Welcome. I’m James. I am a highly trained, experienced and compassionate BACP registered psychotherapeutic counsellor available for counselling and therapy online, and in person in Exeter. I am available to work with individuals, couples and small groups. (You can read more about me below).
If you are on this page it is probably because you are facing difficulty and looking for help to feel better, make changes, and improve the quality of your experience of life. Maybe you want to work on relieving depression or anxiety, overcoming trauma, gaining confidence, or growing into your fuller self. Whatever you are feeling and whatever changes you are hoping for, I am here to support you in your process of building self-understanding, healing, and growing as a person.
Choosing a therapist can be difficult. There are so many to choose from, all offering their own vision of therapy. I hope this page will give you a sense of who I am and how I work, and so help you make your 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 to see whether I feel like the right therapist for you.
An authentic human relationship
My approach is known as the person-centred approach (which you can read more about here). The therapy I offer is centred around building an authentic human relationship, so that you feel safe, accepted, supported and appreciated. These conditions will allow you to bring more of your experience into conscious awareness, and so bring relief to areas of your experience that are in pain, under tension and stress, and to move forward in your world in more integrated and empowered way, increasing your access to happiness and wellbeing. Our sessions will also be chance to get things off your chest, to cry, to vent and to laugh. All is welcome in our sessions.
Therapy is an ongoing process which happens over time, with insights and shifts often coming between sessions, with sessions being a place and time to feel and think out new edges in their awareness. Many people find that they begin making significant changes in their lives, some of which they may not have previously thought of, which can bring relief from distress, healing and growth.
I have studied and understand a number of psychological and psychotherapeutic theories and at times these might enter into our conversations in a helpful way. However, usually our sessions won’t be led by theory. My role is to hold a safe, non-judgemental space for my clients. In this 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.
Some people come keen to learn techniques to calm their mind, build perspective and gain self-awareness. If this is what you are seeking then the main techniques I can share are various forms of mindfulness meditation. I share these because I have first hand experience of their effectiveness and their wide applicability across people and situations. Please feel free to ask me about this if it interests you.
If you like the sound of my approach and think I could be of help to 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 £80 per session.
Daytime sessions are 60 minutes and evening sessions (5.30pm and later) are 50 minutes.
Depending on your ability to pay I can sometimes 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. If I cannot see you personally I will try and put you in touch with someone who can.
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/Heavitree area of Exeter. I can also offer walking therapy nearby.
Sessions are normally 60 minutes long, but this is open for discussion if you feel a different amount of time suits you better. Most clients have sessions weekly or fortnightly, but this can also be flexible.
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 enjoy walks on the Moor, socialising and studying. I practice mindfulness and have an interest in Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist thought, as well as Western philosophy, psychology and Christian spirituality. 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 inspirational 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 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 a little 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 support you with the following experiences (and others that are not listed here):
- anxiety
- depression
- personal development
- self-harm
- suicidality
- trauma and PTSD
- anger
- stress
- relationship difficulty, including work with pairs and small groups
- experience of addiction
- bereavement and grief
- exploration of sexuality and coming out
- exploration of gender identity
- polyamory, non-monogamy and open relating
- 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.