My approach to working with clients is humanistic and integrative.  Humanistic therapists believe that, under the right conditions, every person has the potential to overcome difficulties, flourish and take responsibility for their life.  This translates in my practice into an approach characterised by respect for you, and a desire to help you to draw upon your own resources in finding a path through life’s trials.  In particular, I will:

By integrative I mean that I draw upon a number of traditions of psychotherapy and counselling.  Experience has taught me that people’s needs and life stories are far too diverse to be encapsulated by a single theory or method.  I believe, and research strongly indicates, that a one-size-fits-all approach rarely makes for effective therapy.  However, all of my work is underpinned by the core belief that the quality of the relationship between therapist and client is of crucial importance (this too is strongly supported by research findings); and I will pay close attention to our relationship as it develops, and encourage you to do the same.  This focus upon what’s happening between us, right here, right now, is sometimes highly challenging, and the rewards can be equally substantial in providing you with greater insight into yourself and your relationships with others.  

Paying close attention to the here-and-now of therapy won’t prevent us from looking at your life, past, present and future, outside the therapy setting.  For example, what happens in childhood shapes us powerfully, in ways of which we aren’t always aware.  Examining our personal history is at times a painful and unsettling process, but the end result, reaching a clearer, more nuanced understanding of how we came to be the person we are, can be tremendously liberating – for example, in enabling us to shake off a burden of guilt, or shame, or anger, and to adjust our patterns of relating to others.  When exploring the changes you hope to make through therapy and your plans for the future, it will also be important to consider the ways in which these may be constrained or enabled by your current life circumstances. 

Is therapy right for me? 

Therapy is a much more collaborative venture than, say, a doctor-patient relationship.  I can’t help you without your active involvement; my role is to provide a setting for our joint endeavour of helping you to find your own answers to the difficulties confronting you.  You can expect a high degree of commitment on my part to our work and your wellbeing; what I ask in return is a willingness to examine and challenge yourself, and to persevere in difficult times. 

How long will therapy last? 

This is something that can’t be known in advance.  At the initial meeting we’ll discuss whether therapy is appropriate for you, and assess the scale of the tasks facing us.  This should also give you a chance to assess whether I’m the right person to help you.  If we agree to proceed, we can then make an agreement to work together, either for a set period - which might be anything from six weeks to a year - or on an open-ended basis.  Whatever we decide, I’ll allocate time for regular reviews of our work, to ensure that we remain focussed and that the therapy isn’t being prolonged unnecessarily.  Sometimes a few sessions may prove to be enough; sometimes it can take much longer to reach a point where you feel ready to continue life without therapeutic support. 

And finally: will therapy make me happy? 

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, once suggested that the aim of psychotherapy was to turn despair into ordinary unhappiness.  You’ll be pleased, I hope, to know that I don’t share Freud’s pessimism.  Nor do I believe that therapy is only for those in despair; therapy is valuable for those who want it.  But there’s no escaping the fact that life is often difficult and painful, sometimes tragic, and that part of the work of therapy lies in coming to terms with this uncomfortable truth, even if this requires us to let go of some cherished beliefs.  However, the world is also full of joy and wonder.  Successful therapy, as well as resolving the difficulties you’re encountering, can serve to enrich all of your relationships: with others, with nature, with culture, and with yourself – with life. 

About David Britten

Before training as a therapist, I worked at various times as a steel fabricator, builder’s labourer, landscape gardener, process worker and, more recently, organic greengrocer.  I have also spent time as a university student, and worked as a volunteer Generalist Advisor for the Citizens’ Advice Bureau.  I am currently on the Board of Trustees of York and District Mind, the organisation where I worked as a volunteer counsellor throughout my training.  Alongside my work as a therapist, I am a Lecturer in the Department of Counselling Studies at York St. John University.   

I have a Graduate Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from Leeds Metropolitan University.  I am an accredited Psychotherapist / Counsellor Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and am bound by their Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy (for more details, visit www.bacp.co.uk).  My usual fee is £34 per fifty-minute session.  I can be contacted through the York Clinic on the number above, or on 07867 884242.  Alternatively, you can email me at dcbritten@btinternet.com.