Ben Banks (my pronouns are He/Him )

Well done for recognising that something needs to change. I consider it a sign of enormous bravery that you're thinking about coming to see me for counselling and psychotherapy, and taking the first step on your journey towards feeling better and showing up differently in the world. 

We all experience difficult and painful things in life and we all need other people to lean on at times, to help us through some of the more painful or challenging situations or to help us grow into kind, loving people. Counselling and therapy with a skilled psychotherapist can help you make changes, both in how you feel about life, and more widely. Things that feel overwhelming today will begin to get easier and over time, through our work together, life will get brighter. Emotional distress can be caused by lots of different things, most commonly: Past experiences, such as challenges with parents, siblings and childhood trauma. Concerns about the future, such as the impending loss of a job or loved one. Challenges that you are experiencing right now, such as unhappiness in your relationships and feeling down. Life can feel heavy and bleak, like there's no hope and that nothing will change. You might be struggling with emotional states like depression, misery, grief or anxiety or a feeling of dissatisfaction with life that you simply can't shake. Whatever's going on, working with a psychotherapist can help bring some warmth and light to the darkest of times. Everything is up for discussion. Whether that's challenging family relationships or the intergenerational trauma of systemic oppression, there is no conversation we cannot have. 

Counselling and psychotherapy lends itself well to people who recognise that they want to change they way they show up in life and the work of a psychotherapist is to help you do just that.

 I have completed seven years of training and been a working psychotherapist for over a year, I have yet to complete my Masters, so am able to offer considerably reduced price sessions on a sliding scale from £45 to £75 depending on your income.