Brian Padden

I have availability during the day, on an evening and for children and young people at their school or college.

This reduces the impact on their education and is more convenient for parents who have work commitments.

How I work.

I used a combination of counselling approaches to help you to resolve your issues.

My main style of counselling is person-centred; this means that supporting you in a non-judgemental way, guiding you through your difficult thoughts, emotions and beliefs and helping you out of the difficult place you find yourself in. You will decide what topics thoughts and experiences you’d like to explore. We will explore them together, but at a pace which feels manageable for you. If it starts to feel too much, we will take time out. I will help you regain your composure, and in your own time we will go again.

I work with children, young people, teens and adults. Online and face to face

I have worked with children, teenagers and young people in both primary and secondary schools for 20 years, including four years as the mental health lead and designated teacher for children in the care system in a large local secondary school. I have supported children and teenagers through a large variety of issues including self-harm, suicidal ideology, depression, anxiety, bereavement, early life trauma and abuse.

I have worked in local counselling agencies, both face-to-face and online, counselling adults with a range of difficulties from work stress, family and relationship difficulties, illness, bereavement, childhood trauma, confidence and self-esteem.

What to expect in your sessions.

Choosing a counsellor is an important decision in your recovery. There will be times during your sessions when you are exploring your most difficult and painful experiences. To do this, there needs to be a solid trust, we call a ‘Therapeutic Alliance.’

Only when we are feeling truly understood, supported, not judged and believed, are we able to achieve the level of trust needed to explore our damaging core beliefs and replace unhelpful and often false patterns of thinking with more compassionate.

Some people find discussing difficulties easier than others. I incorporate a lot of creative therapy into my session, such as drawing and talking, emotion cards and sand tray work. This works well for adults, young people and children, as it engages directly with the part of the brain where emotions and core beliefs are stored. These techniques make it easier for you to unpick and untangle harmful thought patterns and replace them with more self-caring feelings.

I work to the ethical principles and standards of the BACP, this means that supporting you and your mental health is paramount in our work together.

Next Step

 I offer a free thirty minute initial session, this is when we will go through two documents.

1. An initial assessment – we will go through things like the reasons for coming to counselling, what you’d like to achieve, previous mental health support, medications etc.

2. The counselling agreement – We will agree how many sessions, time and date, confidentiality of the sessions, ethical boundaries, payment agreement, method of counselling and contact outside of sessions.