Hello. I am James. I am a highly trained, qualified, and BACP registered therapist available online, and in person in Exeter.
If you are on this page it is probably because you are looking for support to make changes in your experience of life. Maybe you want to stop feeling depressed or anxious, overcome trauma, gain confidence, or grow into your fuller self. Whatever changes you are hoping for, I am available and able to support you in the process of healing and growth.
Choosing a therapist can be really difficult. There are so many to choose from, all offering their own version of therapy. I hope this page will give you a sense of who I am and how I work, and so help you make that choice.
I offer an initial exploratory session to new clients (for free) as a way for you to get a feel for what I offer and whether it feels right for you.
Are you ready for change?
The therapy I offer is centred around building an authentic human relationship with the people I work with, so that you feel safe, accepted, supported and appreciated. I offer total acceptance of clients, as they are, in the present moment.
I have studied and understand a number of psychological theories 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 this relational setting, most people, most of the time, are able to engage in their own therapeutic process, figure out (with a little support) what they need to understand, and process stuck emotions and traumas.
A lot of the work happens between sessions, with therapy sessions 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.
My approach is known as the person-centred approach (which you can read more about here). 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 or does not feel useful to you. 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 an initial exploratory session at no cost so you can get a feel for whether you would like to work with me.
Payment
I 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 session if it is relevant to you.
How and where therapy takes place
I work online and in person in Exeter. Online sessions take place on Zoom. In person sessions take place in my therapy room in the Polsloe area of Exeter. Walking therapy is also available, nearby. I can also consider travelling to your home, but would need to be remunerated for the travel time.
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.
Please note that it is currently my normal practice to record all sessions to support my continuing professional development as a therapist. However, I will always ask for your consent to record, and it is completely okay for you to ask that sessions are not recorded at any point. (Doing so will not impact my willingness to support you in our work together).
More about me
I am a father of two in my late 30s living in Exeter. We previously lived in London, and I love the city, but my partner and I have chosen to be in Exeter as we find it a good place for our young family. We enjoy days at the beach and on Dartmoor. I have also recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Psychotherapy at Exeter University.
In my own time, I love long walks on the Moor, live music, and studying. I practice Buddhist meditation and mindfulness daily and have an interest in Eastern thought, as well as Western philosophy and psychology. These philosophies inform my work as a therapist.
In terms of qualifications and professional background, I studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Durham, and then went on to do an MA in Philosophy at Bristol. (My focus was on the philosophy of ethics). I later trained to become a teacher, and spent 9 years teaching economics in inner-London schools where I gained as much education as I gave from some marvellous young people – it was tough but I got a huge amount from it.
During this time, I began my own therapeutic journey, and was lucky enough to find myself working with Charles Olivier, to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude for helping me become much more conscious of the choices I was making. I still model much of my practice on the way Charles worked with me. I became very interested in psychology, initially doing a Graduate Certificate in Psychology at UCL, before doing several counselling courses which eventually led me to applying to study the person-centred approach at the Metanoia Institute in West London. I spent 3 intensive years training at Metanoia, and came out a different person to when I went in. I gained a degree level Diploma in Psychotherapeutic Counselling which is the basis upon which I work.
I continue to study psychology, philosophy, and psychotherapy, both for my own interest and to develop my presence as a therapist with clients. I am currently working on my MSc in person-centred psychotherapy.
Areas of therapeutic work
There is a sense in which trying to separate one area of therapeutic work from another is quite artificial. On the other hand, I appreciate that if you are suffering in a particular way it might be helpful to know whether or not a therapist can help with that particular experience. I can help with the following experiences (and others that are not listed here):
- anxiety
- depression
- personal development
- self-harm
- suicidality
- trauma and PTSD
- anger
- stress
- experience of addiction
- bereavement and grief
- exploration of sexuality and coming out
- exploration of gender identity
- polyamory, non-monogamy and open relating
- relationship difficulty
- loneliness
- feelings of being lost or uncertain
- loss of meaning
- self-awareness and self-development
- death and mortality
- spirituality
- psychedelic integration
Contacting James
If you would like to book a (free) trial session, or just ask for me information, please follow the link below.