Karl O'Brien

Thinking about work life balance, is key facet of putting the balancing act into practice, easier said and done! When life, love and works pulls us pillar to post. I generally have very limited face to face and online appointments for Psychotherapy, but don't let that put you off, I will try to accommodate where possible as 1:1 face-to-face or virtual appointments will be of a weekday evening, and frequency will depend on need.  If you are wanting support from an A4M intervention group, well these are offered generally in the day for teens and adolescents and at the weekends for and evenings for adult groups. 

When thinking about that juggling act, there never seems to be a right time to enter into therapy or support, so I suppose it comes down to recognising that there is only a right response! That might look like, recognsing that things are difficult and dedicating the time to yourself to readdress the balance to get you back on track with where you want to me. 

Maybe that's about past experiences and the impact that they have in the here and now, within our intimate relationships or friendships, maybe even how it permeates the sort of parent you want to be - but dedicating yourself time to work and reflect on that is ok, because none of it comes with a rule book! This is where Psychotherapy 1:1 works best, making sense of the past templates and interactions, and coming to understand of how they motivate how we feel and respond in the hear and now, to bring about authentic changes in how we respond. 

My A4M programs are specific CBT and activity base treatment programs for anyone whom is struggling socially with their mood. Maybe this is a mix of low mood, motivation and anxiety, or that you are finding social interactions challenging and the idea of trying new things overwhelming or scary as result. The A4M programs bring mind tools and physical activity into a well managed small group setting, where we can learn new ways of addressing the balancing act, whilst putting these new ways of coping into practice within safely managed activities. The important part here, is that you do not need anything to take part, we provide everything, you just need the recognition and want to change your situation. We work in conjunction with collaborative, accredited activity partners to make this happen safely and enjoyably! 

You will probably get the notion already that I am aim to offer a personable & flexibly experience, but this does not compromise the importance safe and professional practice. 

I have many years experience as therapist within highly specialist roles within the NHS, local authority and youth offending teams. I been fortunate to work with some wonderfully skilled people who have enriched my understanding and skills, within charity and private practice as well as multidisciplinary statutory working.  You will most likely get from this information that I am motivated by connection and practicality, so I hope that you will experience our time together as safe and confidential through a personal approach that works for trust not expects it.  

1:1 = If this is only on in person, we will always aim to offer an assessment of need, so that we can objectively discuss and agree how best to work together. This means that the first 2/3 sessions are orientation and assessment, so that we can best understand where best to place our focus. 

A4M Group = If looking to attend and A4M Group intervention program, either myself or a member of our team will look to engage with you in 2/3 sessions online or in person, to assess need. This is to ensure that you are going to get what you need from an A4M program. We also use this time to orientate you to what the programs look like, involve and think about any further readiness you may need to attend.