Counselling in York

Counselling in York at York Clinic with David Britten

I am an experienced, accredited counsellor/psychotherapist offering one-to-one therapy to individuals.  My approach is integrative, which means that I draw from a range of approaches in seeking to create the right therapeutic relationship for each client.  This approach stems largely from experience, which has taught me that people seek therapy for a variety of reasons, and that each therapeutic relationship is unique.  It's also influenced by the research evidence, which suggests that a one-size-fits-all approach rarely makes for successful therapy.

Whilst being flexible for these reasons, my work is always underpinned by the belief that, under the right conditions, people have the potential to overcome difficulties, flourish and take responsibility for their lives.  This translates in my practice into an approach characterised by respect for you, and a desire to help you to draw on your own resources in finding a path through life's trials.  In particular, I will:

  • seek to understand your unique way of being in the world, and help you to explore this in a confidential space;
  • assume that although I have some specialised knowledge of the process of therapy, you are the expert on you, and I can't tell you how to live your life;
  • provide a genuine human presence, rather than hiding behind a professional mask.

 

A further touchstone of my way of working is that the relationship between therapist and client is itself always important (this too is supported by research findings), and I will pay careful attention to this aspect of our work, and will encourage you to do so too.  This focus on 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.

Is therapy the right choice?

Therapy isn't suitable for every person and every problem, and our first session will be devoted to assessing whether therapy is the right way to address the difficulties you're experiencing, whether I'm the right therapist, and, if the answer to one or both of these is 'no,' where else you might seek help.  The success of therapy depends to an extent on the life circumstances and personal resources of the client, so this is something else we'll look at in our assessment session.

How long will therapy last?

This is something that can't be known in advance, though as a rough guide most of my work lasts for between three months and three years.  We'll explore this question at our first meeting, and consider whether to work initially for a set number of sessions - for example six or twelve - or to leave the timescale open-ended.   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.

Is it necessary to talk about the past?

Experience from infancy onwards shapes us powerfully, in ways of which we're often unaware.   In therapy it's often necessary to look at aspects of the past, in order to become more aware and to lay ghosts.  Examining your personal history is at times a painful and unsettling process, but the end result, reaching a clearer, more nuanced understanding of how you came to be the person you are, can be tremendously liberating - for example, in enabling you to shake off a burden of self-doubt, shame, resentment or anger, and to adjust your patterns of relating to others.

But the difficulties which lead people to seek therapy don't always stem from personal history.  No amount of good parenting and schooling can shield us from what therapist and writer Irvin Yalom calls "existence pain," and I agree with Yalom that often personal distress has less to do with ghosts from the past than with a sense, nudging at the edges of our awareness, of anxiety or despair in the face of one or more of life's harsh truths, perhaps the most challenging of which is that time passes and everyone dies.  In practice, therapy often involves exploring the connections between personal history and the realities of life.

Will therapy work?

Therapy is much more collaborative than, say, a medical relationship, and 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.  Change is not easy, and I have yet to meet anyone - myself included - who doesn't shy away from the challenge sometimes.  Courage and perseverance are often needed for the will to change to overcome the will to hold onto what's familiar.  But if we both remain committed to the process, there is a good chance of a successful outcome.

What will therapy achieve?

Sigmund Freud, the bitter and mistrustful founder of psychoanalysis, once remarked half-jokingly that his aim was to turn despair into ordinary unhappiness.  I don't share Freud's one-sided view of existence; nor do I believe that therapy is only valuable for those in despair.  However, there's no escaping the fact that life is often painful and difficult, sometimes tragic, and that part of the work of therapy does lie in looking this truth in the eye, even if doing so requires us to let go of some cherished hopes and beliefs.

But this is only a part of the picture.  Therapists are sometimes accused, rightly in my opinion, of focusing too much on the negative aspects of existence, as if life were ultimately, in the words of Shakespeare's Macbeth, "a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."  For it's equally true that life is abundantly rich, full of joy and wonder.  Successful therapy can enable people to fully appreciate life's precious gifts, discover their unrealised potential, and be open and generous in their dealings with the world. 

 About David Britten

Before training as a therapist, I worked at various times as a steel fabricator, builder's labourer, process worker and 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 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling from Leeds Metropolitan University. I am an accredited Psychotherapist/Counsellor Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, and adhere to their Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy (for more details, visit www.bacp.co.uk).  My usual fee is £36 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.