Karl Uwe Hartke

I have currently places available. In-person sessions (50 minutes|) can start from 8:00 am, online sessions earlier. My usual practice room is on the South Bank between Tower Bridge and London Bridge. If helpful, we can also meet somewhere else, if convenient to both of us.

Hello,

and thank you for stopping and looking at this page.

If you are here, you鈥檝e decided that you may need help: With a situation that鈥檚 become too much, far too much to carry it on your own.

You have taken the all-important first step: Just by being here, looking at counsellors鈥� profiles and wondering: Can I take the next step? Actually reach out to someone? And could this make a difference?

Yes, it can make a difference.

To have time and space to tell your story, to share what鈥檚 been on your mind for far too long, that alone will be a huge relief. I would love to be the person who hears your story, who really understands what it鈥檚 like for you.

And then, if you want to make the changes you need in your life, I鈥檇 love to work with you, to help you think and feel different, feel better, until you are confident that you can maintain this, consistently, on your own.

If that appeals to you, you may still want to find out what it鈥檚 like talking to me, so, please leave a phone message (voice or text), or use the contact form to arrange an informal chat: 15-20 minutes - no costs, no obligations. After that, you鈥檒l have a better sense of me, of how we might work together, and most importantly, whether you feel comfortable enough with me to share some of your most private stories, thoughts and feelings.

For me, therapy is about helping you improve your quality of life. We鈥檒l start with what made you seek help in the first place. That which bears down on you, and how you think and feel about that, how you act around it. When we understand that enough, when things begin to feel different, we will explore how else you can make improvements 鈥� all while you are in control of the process, and at you own speed.

Beyond that, how I 鈥渄o counselling鈥� is influenced by my background: I was born and brought up in Germany (yes, accent, being serious, sense of humour ...) and have lived and worked in the UK for the last 30-plus years. I have experience and qualifications in education (PE, languages), business, music, coaching and counselling. Different fields, yes, but they gave me some usefully different views on life and people, and on how to change things.

And because no two people are the same and circumstances are always different, you may need a counselling format other than the regular, weekly, 50-minute sessions (although, initially, 鈥渨eekly鈥� helps). I can explore more flexible formats with you (twice a week, twice a months, longer sessions, one-session-at-a-time, mix of on-line and in-person 鈥�).

There is a formal side to this, and you will receive some documents before we start. In the first session, you may still have questions about the overall process, confidentiality, contractual agreements 鈥� . I鈥檒l make sure you get all the answers.

Then, we鈥檒l start talking in detail about your current, 鈥渉ot鈥� issue, the one (or more) that brought you to counselling in the first place; how it impacts you and the people around you.

To really understand it, I鈥檒l also invite you to share the context: Your current life (What else is going on 鈥� or not? What鈥檚 your support network?), your history (How has life treated you up to now? What was it like growing up? What has happened to you? How have you approached your life?) and your hopes for the future (What do you want it to be like? What do you want to be different? What do you hold on to while everything else seems to change?)

This may take more than one session. At the end of that, we鈥檒l discuss options for further work. You can then decide if you want to continue working with me, and in what format 鈥� and you don鈥檛 have to decide immediately.

If we do not continue, I鈥檒l still suggest some changes for you to consider, and, if you wish, I can recommend some of my counselling colleagues to you.

Some people say talk is cheap, but without talking, really talking, nothing changes.

I look forward to hearing from you.

.