Philip Leonard

CURRENT AVAILABILITY

Tuesday or Thursday day time sessions available in Yatton (in-person or online)

Session fees are £40 before 5pm and £50 after 5pm.  Introductory session £25.  All sessions are 50 minutes.  

I offer one to one therapeutic counselling for adults ‘in the room’ at Clifton Down, Bristol on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.  I may be able to offer some online or F2F sessions at other times (Tues-Thurs). 

My practice training and experience is integrative which means that I combine and apply more than one theory and method of practice (E.g., Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Gestalt, CBT) according to need.

My style is warm, compassionate and validating and I would aim to support you in thinking through the challenges that you might be facing in your life. 

My background is in therapeutic social work, child safeguarding and assessment with families who were struggling or in crisis. I have a long-held interest in the importance of building a safe and trusting relationship as an agent for change.

During my career, I received training in family therapy, solution focused brief therapy, and time-conscious psychodynamic counselling. I also studied child development and attachment theory in some depth.

In recent years, I have undertaken experiential training in motivational interviewing and systems theories as well as numerous Continuing Professional Development (CPD) events with various counselling and psychotherapy organisations. 

I have also experienced both long-term and short term counselling and psychotherapy as a client so I know what it’s like to sit in the opposite chair!

I have become increasingly interested in how the experience of attentiveness, kindness and compassion can be recognised as important therapeutic ingredients; how these human resources are communicated both between us and within ourselves. 

Often, some of our past experiences may have interrupted, discouraged or even prevented the development of these gifts.  Counselling and psychotherapy can help to build patterns of compassion and trust for self and others over time which, in turn, has dynamic therapeutic effects.

I also value a strengths-based approach which means that I support you to develop whatever internal and external resources you have to help you on your therapeutic journey.  

I now charge half-rate (£25) for the first session to provide you with an opportunity to see what it feels like without further obligation. 

During our first session, I will listen to your description of what has led you to seek counselling and what you would like to achieve from our work together. We will have a chance to ask each other questions so that we can build a picture of whether my style of working is likely to help you.

If, together, we think that you might benefit from a different kind of therapeutic experience, we can discuss how you might access that. 

If you decide to continue, we could agree on either open-ended or time-limited counselling.  I would normally suggest that we review how things are going after 6 sessions. 

I will also send you a copy of a client contract which describes what I can and cannot do.  We can also agree in the first session how and what we work on together. 

Counselling can continue for as long as you feel the work is meeting your needs and you can end it at any time you wish. If you do, I would ask that you provide at least a week’s notice so that we can review the work and end in a way that is helpful for you.

Sessions last for 50 minutes and my fees are £40 for sessions between 8am and 5pm, and £50 for sessions after 5pm.