptable to your unique needs.

I am mindful that commencing therapy can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Consequently, I take great care to go at a pace that is right for you. I always endeavour to maintain a sense of safety, security and support.

I qualified with distinction from Inter-Psyche Training Centre in Dartford which is affiliated to the Kent and Medway NHS Trust Foundation. This is a degree level 6 qualification. I am also trained specifically to work with trauma, PTSD and dissociation (level 6), and with couples and families (level-5). Details of my privacy policy, how I secure and how long I hold data can be found on my website.

I am happy to discuss your goals for therapy, check availability and to answer any questions you might have over the telephone or online via zoom before therapy starts. Subsequent sessions are 50 minutes duration and are usually one week apart.

The first session is an opportunity to get an overview. I briefly explain the 'client-counsellor agreement' which is concerned with the administration of the sessions and clarifies the expectations concerning the way we will work together. I also explain important issues concerning confidentiality. After we have done this it can be helpful to get a sense of what you might hope to get out of therapy. It is a 'no pressure' session where we simply begin the journey forward together.

Weekdays from 8am to 4pm

Deciding whether therapy is right for you, and which therapist to choose, is rarely straightforward. People come to me for many reasons. For some, difficulties have been triggered by recent events. For others, issues might stem back to childhood trauma or to narcissistic, domestic, emotional or sexual abuse. I regularly work with anxiety, including work and social anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and confidence, grief, loneliness and isolation, and feelings of overwhelm, confusion or numbness. I also see many neurodivergent clients and understand the particular challenges of ADHD, autism (ASD) and dyslexia.

I have specialist training in trauma therapy. I hold advanced (level-7) training in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) and this work is informed by current neuroscience. Clients often find that flashbacks, nightmares, triggers, dissociation, hypervigilance, harsh self-criticism and relationship difficulties ease considerably over the course of therapy.

I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist offering face-to-face counselling in London and online across the UK. As an integrative therapist, I draw on person-centred, existential, cognitive and psychodynamic approaches and adapt them to you over the short, medium or long term. Together we make sense of the patterns that keep distress in place and work towards lasting change.

Starting therapy can feel daunting so we go at your pace, and you will never be expected to discuss anything you would rather keep private. My priority is that you feel safe, respected and supported throughout.

I qualified with distinction from Inter-Psyche Training Centre in Dartford (level 6), and hold further training in trauma (level 7) and in couples and family work (level 5).

I offer a free, no-obligation phone consultation. Please get in touch to arrange a time that suits you.

My practice is based in Eltham, within easy reach of Blackheath, Greenwich, Lee, Bromley, Mottingham, Woolwich, Sidcup, and Bexley. I also work online with individuals, couples and families throughout the UK.

Before you commit to anything, I am more than happy to speak with you by telephone or on Zoom, free of charge, about what has brought you to therapy and what you hope to gain from it. It is a chance to ask questions, check availability, and get a sense of whether I am the right person for you. There is no obligation to book.

Sessions thereafter last 50 minutes and usually take place weekly, at the same time each week; this regularity gives the work its continuity. Some clients come for a handful of sessions to address something specific, others for a year or more. We review progress together as we go, and you are free to end the work whenever you choose.

Ultimately, I hope to facilitate greater understanding of the unseen patterns that underpin psychological distress. As individuals, we have thoughts, feelings and behavioural responses to situations. Some of these responses can be uncomfortable, puzzling, painful, sabotaging, overwhelming or invasive and difficult to shake off. Often, they can take control of our sense of our self and our identity, and consume the person that we would like to be. These responses can also make relating with colleagues and family members problematic, creating troubling cyclical patterns that are seemingly impossible to untangle.

Psychological health corresponds with the capacity to give space to our thoughts, feelings, and physical body, and in that space find understanding, insight and the capacity to express with confidence and assurance. This allows us to be true to ourself and more adaptable with our life decisions. Inevitably, this can have collateral benefits for those with whom we are close.

I offer weekday appointments and aim to reply to all enquiries on the day. To arrange a free initial conversation, drop me a line.

For many people the hardest part of therapy is the first appointment. Nothing is required of you beyond turning up. You need not have prepared anything, and you need not have worked out what to say.

We begin with the client-counsellor agreement, which sets out the practical arrangements — fees, timings and cancellations — and the way we will work together. I then explain confidentiality: what it protects, and the rare circumstances in which I would be obliged to set it aside. Each takes only a few minutes, but I would rather you knew where you stood from the outset than discovered it later.

After that, the session is yours, although I like to get some background. It helps me get a sense of what has brought you to therapy and what you hope might be different. There is no expectation that you have to reveal anything that you would rather keep private and you are welcome to ask me questions.

If you are coming in person, I will send you the address in Eltham with directions and parking information when we book. For online sessions, I will email a Zoom link the weekend before the booking; all you need is a good wifi connection and a quiet space where you will not be overheard or disturbed.

At the end we decide together whether to continue. There is no obligation to book further sessions, and if I do not believe I am the right therapist for what you are facing, I will say so and help you consider alternative options.

I keep securely held notes of our work. How I store personal data and how long I retain it are set out in client-counsellor agreement.

To arrange a free initial conversation, please use the contact form on this page.

Client feedback sample:

“I was anxious when I started the therapy, but you put me at great ease...“

“I want to express my thanks and gratitude for all the support you gave me… you helped me find the joy in life again.“

“you helped me to find deep rooted issues which I needed to address.”

"I feel I am on a new journey of recovery !“

My counselling practice times:

Monday 8am till 4pm

Tuesday 8am till 4pm

Wednesday 8am till 4pm

Thursday 8am till 4pm

Friday 8am till 4pm

Deciding whether therapy is right for you, and which therapist to choose, is rarely straightforward. People come to me for many reasons. For some, difficulties have been triggered by recent events. For others, issues might stem back to childhood trauma or to narcissistic, domestic, emotional or sexual abuse. I regularly work with anxiety, including work and social anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and confidence, grief, loneliness and isolation, and feelings of overwhelm, confusion or numbness. I also see many neurodivergent clients and understand the particular challenges of ADHD, autism (ASD) and dyslexia.

I have specialist training in trauma therapy. I hold advanced (level-7) training in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) and this work is informed by current neuroscience. Clients often find that flashbacks, nightmares, triggers, dissociation, hypervigilance, harsh self-criticism and relationship difficulties ease considerably over the course of therapy.

I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist offering face-to-face counselling in London and online therapy across the UK. As an integrative therapist, I draw on person-centred, existential, cognitive and psychodynamic approaches and adapt them to you over the short, medium or long term. Together we make sense of the patterns that keep distress in place and work towards lasting change.

Starting therapy can feel daunting so we go at your pace, and you will never be expected to discuss anything you would rather keep private. My priority is that you feel safe, respected and supported throughout.

I qualified with distinction from Inter-Psyche Training Centre in Dartford (level 6), and hold further training in trauma (level 7) and in couples and family work (level 5).

I offer a free, no-obligation phone consultation. Please get in touch to arrange a time that suits you.

My practice is based in Eltham, within easy reach of Blackheath, Greenwich, Lee, Bromley, Mottingham, Woolwich, Sidcup, and Bexley. I also work online via Zoom with individuals, couples and families throughout the UK.

Before you commit to anything, I am more than happy to speak with you by telephone or on Zoom, free of charge, about what has brought you to therapy and what you hope to gain from it. It is a chance to ask questions, check availability, and get a sense of whether I am the right person for you. There is no obligation to book.

Sessions thereafter last 50 minutes and usually take place weekly, at the same time each week; this regularity gives the work its continuity. Some clients come for a handful of sessions to address something specific, others for a year or more. We review progress together as we go, and you are free to end the work whenever you choose.

Ultimately, I hope to facilitate greater understanding of the unseen patterns that underpin psychological distress. As individuals, we have thoughts, feelings and behavioural responses to situations. Some of these responses can be uncomfortable, puzzling, painful, sabotaging, overwhelming or invasive and difficult to shake off. Often, they can take control of our sense of our self and our identity, and consume the person that we would like to be. These responses can also make relating with colleagues and family members problematic and creating troubling cyclical patterns that seemingly impossible to untangle.

Psychological health corresponds with the capacity to give space to our thoughts, feelings, and physical body, and in that space find understanding, insight and the capacity to express with confidence and assurance. This allows us to be true to ourself and more adaptable to our life decisions. Inevitably, this can have collateral benefits for those we are close to.

I offer weekday appointments and aim to reply to all enquiries on the day.

To arrange a free initial conversation, drop me a line.

For many people the hardest part of therapy is the first appointment. Nothing is required of you beyond turning up. You need not have prepared anything, and you need not have worked out what to say.

We begin with the client-counsellor agreement, which sets out the practical arrangements — fees, timings and cancellations — and the way we will work together. I then explain confidentiality: what it protects, and the rare circumstances in which I would be obliged to set it aside. Each takes only a few minutes, but I would rather you knew where you stood from the outset than discovered it later.

After that, the session is yours although I like to get some background. It helps me get a sense of what has brought you here and what you hope might be different. There is no expectation that you have to reveal anything that you would rather keep private and you are welcome to ask me questions.

If you are coming in person, I will send you the address in Eltham with directions and parking information when we book. For online sessions, I will email a Zoom link the weekend before the booking; all you need is a good wifi connection and a quiet space where you will not be overheard or disturbed.

At the end we decide together whether to continue. There is no obligation to book further sessions, and if I do not believe I am the right therapist for what you are facing, I will say so and help you consider alternative options.

I keep securely held notes of our work. How I store personal data and how long I retain it are set out in client-counsellor agreement.

To arrange a free initial conversation, please use the contact form on this page.

Monday 8am to 4pm

Tuesday 8am to 4pm

Wednesday 8am to 4pm

Thursday 8am to 4pm

Friday 8am to 4 pm

I appreciate that there may be many reasons why you are seeking counselling. Your issues might have been triggered by recent events or could stretch far back to past trauma, abuse or narcissism. You might be suffering from anxiety, depression, loss or bereavement. There might be social anxiety, work anxiety, low self-esteem, feelings of isolation, loneliness, or a sense of overwhelm, confusion or numbness. I also work neurodiversity and the particular challenges associated dyslexia, autism (ASD), ADHD. I have specialist training in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD). I can help in these kinds of areas.

As a face-to-face and online integrative counsellor and psychotherapist I help with a range of issues both big and small over the short (6-12 sessions), medium (18-24 sessions) and long term (1+ years). I call on a variety of approaches: person-centred, existential, cognitive, psychodynamic, and relational. I also am trained in Emotional Freedom Technique (similar to EMDR) which I might use to help regulate overwhelming emotions and process trauma. This integrative counselling enables me to be very adaptable to your unique needs.

I am mindful that commencing therapy can feel intimidating and overwhelming. Consequently, I take great care to go at a pace that is right for you. I always endeavour to maintain a sense of safety, security and support.

I qualified with distinction from Inter-Psyche Training Centre in Dartford which is affiliated to the Kent and Medway NHS Trust Foundation. This is a degree level 6 qualification. I am also trained specifically to work with trauma, PTSD and dissociation (level 6), and with couples and families (level-5). Details of my privacy policy, how I secure and how long I hold data can be found on my website.

I am happy to discuss your goals for therapy, check availability and to answer any questions you might have over the telephone or online. Subsequent sessions are 50 minutes duration and are usually one week apart.

The first session is an opportunity to get an overview and have our first face-to-face meeting. I briefly explain the 'client-counsellor agreement' which is concerned with the administration of the sessions and clarifies the expectations concerning the way we will work together. I also explain issues concerning confidentiality. After we have done this it can be helpful to get an appraisal of what has brought you to counselling and what you might hope to get out of it. It is a 'no pressure' session where we simply begin the journey forward together.

My couple and relationship counselling practice times:

Monday 8am till 4pm

Tuesday 8am till 4pm

Wednesday 8am till 4pm

Thursday 8am till 4pm

Friday 8am till 4pm

As an integrative couples and relationship counsellor, I help clients address and overcome their difficulties and potentially enrich their relational lives. Perhaps your relationship is at a crisis point; you are finding that it is stuck in a painful or vicious cycle of hurt and accusations. Perhaps there are entrenched conflicts preventing you from moving forward together. Sometimes there is ‘cold’ distancing and turning away from engagement while at others times there are feelings of frustration and desperation for connection. There might be a lack of desire for intimacy or sex. You may feel that trust has been shattered. Perhaps there are conflicts around levels of commitment. These are the kinds of issues that I can help with. In couples therapy we work together at disentangling things in order to improve your relationship

I provide face-to-face and online therapy for a range of issues and look to work over the short term (ideally 12 weeks) but am flexible on this. I take a non-judgmental approach which is to say that I will listen to all parties from an open perspective. I am also happy to work with relationships that are, or wish to be other than monogamous or heteronormative.

Feel free to contact me and let me know what your goals for therapy are. I am happy to discuss things further over the telephone or zoom prior to booking an initial session. 

Before the first couples counselling session, I will send out some information about what to expect. It can be difficult starting couples counselling, so I look to provide reassurance that I will contain and support all parties in equal measure. I will also ask you to provide some information ahead of the first session.

I encourage relationships to complete 6 sessions at which point we can do a review and decide whether to extend to 12 sessions or more. 

I don't follow a formula but might expect to work on strategies to help improve communication, resolve and manage intense conflict, develop insights into how previous relationships from childhood onwards are impacting your relationship now and what to do about it, help reframe and negotiate differences in attitudes to relationship needs and expectations, and look at challenges that may be impacting both desires for intimacy and for wanting separateness within the relationship.

The first session differs from subsequent sessions. I look to get an overview of the relationship and ask a few questions about personal histories. Subsequently sessions are less formal and less directive.