Alan Wildsmith

I'm a UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist & UKCP Accredited Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with an adult specialism (one to one, groups and couples). I offer online and in person sessions in Durham.

My approach:

I am a warm, focused, creative and psychodynamic practitioner. I work with the issues that are present through a mixture of theoretical approaches suited to each individual client and their needs. Transactional Analysis is my core theoretical model alongside attachment and development.

Sometimes the work I do is in the moment, in the relationship. This is because the therapeutic relationship often mirrors how we interact with others in everyday life, therefore providing a fertile opportunity to see and work with these things in the here and now.

At other times the approach I have is task orientated, more creative or even just a non-judgmental, empathic ear to hear what sometimes you may not feel able to say to others. My favourite creative methods are guided affective imagery, dream re-entry and also sometimes movement to different chairs in the room to explore different parts of decisions, thoughts etc.

It all depends on what you want though, and we would always discuss these boundaries.

Among other things, I have worked with people who wanted to focus on:

Anxiety &/or depression – Relational issues (Every day and intimate) – Grief & loss – Existential issues – Trauma – Ill health – Sex – Isolation – Reoccurring patterns – LGBTQ+ – Anger – Divorce & separation – Joy – Unemployment – Retirement – Empty nests – New careers – Feeling more/less – Building resilience – Childhood issues – Perceived external judgment - Exam stress – Managing change - Integration of Non-Ordinary Experiences - Loneliness – Ageing – Insomnia – Creativity - Food related issues.

Please get in touch if you feel like we would be a good match.

I'm a UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist Level 7 Dip (Dist). UKCP Accredited Psychotherapeutic Counsellor Level 6 DIP (Merit) and a BACP Registered Member.

I trained on a BACP Accredited course at Northern Guild Psychotherapy.

Alongside my private practice, I have seen clients in the NHS, MIND, probation, the local authority and various other charitable organisations.

I've been in practice since 2010 and have successfully worked with a variety of issues and people. I love what I do – it is my vocation.

The first session is a session that involves an assessment. Which is basically a question and answer session about your life history. It's quite in-depth and is a foundation for working together.

In this session, we also discuss confidentiality, session timings/cancellations, ethical boundaries and data protection. 

On the whole it's an enriching, foundational experience.

I'm an experienced supervisor (adult specialism) - I qualified as a supervisor in 2014. For about 5 years post-qualification, I supervised trainees on their Level 6 counselling (a BACP Accredited course) and Level 7 psychotherapy courses. I also taught counselling and psychotherapy at Level 6 (BACP Accredited course) and 7 Dip for about 5yrs. Since leaving the educational sphere, I've supervised various qualified professionals in the field.

I offer individual and group* supervision.

Drawing from a collection of methods, I do my best to help each therapist I work with move through issues in their practice, and grow in themselves as a practitioner. My supervision is creative, integrative and psychodynamic.

When working creatively, we might use images, drawings and the imaginal realm to notice the issues present in your work from a new perspective. 

Using a psychodynamic approach, we might focus on what's happening in our supervisory relationship, that mirrors what's happening in your client work.

Integrating many things into one is a big part of how I operate, and since every person and every relationship is unique, having this more open way of working as a foundation, allows us to move in and out of any frameworks we might experience. 

​*Working in a group can greatly enhance your skills - as the group bonds, each member gets to know one and other and themes and blindspots that can really enhance your learning come to light. Plus, naturally, you get to see how other professionals are working. 

My practice is in-person and online. My in-person practice setting offers much more scope for creativity and dynamism however I work well online too, so I don't see it as a restriction, just a different modality.

In the first session we will agree on what you want from the supervision in general and we'll discuss the various ethical and practical boundaries we both must adhere to. 

Apart from that, it's the beginning of a new journey of discovery and is almost always quite a positive session.