Working Alliance towards your Goals

A large part of the value in therapy and coaching depends on the quality of the relationship that’s built between client and therapist - the Working Alliance.

So I’m going to share a little about myself here - so you can decide if I sound like the sort of person you could spend time with.

STEP ONE

To begin, I’m an only child. I was very close to my father, who was always there for me, but not generally given to chitchat. My mum was fragile - not physically but emotionally, and she struggled to feel secure. 

My mum resorted to alcohol and tranquillisers to deal with life and her feelings - and my dad into his routine. So for a fair part of my teens I had to manage my mum for the three or four hours each evening til my dad came home.

My role shifted between finding and disposing of her stashes of alcohol and tablets to working with her feelings. She was diagnosed at different times with depression, manic depression, personality disorder (they never said which) - so I had my work cut out. 

When my dad died, it was tough. I was 18 and it left me to deal with my mum by myself for nearly 20 years until she died - at the same time as working out my own identity and what I wanted for my life.

I had a few other dealings with mental health in those years but it wasn't til the breakup of a second long term relationship some time later that I began personal psychotherapy and spent over three years on a journey of self-discovery, learning to know myself.

The experience was so valuable that, a few years later I studied psychotherapy for a further three years because I wanted the ability to share the gift of psychotherapy with others. Which is how I met my wife.

So that's me. I'm now fortunate enough to live in Haslemere, with my wife, five children, four large dogs, five chickens and two cats. In a house, not a farm.

My working life has been spent in the worlds of agencies, sport, purpose, communications - and working with organisational culture. What I learned in psychotherapy has been as helpful professionally as it was personally - helping me to see below the surface of organisational life.

In recent years I’ve been drawn back to the power of psychotherapy and complimented my psychotherapy training with two years' studying organisational change and coaching.

WHAT'S THAT MEAN FOR YOU?

Life experience brings richer understanding, more acceptance and extra depth - in my case, in the areas of love, loss, relationship, work, personal identity and confidence.

For you, I think it means three things in particular.

Strengthening and developing a clear sense of self is a big part of the work - it helps you set your boundaries, define your ambitions, build strong relationships and make the most of life.

I’m very familiar with the challenges of workplace dynamics at every level, from petty to existential - I can help you negotiate their complexities successfully without losing yourself.

Whatever you’re dealing with or facing, I know there’s a way through : sometimes fast, sometimes not so. I'm on your team, to make it through the best way possible.

Transpersonal Psychotherapy (Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy) - one year

Gestalt Psychotherapy (Metanoia Institute) - two years

Organisational Change (Metanoia Institute / Middlesex University) - two years

Accredited Transformational Life Coach and Career Coach

CPD covering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy

Workplace mentoring and coaching, nearly 20 years.

I have around 150 therapeutic client hours and 200 coaching hours.

EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

Self-awareness is a thing beyond measure. It improves our relationships and makes us richer, nicer and more effective.

“I was in a mess and everything had fallen apart. Shaun was very understanding and supportive, but gave me just the right amount of structure and challenge to pull myself together again and face the future.”

– Michael H

TESTIMONIALS

“Shaun mentored me for three years, and helped me separate myself from my work. I remember always really feeling seen by him and trusting that he always had my best interests at heart.”

– Esther W

“Shaun supported me at a critical time of my relationship, a make or break time in many respects. He helped me find myself and truly commit to a successful relationship. We now have two children and I can't imagine any other life.”

– Pascal S

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