James Hayward

Appointments currently available.

Life can be really tough, and I'm guessing you're reading this because you want some help, to feel better about yourself or your situation. Our counselling sessions can achieve just that. Welcome to Journey Counselling Cheltenham. My passion is to provide a warm, empathic space where you can find the words to talk about the difficult things in your life. Building a good working relationship helps the client to feel safe to explore aspects that might otherwise remain hidden. There is something very powerful in saying something out loud. Being really heard and accepted by someone who isn't part of your family or circle of friends can be very freeing. Sessions are held in a peaceful, garden room setting. Each session lasts 50 minutes. 

I have experience of working with a wide range of different issues. These include: depression, anxiety, low self esteem, loss & grief, relationships, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, suicidal feelings, childhood issues and health related issues. A creative approach can be really helpful. For example, you could bring a song or a picture which is important to you. We can spend some time exploring that and drawing out some key issues. It's true that a picture paints a thousand words. You don't need to be an artist, any creative expression can be helpful in unlocking our trauma. A stickman drawing, an abstract picture or a photograph, all can provide insight into our inner world. 

My training is Integrative Person Centred & Psychodynamic. The central belief of Person Centred therapy is that we all have an inbuilt drive to become the best we can be, our true self. Given a good, therapeutic relationship, we can explore feelings, behaviours and beliefs. This promotes self awareness and understanding. The psychodynamic part of my training is thinking about how current feelings and behaviours are impacted by past experiences and the subconscious. Talking about childhood and early key relationships can be very beneficial in the journey of self discovery. I know that this is not always easy, and it is up to the individual client if this is an area that they want to explore. 

In our first session, we will talk about what brings you to counselling and what you would like to gain from it. The session will give you an idea as to how we might work together and whether I'm the right fit for you.