Ben Kerslake

Hi, my name’s Ben I’m a person-centred (humanistic) psychotherapist. My strength in therapy is working with:

complex trauma

difficult family and personal relationships

Anxieties about sex and relationships

I work in short term and long term capacities with adults aged 18 - 70 and am looking to see how you can gain the awareness and kindness for yourself to cope and move forward in your world.

I am interested in gender, relationships and systems of control in our society that prevent clear and informed decisions for each person. I am inspired by the dance of the inner child in each person and how masculine and feminine energies work to bring us closer to ourselves. I welcome radical viewpoints on subjects and am comfortable with the expression of that.

While it may be obvious in this profession, I think it’s important to state that I am willing to be with the discomfort and sadness that you may have in the therapeutic space, but am able to also recognise and acknowledge any joy that you may feel.

My background is in opera singing and singing teaching and I welcome new and creative ways to work therapeutically in this capacity around all aspects of voice such as repressed voice, inner voice, breath and the difficulty of expressing what you really want to say. My musical background has informed a great understanding of aesthetics, beauty, emotional mood and atmosphere that I draw on in my empathic offering in the therapeutic space.

As a person I try to see the most curious and interested perspective of another human and understand that we are mostly striving to do and be our best. 

I believe that you have the innate ability to recognise things for yourself and make changes that you see are suitable. If you are given the right conditions of warmth, care and non-judgement by me your counsellor, you have the best conditions to allow space to recall memories and experiences. 

Any emotions that you experience you may assign a positive, neutral or negative feeling. Counselling helps you to understand that all emotions are part of being a person and the person you are is 100% good and striving. What tends to get in the way is feelings of worth or judgement that have been ingrained over a period of time. Once these can be seen as opinions that have been taken on, from other people, and may not represent reality then there can be a path to finding who you are and what is meaningful to you. 

Life’s events can put a speed bump in this journey or even feel like a wall that has to be knocked down or a hurdle that is too high. With learning compassion and kindness for yourself you can decide what you want to do. It’s not always a straightforward answer and sometimes you could feel that you’re not getting anywhere. But the act of making the step to be in counselling is by its nature, movement. Your journey can start.

The counselling relationship is very important and I hold that responsibility dearly to allow you to be the most comfortable that you can be in the counselling space. If that is not the case I think it is important that you feel you can address that and know it will received and heard. In the way that I interact with you I hope that ease will be demonstrated. 

Monday 4 - 9pm

Tuesday 3 - 9pm

Wednesday 5 - 9pm

Thursday 8am - 9pm

Friday 8am - 9pm

I believe that you have the innate ability to recognise things for yourself and make changes that you see are suitable. If you are given the right conditions of warmth, care and non-judgement by me your counsellor, you have the best conditions to allow space to recall memories and experiences. Any emotions that you experience you may assign a positive, neutral or negative feeling. Counselling helps you to understand that all emotions are part of being a person and the person you are is 100% good and striving. What tends to get in the way is feelings of worth or judgement that have been ingrained over a period of time. Once these can be seen as opinions that have been taken on, from other people, and may not represent reality then there can be a path to finding who you are and what is meaningful to you. Life’s events can put a speed bump in this journey or even feel like a wall that has to be knocked down or a hurdle that is too high. With learning compassion and kindness for yourself you can decide what you want to do. It’s not always a straightforward answer and sometimes you could feel that you’re not getting anywhere. But the act of making the step to be in counselling is by its nature, movement. Your journey can start.

The counselling relationship is very important and I hold that responsibility dearly to allow you to be the most comfortable that you can be in the counselling space. If that is not the case I think it is important that you feel you can address that and know it will received and heard. In the way that I interact with you I hope that ease will be demonstrated.