Hello and welcome to my site. I am a counsellor in Bristol and online.
Perhaps you’ve begun to notice that, despite your best efforts, you keep encountering the same emotional or relational difficulties. You may understand them intellectually, yet still find yourself living them.
If so, you’re not alone. Although the difficulties that bring people to therapy can appear very different — whether anxiety, relationship difficulties, addiction or something else — I have come to believe they often reflect the same underlying patterns, formed as ways of adapting to our early relationships and experiences. I see symptoms as the psyche's expression of something deeper, and therapy as the attempt to move towards these hidden layers.
I am an integrative counsellor working with individuals and couples in central Bristol and online. My approach integrates Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, psychodynamic, person-centred and somatic therapy to explore the patterns that underlie psychological distress.
I work with adults from all walks of life who are seeking to understand themselves, whether they are struggling with long-standing emotional difficulties, relationship patterns, the impact of trauma, or simply a sense that life could feel more connected and meaningful.
My work is less concerned with treating isolated symptoms than with encountering what's underneath - and creating the conditions in which you can move towards a more integrated version of yourself. To support this process, I draw on a range of integrative approaches, adapting them to the person rather than expecting the person to fit a particular model.
I see therapy as an opportunity to become curious about the experiences, stories, emotions and responses that have shaped how you relate to yourself, others and the world, while feeling understood rather than judged. As deeper layers of the psyche become more conscious and felt, new possibilities for living and relating can begin to emerge.
I aim to offer a therapeutic relationship characterised by curiosity, warmth and openness, where you feel safe to bring your full self.
If you are here for couples therapy, please see the separate couples page for further information.
I am LGBTQIA+ affirmative.
You are welcome to get in touch to ask questions or arrange an initial session.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Mike
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Contact me using the form below including a little detail about why you're looking for counselling.
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I will respond (usually the same day) with my availability and if something works we can set up an initial no obligation session.
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If we then agree to work together, this becomes our first session and costs £65 (£95 for couples), otherwise I waive the fee.
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We will discuss a plan for therapy - open ended or more focussed and the approaches we will use together.
The process of getting counselling with me
I try to make things as straight forward and clear as possible
What to expect in an intro session
People often ask me about this, so I've added this section. An initial session is a chance to meet and see what it might be like to work together. I will ask you to tell me what has brought you to counselling and you are welcome to ask me any questions. I can explain how I work, the different approaches and how they can help.
We might start to discuss goals for therapy: to feel less anxious, to learn to communicate better, to be less self-critical, to be more confident, to move on from a break-up, to process a bereavement. If you don't have an immediate goal, that's fine too and completely normal. Defining what the problems are might be part of the work we do.
Perhaps you are aware of how things that have happened in the past are affecting you now? In the intro session I might also invite you to tell me a little of your personal history. Essentially, I will just want to start to get to know you.
Near the end of the intro session we will discuss how you have found talking with me and whether you would like to continue. If you are unsure you are welcome to take a few days to think about it and let me know. Finding the right therapist is crucial.
A bit about me
I'm sure you'll want to know a bit about who I am to help decide if you would like to get in touch. I would if I were you.
I have been working as a counsellor for around seven years having trained at Bath Centre for Psychotherapy & Counselling. I hold an advanced level 6 diploma in Humanistic and Integrative Counselling. Since then I have completed a second diploma in Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy, and accredited EMDR training.
I'm fully qualified and insured.
I am a registered member of BACP and follow their official guidelines for ethical practice. My work is overseen by a qualified and registered supervisor. I have trained in couples therapy with the Centre for Relational Couples Therapy.
Prior to my training, I had a career in the creative sector working in the world of brand design and strategy. I studied Philosophy as an undergrad. My non-therapy interests are electronic music production, cooking, reading, travel (I've lived in Australia and Canada previously), film and reality TV.
I've mostly been in Bristol for the last 20 years, but originally I'm from rural Lincolnshire, where I grew up outdoors amongst the crops and Fenland drains.
For more info about me, please see the 'about me' page.
About the counselling I offer
Therapy offers a confidential space where you can begin to explore your experience at a deeper level, in a way that is often difficult to do alone. It is a space to slow things down, and to bring attention to what is happening not only in your thoughts, but also in your emotions, body, and relationships.
Rather than focusing solely on symptoms or surface-level difficulties, my work is concerned with understanding the underlying patterns that shape how you experience yourself and others. These patterns are often outside of awareness, yet they can have a powerful influence on how we think, feel, and relate.
My role is to offer a grounded and supportive therapeutic relationship, alongside approaches such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, psychodynamic and somatic therapy. These approaches are used flexibly, depending on what feels most helpful for you, rather than following a fixed model.
From the outset, we will begin to explore what feels most important for you to understand or change. This does not need to be clearly defined at the beginning; part of the work is often discovering this together over time.
Therapy can support you in recognising the patterns that shape your emotional and relational life, understanding where they come from, and developing a greater sense of choice in how you respond to them. As these patterns become more conscious, new possibilities for relating to yourself, others, and your life can begin to emerge.
My work is informed by trauma and attachment theory, including early relational experiences, intergenerational influences, and — where relevant — perinatal and transpersonal perspectives. These frameworks are not used to define you, but to support a deeper understanding of your lived experience.
"Mike created a space where I have been able to experience a healthy, supportive and safe relationship with a man for the first time in my life. This is now beginning to translate into my relationships with others in the world. He has helped me discover the diamonds in the coal mine of life. I will be forever grateful."
"I approached Mike for sessions relating to specific relationship issues/stressors. He really helped me to reframe some of the issues and my behaviour patterns around them. This has really helped me understand the actual emotions I am feeling and allows me to work with/through them. I felt very comfortable talking to Mike about a range of other topics and areas of life. After every session I came away with interesting insight into myself and have been able to build and learn from these things. If I choose to go back to therapy I would be contacting Mike first."
Client feedback
"I’m enormously grateful to Mike for helping me gain perspective on some issues that were really hampering my enjoyment of life. He was always open, interested, and non-judgemental when listening to anything I had to say, even on subjects that I was scared to talk about and felt I’d never be able to speak about with anyone. I very soon came to look forward to our weekly session as a place to feel safe and understood."