Michael Ralls

If you鈥檙e looking for therapy that feels human rather than clinical, read on.

Maybe you鈥檝e got something going on that you鈥檇 like to work through. Or maybe life just isn鈥檛 working for you the way you鈥檇 like it to and you鈥檙e not quite sure why.

The truth is most people I鈥檝e worked with didn鈥檛 arrive with a neat list of symptoms.

They arrived tired, stuck, frustrated, disconnected, or quietly overwhelmed. Often, they鈥檝e tried to 鈥渟ort it out themselves鈥� for a long time, and it鈥檚 just not working anymore.

My way of working is relational and grounded. I鈥檓 less interested in labels and quick fixes, and more interested in understanding you. How you鈥檝e learned to cope, what鈥檚 worked, what hasn鈥檛, and what might be getting in the way now.

You don鈥檛 need a crisis. You don鈥檛 need a diagnosis. You don鈥檛 need to know what to say. You don鈥檛 need 鈥渄o therapy properly鈥�. You just need a willingness to show up and reflect.

I offer a space that feels human, steady, and real. Not clinical.

A place where you can talk honestly, at your own pace, without being analysed or judged.

More about me:

I鈥檓 not going to throw a load of therapeutic jargon at you here. I鈥檓 not sure that鈥檚 helpful.

What is useful to know is that I meet the standards for 麻豆原创 registered membership and hold a Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling, so you鈥檙e in safe hands.

Beyond that, what tends to matter more to people is who they鈥檒l be working with.

I didn鈥檛 set out to become a counsellor. For over 15 years I worked in corporate sales and marketing 鈥� fast-paced, high pressure. On the outside, life looked fine. On the inside, not so much!

Therapy helped me slow down, understand myself, and recognise long-standing patterns in my life. Over time, I made changes that felt more aligned with who I am.

I retrained as a counsellor to do work that I felt purpose and meaning.

I bring life experience along with professional qualifications to offer others a space where they don鈥檛 have to perform, impress, or hold it all together.

I offer online counselling and walk-and-talk therapy in and around Brighton, Burgess Hill, Haywards Heath, Croydon and surrounding areas.

My approach is integrative, meaning I draw on different therapeutic perspectives depending on what you need, rather than forcing you into a rigid model. At the core of my work is the relationship we build, because real change tends to happen when you feel understood, not 鈥渨orked on鈥�.

Sessions aren鈥檛 about me telling you what to do, fixing you, or pushing positive thinking and validation. They鈥檙e about slowing things down enough to notice what鈥檚 really going on underneath the surface. Patterns, habits, beliefs, and emotional responses that may once have helped, but now feel limiting or exhausting.

Some people come with specific issues like anxiety, low mood, relationship difficulties, anger, or loss. Others come because life feels flat, confusing, or off-course. Both are welcome.

We鈥檒l work at a pace that feels right for you. Therapy doesn鈥檛 need to be intense all the time to be effective. Sometimes therapeutic change happens slowly and quietly.

Before committing to therapy, I offer a free 20-minute online chat. This is a chance for you to get a sense of me, ask questions, and see if this feels like a good fit, with no pressure to continue.

If we decide to work together, the first session is about getting to know you and what鈥檚 brought you here. We鈥檒l talk about what鈥檚 been going on, what you鈥檙e hoping for, and any previous experience of therapy (good or bad).

There鈥檚 no expectation to 鈥済o deep鈥� straight away. We鈥檒l also agree together how we want to work. What feels useful, what doesn鈥檛, and what you need from me. Therapy works best when it鈥檚 a collaboration, not a prescription.