James Cullen

I work online and in Exeter. Online work happens on Zoom. Work in Exeter takes place in a pleasant therapy room in Marsh Barton. 

Sessions are normally 60 minutes long, but this is open for discussion should you feel a different amount of time suits you better. Most clients have sessions weekly, but this can also be flexible.

I generally charge £60 per hour (60 minutes). However, depending on your ability to pay I can offer some flexibility on this for those for whom finances create a barrier to accessing therapy – this is something we can discuss in our initial trial session, which I offer for free.

The therapy I offer is centred around being present and open with the people I work with, accepting them exactly as they are in the present moment. I do know and understand a number of psychological theories and techniques, and at times these can enter into our dialogue in a useful way. However, by and large, my role is to hold a safe, non-judgemental space for my clients. In such a relational setting, most people, most of the time, are able to engage in their own therapeutic work, figure out (with a little support) what they need to understand, and process stuck emotions and traumas.

A lot of the work clients do happens between therapy sessions, with the therapy session being a place to feel and think out new edges in one's experience. Each person's process will be different, but over time I notice a remarkable level of convergence in the way people start to grow and heal, given the support I offer. People often end up making significant changes to their lives in ways they had not previously imagined possible.

This approach is known as the person-centred approach (which you can read more about on my website). A key tenant of this approach is that it is client led. We move at your pace. I won't push you into talking about or dealing with something you are not ready for. Nor will I pull you back from talking about whatever it is you need to process, even if that is very painful or upsetting to talk about and hear.

If you like the sound of this approach and think it could work for you, please feel free to get in touch. I offer the first session for free so you can get a feel for whether you would like to work with me.

I work by forming an authentic relationship with my clients, within which they have the space to engage in their own therapeutic process. I hold the space for clients to figure out what they need to understand about themselves and their situation, and for them to safely, and in their own time, access and process difficult and stuck emotions and traumas.

A lot of the time this will involve me listening deeply to the client, and showing that I have understood, with care and compassion. But when a client wants something different, such as direct input from me into their process, or an opinion on something in their experience, I am happy to give this, on the understanding that it comes from my experience and is not authoritative over the client's own understanding of themselves.

I offer the first session for free (over Zoom) so that clients can get a sense of whether or not they feel that working with me will be helpful to them. If clients wish to go forward we can look at continuing to work online, or find a time and space to work together in person.

Typically we will start the first session by the client explaining what has brought them to therapy. Explaining this can in itself be quite therapeutic. We will then discuss how we might work together, with the client having the opportunity to ask any questions they look, so that they are in a position to decide whether or not they want to go forward with me.