Christopher Pollock, Counselling & Psychotherapy

I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and bound by their guidelines on ethical behaviour. The BACP is the largest organisation overseeing counsellors and psychotherapists in the United Kingdom. Being accredited means I have been individually assessed by the BACP as meeting their standard for a competent, ethical and independent practitioner.

When faced with these questions it helps to talk to somebody from outside your circle of family and friends. This is not just about mental health or mental illness — it can be as simple as having a sense of looking for greater fulfilment in your life, of looking to be helped to be all that you can be. For couples, therapy offers a chance to explore the relationship between you, and for both to gain a new perspective. See "Therapy for couples" for a bit more about this. Therapy provides an opportunity to talk about things that you don't often manage to talk about in everyday life.

The regular sessions can let you look at thoughts and feelings in a different light, listen to what's going on for you, or practise doing things in a different way. For many people, a major experience of therapy is relief at being listened to without judgement. In sessions with me there is a safe, confidential, space to explore issues that can seem overwhelming when you hold them to yourself.