Leo O'Connor

Now accepting new clients for anxiety, relationship difficulties, and self-esteem or identity issues, alongside the wider range of concerns clients bring to me. I currently have a limited number of vacant sessions — Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, with a further slot possibly becoming available on Wednesday mornings. Session hours run from 8am to 6pm.

How We'll Work Together

My approach is integrative and humanistic, meaning I believe in the power of the relationship we build together. We'll work as equals, with kindness and compassion, drawing on a wide range of tools and understandings to meet you exactly where you are, your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours all welcome.

I'm a BACP and UKCP registered counsellor, Clinical Supervisor, and Counselling Tutor, with particular experience supporting people through relationship difficulties, anxiety, and issues of self-esteem and identity. Training and supervising other counsellors keeps me closely connected to best practice, while my own client work keeps me grounded in the lived reality of what you're going through.

I offer both short-term and open-ended work to suit your needs. While my therapy room is based in Worthing, I also see clients from Shoreham-by-Sea and the surrounding area, either in person, online, or by telephone — whichever works best for you.

Finding Your Way Forward

Perhaps you feel alone, lost, overwhelmed, or disconnected. You might be grappling with anxiety, depression, bereavement, trauma, or relationship breakdown — or maybe you just feel "not right" and aren't sure why. Whatever you're facing, I offer a warm, confidential, and non-judgemental space to explore this together, at your pace. You don't need to fit into any labels; my focus is on you.

I believe change is possible. By exploring both your current struggles and what lies beneath them, we'll build insight into patterns of behaviour and deepen your self-awareness — leading to greater freedom and choice, stronger relationships, increased self-compassion, and lasting change.

My first session

Taking the First Step: What to Expect from Your First Counselling Session

Starting counselling can feel like a big step, but it's also a courageous one. As you begin your journey, you might wonder what the first session will be like. The most important thing to know is that it’s a space for you to feel heard, understood, and supported without judgment.

Setting the Scene

Your first session is often called an initial consultation or assessment. This isn’t about being tested; it's an opportunity for you to decide if we are a good fit. I will take the time to explain key aspects of the process, including:

• Confidentiality: What we discuss is private. I will explain the limits of this confidentiality, such as when they would need to break it for your safety or legal reasons.

• The Counselling Contract: This covers practical details like session length, fees, and cancellation policies. It creates a secure, predictable framework for our work together.

• A Safe Space: My primary role is to create an environment where you feel safe to talk openly and honestly about whatever is on your mind.

Beginning to Talk

During the session, I will invite you to talk about what has brought you to therapy. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. There's no pressure to talk about things you're not ready to address. I may ask questions to help you explore your thoughts and feelings, but I won't give you advice or tell you what to do.

You'll be in the driver's seat. It's a chance to see if you feel a connection with me and if my approach feels right for you. Remember, a good therapeutic relationship is key to the success of our work, and it's okay if you need to meet with a few different counsellors to find the right one.

I currently have a limited number of vacant sessions. These are on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday afternoon; there may be a free session slot on Wednesday mornings coming vacant soon.

My session hours are from 8 am for the earliest start through to 5 pm for the last session of the day.

How We'll Work Together

My approach is integrative and humanistic, which means I believe in the power of our relationship. We'll connect as equals, with kindness and compassion. I draw from a wide range of tools and understandings to meet you exactly where you are, welcoming all you bring—your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

I offer both short-term and open-ended work to suit your needs. Sessions are available in my peaceful therapy room right here in Worthing or conveniently online or by telephone.

Taking the first step is often the bravest part. By simply reading this, you’ve already begun.

I know that the world of therapy can seem daunting, and every counsellor you see here is a good person with the skills to help you. The important thing is that you just begin somewhere. I'm offering you that first step. Just send me a text or email, and let's see where that takes us.

Finding Your Way Forward

Perhaps you feel alone, lost, overwhelmed, or disconnected. You might be grappling with anxiety, depression, bereavement, abuse, trauma, or relationship breakdown. Or maybe you just feel "not right" and aren't sure why. Whatever you're facing, I offer a warm, confidential, and non-judgemental space where we can explore together at your pace. You don't need to fit into any labels; my focus is on you.

I believe change is possible. By exploring both your current struggles and what lies beneath, we'll gain insights into patterns of behaviour and deepen your self-awareness. This process can lead to greater freedom and choice in your life, fostering stronger personal relationships, increased self-compassion, and lasting positive change. It's about empowering you to lead the life you truly want

Taking the First Step: What to Expect from Your First Counselling Session

Starting counselling can feel like a big step, but it's also a courageous one. As you begin your journey, you might wonder what the first session will be like. The most important thing to know is that it’s a space for you to feel heard, understood, and supported without judgment.

Setting the Scene

Your first session is often called an initial consultation or assessment. This isn’t about being tested; it's an opportunity for you to decide if we are a good fit. I will take the time to explain key aspects of the process, including:

• Confidentiality: What we discuss is private. I will explain the limits of this confidentiality, such as when they would need to break it for your safety or legal reasons.

• The Counselling Contract: This covers practical details like session length, fees, and cancellation policies. It creates a secure, predictable framework for our work together.

• A Safe Space: My primary role is to create an environment where you feel safe to talk openly and honestly about whatever is on your mind.

Beginning to Talk

During the session, I will invite you to talk about what has brought you to therapy. You can share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with. There's no pressure to talk about things you're not ready to address. I may ask questions to help you explore your thoughts and feelings, but I won't give you advice or tell you what to do.

You'll be in the driver's seat. It's a chance to see if you feel a connection with me and if my approach feels right for you. Remember, a good therapeutic relationship is key to the success of our work, and it's okay if you need to meet with a few different counsellors to find the right one.

Currently taking on new supervisees, including counsellors in training and qualified practitioners seeking ongoing supervision. Sessions available daytime and early evening, in person in Worthing, or online/by telephone.

I'm Leo, a BACP and UKCP registered counsellor and Clinical Supervisor, and I also work as a Counselling Tutor. Supervision is something I care about deeply, it's where good practice is sustained, challenged, and grown, and where counsellors can be as honest about their own process as we ask our clients to be about theirs.

My approach to supervision is integrative and collaborative. I draw on my own experience of client work, training, and teaching to support you not just with case discussion, but with the wider questions of practice: ethical dilemmas, your own development as a therapist, and looking after yourself in a demanding role. I aim to create a space that's rigorous but never judgemental, one where you can bring uncertainty, mistakes, and questions as openly as successes.

I work with trainee counsellors needing supervised placement hours, as well as qualified and experienced practitioners seeking regular ongoing supervision. Sessions can be arranged on a short-term or long-term basis, whatever suits your needs and stage of practice.

Supervision That Grows With You

Whether you're a trainee counsellor navigating your first client hours, or an experienced practitioner deepening your practice, supervision should meet you exactly where you are, not deliver a one-size-fits-all model of reflection.

I draw on two complementary frameworks to shape our work together. The Seven-Eyed Model gives us a rich map for exploring what's happening in the room: not just the client's material, but your own responses, our supervisory relationship, and the wider systems and ethics surrounding the work. It means we're never limited to just "what happened?" we can also ask "what's this doing to you?" and "what's this doing to us, right now?"

Alongside this, I use the Integrative Developmental Model to think about where you are in your own growth as a practitioner. If you're newer to the work, you may want more structure, more direct guidance, and reassurance as you build competence and confidence. If you're more experienced, our sessions might focus more on autonomy, nuance, and refining your own therapeutic style, with me stepping back to support rather than direct.

In practice, this means supervision that adapts as you do, offering containment and clear guidance when that's what's needed, and space and challenge as your confidence grows.

I offer 1:1 supervision only, believing dedicated individual time allows for the depth and honesty this work deserves, space to bring your cases, your doubts, your blind spots, and your own process as a practitioner.

I work with both trainee counsellors completing supervised placement hours, and qualified, experienced practitioners seeking ongoing supervision. Whatever your stage, my aim is the same: to help you practise ethically, reflectively, and sustainably and to keep growing in a role that asks a great deal of you

Our First Session

Starting supervision with someone new can feel like its own small threshold to cross, especially if you're used to being the one holding space for others rather than being on the receiving end. Our first session is really about easing that a little, and finding out together whether we're a good fit.

We'll start with you your training so far, where you're working, who your clients are, and how you're feeling in your development as a practitioner right now. This isn't a test, and there's no "right" answer. It just helps me get a sense of what you need from supervision at this point whether that's more structure and reassurance while you're finding your feet, or more space to think out loud and trust your own judgement if you're further along.

I'll also talk a bit about how I like to work in sessions. Sometimes we'll focus on a specific client and what's coming up for you around them. Other times we might notice something happening between the two of us in the room, or step back and look at the wider pressures your workplace, your own life, the ethical knots that come with this job. I try to stay flexible about where we go, depending on what's most useful in the moment.

We'll also sort out the practical bits together how often we'll meet, confidentiality and where its limits sit, how we'd handle anything ethically tricky that comes up, and what you need to feel properly supported (and appropriately challenged).

Mostly, though, this first session is just a chance to get a feel for how I work and whether it feels right to bring your practice, and yourself, into this space. And if it doesn't feel like quite the right fit, that's a completely reasonable thing to discover too.