Rate Chris Orton

Many of us, at times, find parts of our lives very difficult - sometimes overwhelming. It takes courage to face up to and work at understanding the things that are unsettling us. By exploring these issues within a safe and confidential space we can discover why patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving exist. This type of self-exploration and the greater self-understanding that is achieved empowers us to create new, healthier patterns for our future, leading to lasting change and a more fulfilling way of living.

Central to my therapy work is:

• The trust I have in my clients’ inherent ability to use an effective therapeutic relationship to evolve and improve their understanding of themselves within the unique circumstances of their life.

• The trust I have in my clients’ ability to benefit from an increased self-understanding (resulting from our therapeutic relationship) and change in ways which are meaningful to them, leading to greater self-acceptance and more personally fulfilling ways of living.

• My commitment to being fully present for my client and empathically ‘walking alongside’ them in their distress whilst facilitating a wholistic exploration of their emotions, thoughts and feelings in a safe and supportive, yet appropriately challenging environment.

• My understanding that the causes of emotional/psychological distress are rarely only ‘internal’, originating from within individuals but are also ‘external’ resulting from wider societal issues which have a negative impact on our personal wellbeing. Although we often can’t effect these root causes of our distress, we can empower ourselves by adapting our relationship to these problematic issues.

I believe that a comfortable client-therapist connection built on mutual trust and respect will form the foundation of our ‘therapeutic alliance’ and the effective work that we do. I try to establish and maintain this type of relationship by providing a confidential space which is free from judgement for my clients to talk with someone about their concerns, whatever they may be. I privilege each person’s individuality, working in a client-centred way to honour difference and diversity and respect the uniqueness of each one of my clients.

Throughout our work together I will:

• Strive to really hear you and understand as accurately as possible the way that you experience your world; to get a very real sense of the challenges you face and what it’s like to be you.

• Help you to explore more deeply how you really feel and think about things so that you can develop a better understanding of what your experience really means for you.

I am committed to supporting you and being alongside you as you explore the aspects of your life that you find challenging. I will strive to meet you where you are; working with you to explore and discuss any issues at an emotional level that feels comfortable and safe for you to work at. You will be the one who dictates the pace and emotional depth of the therapy and I will stay with you as a professional & compassionate companion throughout this journey.

I am registered in the UK with the BACP, having trained and qualified at postgraduate level in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Before setting up in private practice I most recently worked in a university counselling service offering therapy to an incredibly diverse student/client group. You can also view my profile on the BACP therapist directory.

Research interest:

• Cross-cultural therapy.

The type of therapy I provide is integrative of the following:

Humanistic; Person-centred, Experiential, Existential, Phenomenological.