There is always more to life.
We grow, we change, and it is probably fair to say that change is one of life’s certainties. Sometimes we can embrace that change as something to our liking, and if not at least be able to cope with what might be difficult in it. However, there are other times when that ‘more to life’ is too difficult to bear on our own and might even overwhelm us.
Depending on our relationships and personal perspective we may be able to share these moments with others close to us, but equally we may also find it difficult to communicate with those same people, either because of the nature of those relationships or our own circumstances that makes it difficult to speak.
What I offer
The Counselling/Psychotherapy I offer hopefully provides a non-judgmental environment that allows you to make the time and place your own and allows you to explore issues and life processes that are impacting on you.
The first step is always yours as the client, and if you do choose to explore the possibility of counselling /psychotherapy, our first meeting will be an exploratory one to get a feeling for the circumstances of your visit and the possibility of our working together in future counselling sessions.
Matters we explore at the initial and all subsequent meetings will as far as possible be private and confidential, as considered within the guidelines of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework, and as permitted by law.
My practice is based in Farnborough in Hampshire, and you will find contact details on the ‘Contact’ page.
Erik Abrams
Counsellor and Psychotherapist
M.Sc Counselling and Psychotherapy
B.Sc. Human Physiology
Ph.D. Field of Human Physiology
How we work
There are a variety of different therapies available to you as a would-be client, and the FAQs page considers some of these briefly should you wish to explore them further.
The counselling/therapy sessions I offer are based on one-to-one, face-to-face sessions, where the form of counselling can be described as ‘Integrative’.
The term ‘Integrative’ is used to indicate that my practice is informed by the variety of different ways we may consider our human existence, and how we may frame our meanings in life. Some of the sources of my personal understanding are described in the ‘Experience and Practice’ page.
We would meet by appointment, and our first meeting would be a preliminary 1-hour consultation to consider your presenting concerns, and our ability to work together. This would be guided by your choice to do so and also by my competence.
Should you decide to proceed with therapy after the preliminary consultation our meetings would be at a fixed appointment time usually once a week and of 1-hour duration. The number of sessions is negotiated, and we can work on the basis of a limited, fixed number of sessions, or in an open-ended way.
The practicalities of our meetings would mean the need to have appropriate contact details and an understanding of the confidentiality of sessions as agreed between client and counsellor.
Experience, practice & qualifications
I have been a practising counsellor/psychotherapist since the late ‘90s when I started my practice training, and I have worked in a variety of environments such as the Probation Service, NHS Primary Care and private practices. My work is informed by a variety of therapeutic thinking: Person-Centred, Psychoanalytic and Existential (See FAQs), but I consider these from a philosophical standpoint in terms of how these ‘modalities’ perceive our individuality, and what they might have to say about our lived experience.
I taught on the Undergraduate and Doctoral programmes in Counselling and Psychotherapy at Surrey and Roehampton University in the period 2001 – 2016.
I also have, or have had, working experience in science and commerce. I am sure that these experiences inform and colour the way I work, and hopefully for the better.
Currently I am a member of SAFPAC – The Southern Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy which is a group of like-minded therapists and trainees who attend on training courses or for their continued professional development.
Relevant memberships and qualifications
B.Sc. Human
Physiology
London University 1969
Ph.D. Field of
Human Physiology
London University 1973
M.Sc Counselling
and Psychotherapy
Surrey University 2003
Services offered
I am able to provide counselling to clients and supervision for trainee counsellors
Meetings & Appointments
The counselling offered is of 1-hour duration usually on a regular weekly basis, but the interval timings can differ if better suited.
Sessions offered can be:- By video-link if preferred, or if there are COVID concerns.
- Face-to-face at a private residential location* subject to appropriate health measures being met.
*please note that regrettably the residential location does not provide disabled access or facilities.
There is an initial assessment session to consider mutual suitability for the service offered, and subsequent sessions can be negotiated as time-limited or open-ended sessions.
Fees
For both Counselling and Supervision sessions the fees are:
The initial assessment fee is £30
Thereafter the standard fee is £45 per hour
Concessionary fees can be offered to student trainees and to low-income clients.