Philip Orr

 I am not currently available for face to face work in the St Albans area as I am working for a period up to the end of 2024 in Northern Ireland . However I am available for remote work either by video or by phone at the rate of £45 per hour.  I currently work on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and possess some spaces on Mondays and Wednesdays.

I possess a diploma in counselling and I am a registered counsellor with the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists.

I can work with you if you are struggling with your emotions: you  may have experienced daily anxieties that are hard to handle or you may have been subject to dark feelings that don't shift, no matter how hard you try. Perhaps you have experienced health issues that cause you a lot of worry.

It's also possible that loss has been a theme in your life whether in the shape of bereavement, the severing of a close relationship or the loss of cherished hopes and dreams. Losing a job can also cause a powerful sense of loss whether due to redundancy or retirement. I can work with you on any of these uncomfortable issues. 

I can also work with personal conflicts, painful dilemmas and unanswered questions which have robbed you of happiness, balance and a sense of wholeness.  

I possess the life-experience to counsel you if there is trauma in your past. I have undertaken a number of projects with individuals in Northern Ireland who suffer from Troubles-related PTSD so I have some knowledge of how you feel about disturbing things you have witnessed if you served in the military, the police or the emergency services, here or abroad.  

My job is to listen carefully to you and respond thoughtfully. I often draw on my years spent in education, the arts, and community relations as well as my experience as a counsellor.   

On-line or telephone therapy can be effective alternatives to face to face work and may be necessary if you live a long way off from me. 

You can begin by emailing me at philipthomasorr@gmail.com or texting me on 07711916042. We could arrange to do a free chat on the phone to see if what I offer is the 'right fit' for you. There is no limit to the number of sessions you can have once you have decided on this path but it is a good idea to start with six. I do offer concessions if you are struggling financially or you are a student.

Am important feature is the contract that we sign, dealing with such matters as confidentiality and safeguarding.

Finally: you can be sure that everything that we do together in therapy is undertaken with close attention to the ethical guidelines of the BACP. You will be in a safe and confidential space.  

The first actual session is a paid one but an initial exploratory chat would be free. 

I currently work on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12pm until 9pm. Currently, I have a limited number of spaces on Tuesdays.  

I am not going to be available for three weeks at the start of June  2024 but after that I am available in Carrickfergus until the end of the year.

My therapy sessions are usually conducted on a weekly basis in the congenial, quiet environment of my own home where each session lasts 50 -55 minutes. I live and work in Carrickfergus but I am happy to work with you if you come from further afield and can journey here.

The most important thing you need to know about my practice is that you will be offered thoughtful, careful attention without preconceptions or unhelpful judgments. You are free to tell me your story or as much of it as you feel you can share. 

If after a first session, you would like to proceed then I will offer you several more sessions which will involve signing a contract. This document asserts your right to confidential listening and secure storage of any notes that I may take; however it also stresses the need to apply safeguarding measures should you pose any danger to yourself or others. 

After this initial spell of several sessions you can decide whether you want to undertake long-term work. Some of my clients are happy with a short period of therapy whilst others have in fact stayed for over a year. Sometimes the therapy continues remotely - this can work  well once a personal relationship has been established

I am happy to receive payment after each session by bank transfer. If you are experiencing serious financial difficulty or you are a student then a reduction of £5 to £10 may be possible.

I have been trained in person-centered therapy at the Norwich Centre in Norfolk and subsequently in gestalt therapy at the Albany Centre in Hertfordshire. 

 If these types of therapy are unfamiliar to you, don't worry. My practice is simply based on a dialogue between you as a client and me as counsellor. I will help you to reflect carefully on the challenges and discomforts that trouble you; hopefully this can enable you to discern a path that leads to greater peace and contentment.  

However there is also room for silence in my counselling room, Words can only say so much and you may well have been given too many words of advice that have proved to be of little value. I am not in the business of foisting advice on you.  

My approach is also based on the view that we store a lot of our unacknowledged stresses in our body.  Half the battle in dealing with distress is understanding the way it can manifest itself as a variety of symptoms such as an upset stomach or a persistent headache.      

I am especially interested in the many ways that an abusive environment can damage our lives. And although religious faith can have a powerful and positive impact on life, I have a particular interest in the spiritual damage which happens when religious power is misused or an individual's sense of self-worth is compromised by misplaced religious teaching.

My first session is usually a paid one but if you wish to have a free exploratory chat with me beforehand  on the phone or on Zoom we can certainly do that.