making sense of the waves
we experience
Psychotherapy and counselling for individuals navigation relationships, identity and change
About me
I’m Chris, a relational psychotherapist with a particular interest in the stories we carry and the ways we can unknowingly repeat, relive or try to rewrite them. I’m interested not only in what has happened to us, but in the meaning we have made of those experiences and the stories we have come to tell ourselves about who we are, other people and the world around us. Those stories can shape what we expect from relationships, what we notice, what we protect ourselves from and the choices we make, often without us realising it.
Much of my work has involved men across different sexualities and identities, alongside younger adults navigating relationships, belonging and difficult experiences. I’m particularly interested in what it means to be emotionally open in the world we live in now, especially when vulnerability, communication and emotional awareness may not have been modelled growing up.
My style is attentive, intuitive and direct, while always respectful of your pace. I ask questions, offer reflections, remember what we have spoken about before and notice when something has shifted. I use humour, honesty and, when it genuinely helps the work, some personal disclosure. I’m not a therapist who will simply sit back and nod if I think something important is sitting in your blind spot.
I work relationally, so the relationship we build is part of the work too. I want therapy to feel collaborative, engaged and real rather than like something being done to you from the other side of the room.
Training and professional standards
My training has combined in-depth academic study with extensive personal development and supervised clinical practice. I trained in Integrative Counselling and Integrative Psychotherapy, with Transactional Analysis forming a core part of my approach.
Level 6 Integrative Counselling
Level 7 Integrative Psychotherapy
Foundation Year in Transactional Analysis
600 hours of core training across both programmes
160 hours of personal therapy as part of training
Ongoing clinical supervision and continuing professional development
I have also spent around a decade in personal therapy myself, which continues to shape how I understand the experience of being a client.
Professional memberships
I am professionally registered and work within the ethical and professional standards of my membership bodies.
Who I work with
I work with individual adults across a broad range of experiences. What often connects the work is not a particular diagnosis, but the ways relationships, identity, emotion and old patterns can shape how we live. Much of my work has naturally centred around men and LGBTQ+ clients, though my practice is not limited to either.
Relationships
Dating, intimacy, family, attachment, conflict, relationship expectations and the difficulty of staying connected without losing yourself.
Identity and belonging
Sexuality, gender, coming out, internalised shame, masculinity, self-acceptance, neurodivergence and the pressure to find where you fit.
Emotion and disconnection
Anger, anxiety, low mood, dissociation, emotional overwhelm and the experience of knowing something intellectually while struggling to actually feel it.
Shame and coping
Sexual shame, compulsive behaviours, alcohol or drug use, pornography, self-harm and the ways we sometimes learn to numb, escape or manage what feels harder to face directly.
Past experiences
Abuse, bullying, rejection, difficult family relationships, bereavement and experiences that continue to shape the present long after they happened.
How I work
You can become very good at talking about how you feel without ever really feeling it. You can understand where a pattern came from, explain it perfectly and still find yourself repeating it. I’m interested in what sits underneath the explanation.
I’m an active therapist. I ask questions, remember previous conversations, notice changes and point out things that may be sitting in your blind spot. Sometimes that means saying something uncomfortable. I use humour, honesty and, when it genuinely helps the work, some personal disclosure.
The relationship we build matters too. What happens between us can sometimes tell us something about relationships elsewhere in your life. I want therapy to feel like a real relationship with professional boundaries, not a weekly conversation where I simply nod while you tell me what happened.
That also means you can bring what happens between us into the room. If you feel misunderstood, unsettled by something I’ve said, or notice yourself feeling frustrated with me, it can be important to name it so we can work out the meaning together. Those moments can sometimes tell us something important about how relationships work elsewhere too.
I’m also comfortable making room for feelings that can be difficult to express. Rather than immediately trying to calm it down, we can let it exist safely and understand what might be underneath it.
Practicalities
50 minutes
£55 per session
Weekly
Portsmouth / online
Individual adults
Brief introductory call
If you’re thinking about starting therapy, you can get in touch in whatever way feels easiest.
You can contact me by email, phone or WhatsApp. Use the form below to arrange a brief call or enquire about starting therapy, or message me directly on WhatsApp.