Ian Davis

I have daytime and evening availability in person and by telephone

As a counsellor and clinical supervisor I work with many issues such as anxiety, depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, alcohol abuse, sexuality including lgbt and trans identities, spirituality and a search for meaning ,bereavement, life direction and purpose, relationship problems, work and employment issues This list is not exhaustive.

I have been a qualified counsellor since 1996 and Â鶹ԭ´´ Accredited since 2000. I have been in private practice since 1996. I also managed an alcohol counselling service from 1999 to 2009 providing both management and clinical supervision to a team of volunteer counsellors. I have also worked in local GP practices providing short term therapy.

1. My main aim is always to provide a safe, quiet and therapeutic space, in which a trusting relationship can develop.

2. I have found that clients who have a sense of meaning or personal philosophy of life, tend to be more at ease.

3. Exploring our personal histories, including how childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have helped shape our present is often a key part of healing. But we also need to avoid getting caught up in the 'drama' of our personal stories and allowing them to determine or limit our lives.

4. I believe we need to learn to 'Tread lightly in life' which doesn't mean not living fully, deeply and intensely, but does mean consciously trying to avoid being sucked into the heaviness of self despair and pity.

5. Mindfulness and meditation can help this process, enabling us to gently and compassionately notice and be curious about our lives.

6. I always try to be sensitive to issues around race, culture, sexuality, gender, disability and other 'differences' and avoid making assumptions about people.

7. As a gay man I have over twenty years experience working with LGBTQ clients both in my individual practice and in an LGBTQ counselling agency

8. I am also a trained Psychological Astrologer

I provide both short term and long term counselling and many of my clients have been with me for several years. We work together to understand what may be happening on a deeper level

I do not offer advice or tell clients how to live their lives

A first session costs £70 and enables both client and counsellor to decide if they can work together therapeutically. It usually involves more information gathering than subsequent sessions