Andy Whitehouse

I work from my home in Starbeck and online or by phone. I have also worked by text and found it much more useful to the client than I anticipated. Generally I offer face to face meetings between Wednesday and Friday and do work in the evening all through the week apart from Fridays. 

I have been working with people experiencing unhappiness in all sorts of ways for many years and never yet come across anyone who's distress or anxiety or sadness didn't make sense once we had talked about it for a while. Every individual is different and special in my book but has in common the need to be heard, recognised, valued and understood. As a person-centred counsellor those four things are at the heart of my practice. Whatever your concern or difficulty, sharing what is on your mind and in your heart in a safe space is the start of healing and self acceptance. I work online and by phone. 

I have over thirty five years experience in working with people as a psychiatric nurse, community mental health worker and psychotherapist. and met people with pretty much every kind of concern.  I also lecture in Person-Centred Counselling at The Metanoia Institute. I am neuro-divergent and work with many people who are also neuro-divergent, or suspect that they may be. Often people come in the wake of diagnosis as they seek to understand themselves with this important new information about themselves.

I find nothing more satisfying than building a working relationship that feels safe and gives you the confidence to explore the issues that are troubling you. Coming into counselling is such a big threshold to cross and can be very anxiety provoking in itself. Let's get together for a conversation and see how we can help you move forward.

I work with individuals from all walks of life with a wide range of presenting difficulties and forms of distress. I have a particular interest in neuro-divergence, being neuro-divergent myself and having significant personal and professional experience working with others who are autistic or are more broadly neuro-divergent.

I offer a free assessment either online or by phone. This provides you with an opportunity to ask questions and find out how comfortable you feel with me, before making any financial commitment or having any further engagement.

I am available Monday to Friday, including evenings Monday to Thursday. Face to face I have availability between Wednesday and Friday. I work online all through the week.

I am a person-centred therapist in private practice and teach at The Metanoia Institute, and qualified as an RMN in 1991. I have worked in mental health and arts and health for forty years. Based on my experience I am passionate about the value of the PCA having seen it's simple truths promote therapeutic change and growth in my clients, my students and myself.

What I offer is a safe and nurturing space in which you can explore, understand and develop your practice as a therapist.  I know that my practice is protected and developed in environments where I can discard any sense of role and be really met, understood and not judged. Therefore this is what I look to offer to others. I am keen to encourage creativity in practice, being a musician myself and seeing the value of creativity  in helping the symbolisation of experience in many environments. However, I believe that the heart of therapeutic change, development and growth as either a therapist or client is found in a safe and nurturing relational environment. 

Please feel free to contact me to arrange a free introductory conversation in which we can explore how we might fit as supervisor and practitioner. I seek to offer a safe space in which to understand and develop your practice.