Hello, my name is Matthew.
I have a Masters degree in Applied Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
I am a qualified counsellor, having completed a Diploma in Integrative Transpersonal Counselling at Re-Vision in London
I come from a background of having been a personal coach and mindfulness teacher.
Life in our society is not always easy. We are given messages from birth that can limit what we feel able to show of ourselves and share with others. Sometimes, we have bad experiences which can also cause us to shut down, become hyper vigilent, or a mixture of both.
We may experience a range of different issues or symptoms in response to this, from anxiety, which at an extreme is often diagnosed as Social Anxiety Disorder, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), or OCD, to depression, bipolar disorders, addiction, eating disorders, self harm, sleep problems, and PTSD…
As a counsellor, I can work with you to co-create a safe space where you are able to start to explore, process, uncover and occasionally take a risk.
Sessions can either take place online, or in person surrounded by trees in a small village just north of Bedford and close to Kimbolton and St. Neots.
My Counselling Style
The modality of counselling that I have been trained in is Integrative Transpersonal Counselling. This contains a few different elements:
Developmental Psychotherapy
This recognises that we are all born into this world with brains that are still growing and developing. Especially in the first two years of life, our earliest experiences shape who we become and how we respond to the world around us. Our beginnings effect nearly all of us to varying degrees both positively and negatively, but can occasionally keep us from reaching our full potential.
Gestalt Psychotherapy
Gestalt notices what happens in the here and now. It values human connection and relatedness and looks at what can sometimes get in the way of people connecting. This approach also values authenticity: that the best thing in the world you can be is yourself. Gestalt also values the importance of the body and somatic psychotherapy. This can be particularly important when starting to work with trauma and PTSD.
Jungian & Transpersonal Psychotherapy
Jung was a psychoanalyst, and the Jungian approach is interested in the unconscious, and becoming more aware of what it may have to tell us through dreams, imagination and creativity.
Transpersonal Psychotherapy believes that we all have a unique essance which is looking for expression in the world around us. It values wholeness and embraces spiritual, emotional and physical realities. If you are struggling to find meaning and purpose in life and feel a little lost, this approach can help.
Please feel free to contact me to make an initial appointment.