Charlie Best

For face to face counselling, I am available Mondays and Saturdays.

I have more flexibility for online work; please get in touch for details. 

I offer short- and long- term counselling to adults. Together, we will create a safe and non-judgemental space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings. We will work collaboratively to help you understand how you function in the world, build your sense of self-compassion and worth, and look at possible changes to improve your life.

As an integrative therapist, my approach is tailored to the individual needs and circumstances of each client. We might focus on immediate challenges, improve awareness of ongoing patterns of behaviour, and/or examine how your past impacts your present. We will work together to help you heal from difficult life experiences and set you up for the future you wish for.

I have experience supporting clients with stress, bereavement, anxiety, chronic illness, relationship difficulties, family estrangement, depression, suicidal thoughts, and sexual and emotional trauma. I have also worked with clients exploring neurodiverse, bi-cultural, queer and trans identities, and those exploring alternative relationship models such as polyamory. I am LGBTQ+ affirming and committed to inclusive and anti-oppressive practice. 

Having lived in both rural towns and big cities and worked in a variety of settings, from the voluntary sector to the corporate world, I bring a breadth of life experience to my practice and a personal understanding of what it’s like to undertake significant life changes. I also have a deep passion for art and nature and believe in the power of these to support good mental health.

My training primarily integrates person-centred, gestalt and psychodynamic theories, though I draw on ideas and research from wider fields. I am dedicated to my own continual learning and development and use both personal therapy and clinical supervision to support me in my work.

I am a qualified BACP Counsellor and I am in training to complete a UKCP accredited Masters in Psychotherapy. I adhere to both the BACP and UKCP codes of ethics.

Sessions usually last 50 minutes and cost £50. Some concessionary spaces are available for £45; ask for details.

If you are interested in working together, please get in touch and we can arrange a free 15-minute introductory phone or video call.

In our first session, I will talk you through the counselling contract and we'll discuss how we might work together. I'll then ask you a bunch of questions about your current situation and a bit about your history. Future sessions will be more led by you, though I can support if you struggle to know what to talk about. We will review our work regularly to make sure that you are getting what you need from it.