About Me
Hello, I’m Dave — a qualified counsellor based in Shenfield, Brentwood, Essex, offering face-to-face therapy for adults who feel like they’ve lost touch with themselves.
Becoming a therapist has been a deeply personal and transformative journey for me.
Through my own experience of counselling and training, I came to recognise how disconnected I had become — from my feelings, my needs, and my sense of meaning. I was living behind a carefully held-together image: rational, composed, and independent.
From Business & Finance to Psychotherapy
Like many of my clients, I spent much of my career in high-performance environments — specifically business and finance. Those spaces rewarded clarity, control, and composure. And while those qualities helped me succeed professionally, they left little room for vulnerability or emotional honesty.
Over time, I began to feel emotionally numb. Outwardly, things looked fine. But inwardly, there was a growing sense of emptiness, shame, and detachment from what really mattered.
Therapy Helped Me Reconnect
Counselling gave me the space to explore what I had long hidden — the quiet pressure to hold it all together, the fear of seeming weak, the belief that certain emotions weren’t acceptable.
It was through this process that I began to unpick those early messages and reclaim parts of myself I’d pushed aside. It wasn’t always easy — but it was liberating.
Who I Work With
Now, I’m passionate about helping others reconnect with themselves — particularly those who’ve been taught (implicitly or explicitly) to stay strong, keep going, and not let the cracks show.
I often work with:
- Men who struggle to express emotion or ask for help
- High-achieving professionals facing burnout or loss of purpose
- People experiencing grief, bereavement, or emotional numbness
- Adults who feel anxious, overwhelmed, or not quite themselves
- Those navigating relationship breakdown, career transitions, or quiet identity crisis.
My Approach
I offer a warm, grounded, and inclusive space where you don’t have to have the answers or pretend to be okay. You’re welcome here exactly as you are — whether you’re feeling broken, confused, numb, or just not yourself.
Therapy can help you understand what’s really going on beneath the surface — and begin to move toward greater clarity, connection, and ease.
Face-to-Face Therapy in Shenfield (CM15)
I work in-person with clients in Shenfield, near Brentwood, Essex, offering weekly 50-minute sessions in a quiet, private setting. This face-to-face connection can be especially valuable for those who find it hard to open up or who have spent years feeling unseen.
If any of this resonates with you, I invite you to get in touch for a free 20-minute consultation call. We can talk about what’s bringing you to therapy and whether working together feels like the right fit.
Location
My therapy room is in Shenfield, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8DE
Counselling Training & Experience
Counselling Training & Professional Experience
I bring a blend of advanced academic training and hands-on counselling experience to my work with clients in Shenfield, Essex, and online. My approach is grounded in Gestalt psychotherapy and enriched by person-centred counselling and extensive volunteer work in mental health and emotional wellbeing services.
Formal Qualifications
- MA in Gestalt Psychotherapy – currently in progress, deepening my expertise in relational and experiential therapy approaches.
- Postgraduate Certificate in Gestalt Psychotherapy (Level 7) – focused on developing awareness of individual contact styles and how these influence dialogue, deepening understanding of group phenomenology (how the whole experience differs from the sum of its parts), and grounding these insights in Gestalt theoretical terms.
- Diploma in Professional Development (Level 6) – developed self-awareness in how I relate to myself and others, identified communication challenges, learned new skills to enable change with clients, and explored creative ways of being and relating. The course strengthened my ability to communicate effectively in personal and professional settings and to make practical use of core Gestalt concepts in my work.
- Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling – Person-Centred, CPCAB (Level 4) – training in creating a supportive, empathic therapeutic relationship.
- Certificate in Counselling Studies (Level 3) – foundations of counselling theory and ethics.
- Certificate in Counselling Skills (Level 2) – practical skills for active listening, empathy, and client support.
Professional & Voluntary Counselling Experience
- Bereavement Counsellor, St Francis Hospice (3 years) – supporting individuals and families coping with grief and loss.
- Listening Volunteer, Samaritans (5 years) – providing confidential emotional support for people in distress or crisis.
- Volunteer Counsellor, Centre for Better Health, Hackney – working with diverse clients facing a range of emotional and mental health challenges.
- Outreach Volunteer, Thames Reach Homeless Charity – supporting vulnerable adults experiencing homelessness and complex life challenges.
This combination of advanced training and varied counselling experience means I can work flexibly and compassionately with clients facing issues such as anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties, workplace stress, and life transitions.
