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NOVEMBER: Available for new clients
About Drew
Drew is a registered psychotherapist and counsellor, with over 10 years clinical experience focused on how relationships can make or break self-esteem, and what the secrets are to make relationships work.
Holding an average of 30 sessions a week, he has more than 15,000 hours clocked probing clients for details of their experience (details they have not shared with anyone) and helping them transform their happiness and love-life.
He's held groups and ran workshops on therapy. He advocates consent, fairness, and self-respect.
My Personal Journey Here
Born for talking
Counselling is more than what I do, it's who I am. As a kid, when mum was upset or said something that didn't make sense, I knew in my bones talking about it was the solution. If I did not understand, I could not let it go.
School Anxiety
I was/am a sensitive boy, only-child, creative, straight, and somewhere on the autistic spectrum (although I wasn't to know that last part until my mid-20's!) Fortunately I found friends in school, but I lived in a lot of fear of being picked on. Highly anxious, but (like an alien) I was fascinated by how people work. Nothing is more interesting than unwritten rules, and I hoped one day I would be the one to write them for others.
Love and relationships
My true purpose came in my teens. Insecure and out of place, I craved the love of girls. I needed to know what makes the difference between being successful and unsuccessful in love. In late teens and early adulthood, I read every book on dating amazon would sell me - if fact I still do this -because I knew how much love hurts. Love/Lust is so beautifully complicated, and I had the passion to spend a lifetime understanding it. That will be my contribution.
Training
With initial ideas of being a life coach, I stumbled into a Level 2 Counselling course in 2014 thinking it could be relevant (I was already offering one-on-one talking sessions). It was incredible, I continued on to the Level 3 and Level 4 over the next three years. My training was integrative, allowing us to study all the major therapy models and integrating which models called to us most. Today I identify as an integrative therapist.
Experience
I have been practicing therapy since 2014, and full-time since 2017. Initially I offered weekly workshops teaching students social skills and mindfulness. Then I spent 5 years working as therapist for children and young adults (ages 5-18), traveling to schools around the South East. I then started my private practice, focusing on anxiety and depression within relationships.
Qualifications
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ABC Level 4 Counselling Theory (2015 - 2017)
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ABC Level 3 Counselling Skills (2014 - 2015)
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ABC Level 2 Counselling Concepts (2014)
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Couples Counselling Masterclass Certificate, Human Givens (2020)
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Fundamentals of Couples Counselling, Juliet Grayson (2020)
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Working with Troubled Teenagers, Human Givens (2020)
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NHS Workshops on Play Therapy (2019)
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Mindfulness and Guided Imagery Practitioner, Canterbury Christ Church (2016)
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Fundamentals of Neural Linguistic Programing Cerificate (2015)
Continued Professional Development
As part of my continued professional development I engage in monthly supervision (and group supervision) seeking new information and perspectives on my therapy cases. To keep fresh I start with a new supervisor every 1-2 years so learning do not stagnate. Additionally I read and write articles for my ethical body, the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society. I will engage in in-person and online courses around psychotherapy, and enjoy reading books on the subject. To see book reviews, I may post some here on my blog.
Personality, Hobbies & Interests
I'm well spoken with a soft voice, often appearing very confident and grounded. I have an introverted independent personality - I enjoy walking the English countryside, and kayaking on the river. Intellectually very curious, I love learning. Gym is regular part of my week, I enjoy weightlifting and keeping fit (essential when your job is sitting all day). There is a large creative streak in me, I play piano, and enjoy writing music. When I need to relax and turn off, I play video games. As a younger man I was enthralled with spirituality, enlightenment, and religious studies; although it veers too often into cult-mentality and magic thinking for it to be in my life now.
