Nicolas Spooner

Fully qualified and Accredited, specialising in bereavement, loss and grief, as well as depression, anxiety and stress.

Imagine walking into a room, laden down with the heavy baggage of your life. Then emptying some of those bags to look at what's really inside, hopefully to spot things that shouldn't be there. Then when you pack your stuff up and leave, your bags may be just a little lighter each time

Face to Face sessions are available at my discreet and tranquil Ainsdale practice, situated in my private garden, not visible from the main road.

I also offer a specialised counselling and recovery programme for ex Jehovah's Witnesses struggling with the effects of shunning or other issues such as guilt, anger, grief and identity loss. More information on this service can be found at www.exjwcounselling.co.uk

Fully qualified, I also offer couples counselling and online counselling, which can make therapy more accessible to people with busy lives. It is also a vital source of support for those that struggle to leave the house or have anxiety around meeting new people.

I am also trained to offer EMDR therapy to those struggling with the effect of past trauma. You can find more about this by visiting www.southportemdr.co.uk

Getting help in the form of counselling is a sign of strength. It shows that no matter how you may feel about yourself just now, you still have the ability to make positive changes in your life and place your own needs first at a time when you really need to. For many people, talking to a counsellor is one of the best decisions they ever make.

Read more at my website www.beyourselfcounselling.co.uk

I would recommend that we have an initial 30 minute chat, free of charge, where you can speak to me and I can explain how I work and give you the opportunity to gauge whether you feel I would be the right therapist for you.

I offer student counsellors their compulsory personal counselling for £25 per session.

Through Be Yourself Counselling I am proud to offer help to people that are struggling with problems in their life.

Stress, anxiety, depression, bereavement and loss are just some of the things that counselling can help alleviate.

Abuse victims and trauma sufferers also experience big improvements in their situation after a period of effective therapy.

I also offer EMDR therapy which is considered the very best treatment for PTSD and other trauma related problems.

EMDR therapy is very focused on specific events or particular periods of time that have proved traumatic in some way or has led to unhelpful ways of viewing life and the events within it.

Through EMDR therapy a person can see things more clearly and realise that their current way of understanding certain situations may not be entirely correct. 

Counselling and recovery programme also available for those struggling with Jehovah's Witness exit.

I try to promote an environment of honesty, trust and security to allow you to be brave and examine what is happening to you. To explore the reasons why you feel the way you do and to ultimately help you to figure out the best way to deal with your challenge and formulate a plan to move forward with your life.

I will take opportunities to try to motivate you and build your self confidence or self belief when opportunities arise.

I believe that everyone has the solution to their problems but not everyone knows how to find those elusive answers. This confidence I have in each person I work with often translates into them believing more in themselves as they see things in their life begin to change, both psychologically and practically.

Couples that come to therapy often find new levels of honesty to move their relationship into a happier, healthier place. They identify areas where communication is breaking down and can develop a greater understanding of how life is for the other person.

The first time we speak will be during an initial consultation.

This will be the time I gain more information about how you are struggling. I will explain the different types of therapy I offer and explain how they could help you.

It is also a time for you to decide how you feel about me as your potential therapist. It is vital that you feel comfortable with me before you commit to any therapy so this initial meeting will be free of charge with no expectation for you to decide anything there and then.

These initial consultations tend to last between 30-60 minutes and can take place in person at my therapy room, online via zoom, or on the phone.

**If you are seeking counselling for grief, loss, bereavement, stress, depression, anxiety, low self esteem or anything else preventing you being happy, please click the other Therapist-Southport tab above.**

I offer counselling and recovery work for ex Jehovah's Witnesses who are struggling to deal with life outside the organisation.

This help can involve exploration of your feelings or it may be more beneficial to go through a more structured program of 'Psychoeducation' where you find out what happened to you, how it happened and why you still struggle now. 

Whether you are disfellowshipped, faded, disassociated or even still physically in but mentally out (PIMO) you need a counsellor that can understand what your life is like and how it has been.

As with all counselling, you will have the opportunity to talk about and explore what you have going on in your life, but you will also have the added benefit of knowing that your counsellor appreciates that your view on life, the world and the people within it may not necessarily be the same as most people.

Not many counsellors understand the impact of shunning and what it is like to have those closest to you, ignoring you, no matter how close you may have been in the past.

Do you still believe that Armageddon is imminent and wonder if you've made a big mistake?

Maybe you suffer with extreme guilt, anxiety or frustration after your experience as a JW, whether you were born in or converted.

Whatever the JW life has left you feeling, you need to talk to somebody that understands and not have to spend endless hours explaining the unique nature of the doctrine to your counsellor.

You need to be able to spend your time unpicking how you feel, why you feel it and figure out what you think will be the best way to try to move forwards with your life.

Brand new research into the JW organisation and the effects of ostracism is starting to emerge and along with it, the realisation that people need specialist help to recover from the effects of being a Jehovah's Witness.

Choosing a counsellor that understands about this is an important step.

Our first session will be an opportunity for me to establish, in greater detail, the position you find yourself in, whether you are PIMO, POMO or even POMI.

We will have had a free telephone assessment in advance of our first session together where information about you will have been discussed but our actual sessions together will all form part of the strategy to help you deal with your life and plot a path forwards