Thank You Everyone for Reading, Liking & Sharing my posts....!!!!
It is fantastic to read all your feedback, to get enquires about Counselling and to explain what it is.
I aim to demystify counselling which is often made more complicated than it needs to be.
There will be no cheesy pictures of quotes on these pages. No offence to people who post or like them but they are not my Thing....!!
YOU are your own expert. Not me.
I won’t post things which I feel are pretentious.
I had one session of counselling once with someone who meant well but used complicated jargon and obviously could not cope with the raw emotion of a proud man struggling to process his Dad’s death.
Instead, I will give you the space to talk confidentially, to someone who is genuine and who will aim to see the world through your eyes and to not judge you.
I set up Counselling Minds to improve the Mental Wellbeing of Adults, Children, Teenagers, Families and Couples.
It is not a job. It really is a vocation which I’ve been very lucky to retrain to do and I am passionate about helping people from ages 8 to 88, cope with life’s difficulties.
I have endured periods of Burnout, Depression & Anxiety. I know what is feels like to not know if you can get through the hour, let alone the morning.
I had people help me during those periods and now I get to help others, for which I am very grateful.
I’m a Dad to two daughters now in their twenties...!! (The trouble is, I DO look old enough...!!!!) They would agree that I have NOT lost touch with my inner child....!!
After a varied career of being in the Royal Navy and working in a high pressured sales environment, I then had the wonderful opportunity to retrain as a Counsellor.
A Very privileged vocation; to be in a position where I can help other people cope with life’s difficulties in the same way that I was helped.
I then worked in an NHS Staff Support and Counselling Service, also as a Counsellor in a High School before moving to get a job providing counselling for Children & Young People in care. All Very privileged positions where I was able to be part of the teams providing support.
As a child my Mum was very ill for years and I would have benefited from speaking with a counsellor at school but this was the 1980s and there were no school counsellors. A helpful teacher offered to be there to help me but he was obviously rushed off his feet and I was a very proud person.
So, when I had the chance to support and counsel children & teenagers, I looked back in time and remembered how scared and upset the 13 year old me, had been.
My Mum struggled to cope with the menopause which I think even now isn’t appreciated enough by employers particularly. I struggled for years to get my Mum the help she needed to get better. Life was difficult, money was in short supply and my Mums health was variable.
In 1990 I joined the Royal Navy and nervously made my way to Plymouth on the train from Crewe. I’d been drawn to join after watching the news about the Falklands War in 1982, with the Royal Navy Taskforce playing a prominent role.
I needed to join to be able to build my own confidence and I my self-esteem grew, even though my height didn’t .......!!!
The loss of my Dad in 1994, affected me greatly but I didn’t have any counselling to help with my grief. Instead I returned to Portsmouth and back to the Navy, the day after my Dad’s funeral. I did the same after my Mum passed away in 2006; not the best way to process emotions but I was in denial about how badly I was affected.
For one thing I felt like an orphan; I wasn’t and was fortunate they’d both been alive as long as they were because they’d both suffered from periods of ill health.
Then after leaving and working as, amongst other things, a train announcer, I started work as a sales executive before starting my retraining 10 years later.
I have lived many lives and walked lots of paths. I’ve been married, divorced and suffered extreme disappointments (including waiting 30 years for Liverpool to win the League again!!)
So, a varied career...!! All leading to Counselling Minds.
I’ve been told that I work intuitively with clients. That I’m very good at my job.
I’m too humble to agree with those comments but I will say that if you want a Counsellor who can connect with you, who is driven to help improve your mental health, whether you are 8 to 88 years old, I believe that I can help you.
Whether you’re a Nanna, a Dad, a Mum, a Forces Veteran, a Teenager, a Couple or Family; it is My Privilege to help you transform your lives for the better.
Thanks to Everyone for your support.
John