Hi – it’s great to meet you virtually. I’m Robbie, and Welcome to Weston-super-Mare (WSM) Counselling service.

I am proud to introduce you to our website which contains support, information and an outline of the wide range of counselling services I offer.

I hope you will enjoy exploring our website. It is much more than a booking service but a tool that, I hope, will be of use to anyone looking for help and support with counselling.

Please check out my free resource page. This section provides a range of tools, guides and practical help that I often refer to in my therapy sessions – but you are welcome to use them for your own private use.

If you have any questions regarding our therapy services please get in touch through our contacts page. If our services resonate with your needs, I look forward to haring from you soon!

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life.”
(Charles Dederich)


Who are we and what makes WSM counselling unique?
All reputable counsellors or psychotherapists will provide a client-centred focus. However, the knowledge and experiences of the therapist will vary greatly, and choosing the right person for you is important.
My background is in Education. As a Teacher and Senior Leader of a Primary School, I have extensive experience in supporting, mentoring and coaching teachers and leaders in schools. In addition, I have worked with children and families from a wide and diverse range of backgrounds and professionally with representatives from different multi-agencies including educational psychologists, social services, health care professionals, occupational therapists and speech and language specialists.
Throughout my professional career within the public sector, I have worked to support a wide range of needs and challenge with children and their families. The work I undertake in WSM Counselling is aimed at utilising my knowledge and skills in a broader climate with the hope to reach out to people who live in our community and require help in a time of challenge or difficulty.
In our therapy, I use an integrative eclectic approach. This means adapting evidence based therapeutic strategies, methods, and approaches to suit your need(s) and personality. Through this approach, we collaboratively work together to plan our sessions in order to work towards a specific goal in short-term or long-term therapy. Short-term therapy usually spans between 6 and 12 weeks, and long-term therapy continues until you have reached your intended goal. You are under no obligation to subscribe to a specific number of sessions, however, you will need to consider that therapy is complex and specific to the client; your journey to affecting positive change will be challenging and empowering. You will likely learn and discover much about yourself along the way and this will require commitment and a willingness to be open to self-reflection and change. With the right support, guidance, and encouragement, you will be well placed to reach your goals and benefit from positive, lifelong change.
The journey to change is not without its challenge. The very nature of therapy often exposes our vulnerable selves and associated feelings and emotions depending on your life experiences and how these have affected you. It may be that you have not fully processed or come to terms with a trauma, experience and/or event from the long-term or short-term past. For others it is managing the challenges of life, relationships, work and emotions in the present. You will be challenged to consider your specific behaviours, emotions and actions from different viewpoints and perspectives, and the impact this has had/is having on you and others. However, at all times through this challenge, you will be guided and supported in an authentic, respectful, safe, and confidential environment.
Life is a challenge for us all; we all have different backgrounds, experiences and challenges to manage. Sometimes, we need to reach out for additional help and support with someone who is non-judgemental, supportive, approachable, empathetic, and knowledgeable of a wide range of therapies and strategies for affecting positive change. Seeking help is the first positive step towards finding your inner peace and improved sense of wellbeing. It may not happen overnight, and it will require commitment and an open mind to change, but you really do have the power within you to find answers and solutions to your problems. Together, we will identify the key challenges, recognise what needs to change, practise, and apply strategies to improve and reframe thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, and finally consider how we can use what we have learned in the wider context of our lives.

Our Vision and Ethos:
“A client-centred journey affecting positive change.”
Our client-centred approach is designed to help challenge our thoughts and behaviours, learn to think and act differently, and find the inner peace and wellbeing we all seek. All therapy and approaches require commitment, buy-in and an open-mind in order to change, improve and grow. This process can challenge us emotionally; but in a safe, trusting, and non-threatening environment, we can identify the goals you want to achieve and plan a series of small steps in order to work towards effective and lifelong change.

Qualifications:
I am a member of the Accrediting Board of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (ABCAP) and abide by the Ethical Framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Please see - www.bacp.co.uk/ethical-framework for more information.

Certification held:
(Level 8) Masters in NPQ Senior Leadership (SL)
(Level 7) First Class Honours Degree in Education
(Level 4) Counselling and CBT Therapy and Psychotherapy
(Level 3) Counselling Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Trade Union Representative qualification (UNISON)
Current CPD: (Level 4) Counselling Children & Adolescents



Is counselling right for me?
In an increasingly time-poor society with immense pressures and burdens on daily living, more people are beginning to seek counselling in order to improve their overall mental health and wellbeing. As society is becoming more educated on the benefits of good mental health (alongside exercise for physical health), the stigma of undertaking counselling is fast disappearing.
Therapy, or counselling as it is generally termed, provides the client with the opportunity to talk about their feelings, thoughts and behaviours with a professional who is non-judgemental or personally involved in the client’s situation. Counsellors are specifically trained for this.
Counselling gives the client the opportunity to talk at length about their situation. By carefully examining one’s experiences, thoughts and feelings, the collaborative partnership between counsellor and client can support the individual to find answers and solutions to their problems that they hold deep within themselves (like steering a ship lost at sea towards a lighthouse). The counsellor is not the ‘expert’, ‘oracle’ or person of ‘authority’ but a qualified and experienced professional who can hold a mirror up to the individual in order to support them on a client-centred journey to affect positive change.
All professional counsellors adhere to an ethical framework that ensures confidentiality is upheld, counselling is client centred, and that sessions are viewed with unconditional positive regard (an authentic and non-judgemental approach to ones feelings, behaviours and thoughts). However, the collaboration is a partnership and will require the client to be transparent and honest, and open to considering different viewpoints and perspectives to situations. Sessions can often be emotionally draining but also cathartic, enlightening and reassuring as the client begins to find answers to their difficult questions or challenges.
Choosing the right counselling approach is important, and on this website, you can find a summary of all services we provide. If you have any questions, you are encouraged to contact us through the contact page so we can offer you support and guidance from the start. If our range of services do not meet your individual needs, we will help to refer you to a professional who is best placed to help and advise you further.

“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you know.”
(A. A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh)