Neil Hepworth

I am not the expert on your life- you are! My expertise is in creating an effective, safe, authentic relationship with you that allows you to flourish. I work mainly in a person centered way which means I focus on your agenda and listen with empathy and compassion in an accepting way without judgment. By hearing you with focused attention in this way and interjecting with you I seek to empower you to find your own solutions and to grow in your resilience, self regard and clarity of your unique value and purpose. 

I will also draw on other therapeutic models where appropriate such as Psychodynamic because childhood experiences and attachments to significant others, dreams and unconscious affects can be important. Cognitive behaviour insights such as weighing up the evidence to challenge and change our self-talk, exploring alternative possibilities which are less catastrophic than we are fearing, can help with anxiety. Existential therapy with its drawing on facing life in its harsh reality, squaring up to our mortality and death anxiety, resulting in making meaning and exploring how to live life well, are also useful. 

 I have a lot of experience supporting the existential /spiritual aspects of being human when facing a life threatening or chronic illness, baby loss, bereavement, and mental health challenges. I aim in my counselling to empower change, enhance resilience and encourage personal growth psychologically and spiritually. I am interested not just in the problem or reason that brought you to counselling but in using this as a catalyst for you to deepen and widen who you are to become the best version of yourself- the true self you aspire to be. Please check out my website in the information above for more detail.

I can meet with you in person at a local therapy room in a community center or I can if you prefer do a home visit. I can also conduct a session online with a video call, though it is thought by most counsellors that in-person is a more effective experience. 

You can expect to be put at ease by me and you will find me warm, approachable, and trustworthy. Quite a few of my clients remark on my kindness and that they experience a sense of peace in my presence.

I have an ability to relate with respect and openness to people of all ages and from all kind of backgrounds regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, faith or non-belief, mental health or gender. I have learnt much over the years from such diverse experience and I enjoy meeting different people.

You will therefore be very welcome and I will try my very best to help you and aid you to know just how loved, unique and valued you are.

In the first session some of the time has to be taken by agreeing and discussing a therapy contract. This is an important professional and ethical requirement that all therapists following best practice should do.   It covers important things such as payment, cancellation terms, confidentiality and its limits, boundaries and so forth. Therefore although all my sessions are full 60 minute hours (not the the so called therapy hour- 50 minutes sometimes offered|), I allow extra time if needed up to 15 minutes extra on the first session at no extra cost.