Alexander Arthur

I am a Person Centred Counsellor.

I believe that by exploring our own internal landscape we can find a way to live in the world as we really are, to be more secure in our choices, and to relate to others in a way that is engaged and authentic.

It can help us to function in an increasingly chaotic and demanding social environment.

I don't think we can make these changes by following a set of instructions of by applying a specific theoretical framework. I think that we make them by allowing our own feelings and recollections to guide us towards a new way of being.

It can be hard to do this on our own.

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Before becoming a Counsellor, I had a long experience of pastoral support roles - student advising and union casework - in a Higher Education setting.

I think I have discovered the creative potential of 'real conversation' in many contexts - personal interactions, academic seminars, union negotiations, administrative engagements, and therapeutic relationships.

If you would like to meet, I do not charge for an assessment session.

Training, qualifications & experience

MA (Philosophy) 1975

CA (Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland) 1981

MLitt (Philosophy) 1987

PG Diploma in Person Centred Counselling (Aberdeen) 2016

I worked as an accountant in the oil industry before joining the University of Aberdeen Business School in 1990. While working at the University I was a personal caseworker for the UCU (University and College Union), and also a student adviser.

I have had a long interest in mental health issues, and served on the Board of Mental Health Aberdeen for many years. I started my formal Counselling training on my retirement from the University in 2011.

My philosophical interests are mainly focused on language and meaning - the role of conversation in discovery and exploration.

I work within the person-centred approach to support your development as a counsellor.

I do not make a strong distinction between professional growth and personal growth, as I see these as deeply integrated. Our client work both contributes to and depends upon our own self-actualising processes.

I also have a range of knowledge and experience that I can bring to conversations about the more specific practical, ethical, and administrative issues that arise for working counsellors.

I offer a one-hour initial session, which I don't charge for.

I think it's important to spend this time exploring how we might work together, and whether what I can offer fits well with what you need.

Any agreements we make at this session will be kept under review. Needs (and capacities!) may change in the course of the supervisor/counsellor relationship.