Telephone Counselling

I’ve been helping people to manage life's challenges and transform their lives for the past 30 years. Through telephone counselling I help them to question the beliefs and behaviours that hold them back, rewrite their stories, and live life more fully and with less fear. I’ve been providing telephone counselling much of my counselling career, not just during the pandemic. This is how I work.

Scroll down to find out more about the telephone counselling I provide,  about my approach and my effectiveness as a therapist.

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Telephone Counselling

I’ve been providing telephone counselling for 25 years, so working this way is nothing new to me. Unlike therapists forced into counselling by phone or online due to the the pandemic, this is how I work normally. I value telephone counselling as much as face to face, and I know it to be equally effective. 

I began using telephone counselling as manager of a pioneering counselling service (Royal College of Nursing) in the mid-1990’s. We found that telephone counselling was a real alternative to face to face, and that its outcomes were equally effective. Since then there’s been much more research supporting this finding. 

Not only is telephone counselling effective, it also offers many benefits over working face to face with a therapist. It overcomes barriers to access that include location and disability. It also gives you access to a wider pool of therapists from which you can choose. 

Will telephone counselling work for me?

Will telephone counselling work for you? My experience tells me that it works well for the vast majority of people who are open to trying it. Some express surprise at just how well it works. 

The best way to find out if it will work for you is to get in touch so we can talk about the options, and how I might be of help. If you choose to work with me, we'll work on a shared understanding of what you want to achieve, and how we’ll approach helping you get there. We’ll carefully monitor your progress and adjust our focus as needed. The process need be no longer than you need to get on with life without therapy. Most clients I work with average between 8 – 15 sessions.

Read on to find out more about how I work, about the effectiveness of therapy and telephone therapy, and about my own effectiveness as a therapist. 

Common Questions

I work with a wide range of issues that people commonly struggle with. These include anxiety, bereavement and loss, depression, relationships, self-esteem, stress, work related issues and many others. If you’re struggling with something I haven’t mentioned don’t let that stop you getting in touch – there aren’t many issues I haven’t worked with in my time.

I have a particular interest in working with people who might describe themselves as introverted. The needs of introverted children often go unrecognised, which can lead to life feeling more of a struggle that it has to be. This is an area I’ve taken both a personal and professional interest in over the past decade. So, if this describes you, I may be able to help.

I’ve spent 25 years looking into the essence of what makes therapy work. I’ve learned some important things along the way that I bring to my therapy work. I write about these themes for a professional audience, but they also inform how I work to create the best experience of therapy for every client.

The model of therapy I use is known as integrative. This brings together a range of approaches in a coherent framework. It recognises that there is no ‘one size fits all’ in therapy, and that there are benefits to clients when therapists are able to draw on a range of therapeutic approaches.

Every client is unique, and I aim to create a way of working with you that is equally unique and effective for you. The question is not “does this type of therapy work?” but “is this approach working for you right now?”

The approaches that I commonly draw on include person-centred, transactional analysis, solution-focused, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and mindfulness based approaches. If these labels don’t mean much to you, you can find further detail on the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) website here.

Research over many decades shows the average therapy client is better off psychologically than some 80% of people who don’t receive therapy. It also shows that therapists vary considerably in their effectiveness. 

There’s now a great deal of evidence that therapy by phone is as effective as face to face. Also, that important elements of the therapy relationship, like the therapeutic alliance, can be equally strong. I’ve written about these for a professional audience in the blog that I’m a co-founder of called Therapy Meets Numbers.

There is no evidence that any one type of therapy is better than another for commonly experienced problems. Instead, it’s factors like the quality of the therapeutic relationship, a shared approach to goal setting and working together, and the effectiveness of the individual therapist that make a much bigger difference.

Most clients that remain engaged in therapy show considerable improvement in their psychological health. A proportion, however, terminate therapy before this. I don’t believe this dropout is inevitable, and I’m committed to doing all I can to make sure you remain fully engaged in the process. 

Across a wide range of settings, dropout rates of between 20 - 40% are not uncommon. Relative to this my own rate of dropout is low at under 10%. 

Using short questionnaires about how you’re feeling (known as outcome measures) it’s possible to see changes in psychological health or wellbeing at different points during therapy. While most clients improve, rates of improvement do vary considerably across therapists.   

I ask clients to complete an outcome measure at the start, then periodically as work progresses. A secure online system handles these measures and gives me a sense of how effective I’m being. Its feedback tells me that my impact is roughly double the average of published studies

You can contact me by phone, by email, or through the contact form on this page. I’ll suggest we have an initial discussion to talk about what’s brought you in touch and what you’re looking for. This is a chance for me to learn about your concerns and how I might help, and for you to find out about me and decide whether you would feel comfortable working with me. I don’t charge for this.

There’s no obligation to take things further, and you don’t have to decide at this stage. If we agree to work together then we can arrange a further session or sessions. These are an hour in length. We’ll work together for as long as you feel you need and are getting a clear benefit than we can both measure.

Our initial discussion is free of charge. If we agree to work together after that my fee per 60 minute session is £50.

At times I am also able to offer concessionary rates, so if cost is an issue for you please let me know. I can accept payment by bank transfer and PayPal.

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Hi, I'm Barry

I’ve been a therapist and coach for more than 30 years, as well as a therapy service manager. As a kid I was always taking things apart to see how they worked, and I have the same curiosity about what makes therapy work.

Everything I’ve learned along the way I bring to what I do now. It seems to work. My evaluation and outcome data shows my impact is roughly double the average from published studies.  

I’m as passionate now, about the power of therapy and coaching to transform lives, as I was when I started.

I live and work between the UK and Spain. With online and telephone therapy where my chair is really isn’t relevant. As many hundreds of clients who I’ve worked with over the years also know, where they are isn’t really relevant either.

Find out more about me >>

Book A Free Consultation

Get in touch and let's talk about what’s brought you in touch and what you’re needing. You'll also get a sense of me and what it might be like to work with me. There’s no cost for this session and no commitment needed from you to take things further. Come back to me only when you’re ready.

How Can I Help?

Please send me a short message with your contact details. I normally aim to respond within one working day. Many thanks!

bacp-registered-14981

Registered Member MBACP (Accred)
BACP Register of Counsellors & Psychotherapists #014981

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