Counselling in London, EC3

From adolescence through to late adulthood, there are certain times when we need help addressing problems and issues that may cause us emotional distress or make us feel overwhelmed. Some of the reasons people come to James for short or long term counselling include:

Anxiety, Stress and Bullying in the work Place
Anger Management
Anger, Abusive & Violent relationships
Bereavement and Loss
Cultural Issues
Depression
Dyslexia and learning difficulties
Feeling lonely and Isolated
Improving Performance
Redundancy
Relationships
Sexuality
Self Harm
Trauma
Unable to look at feelings
Unable to talk about what is going on
Work Issues

St. Helens Place I have a practice in The City at 5 St Helen's Place London EC3A 6AU. The entrance to this private courtyard is next to Chez Gerard 64 Bishopsgate, London, EC2N 4AJ. St Helen's Place is in walking distance of Liverpool Street, Bank, Aldgate tube and Fenchurch Street Rail.

I am totally committed to providing counselling in a safe supportive, confidential and non judgemental environment. I work with individuals over the age of 18.

EMDR Therapist

From childhood through to late adulthood, there are certain times when we all need help addressing problems and issues that may cause us emotional distress or make us feel overwhelmed. When you are experiencing these types of difficulties, you may benefit from the assistance of an experienced, trained professional. As a Professional counsellor I offer the caring, expert assistance that is often needed during these stressful times. A counsellor can help you identify the causes of your distress and assist you in finding the best ways to cope with the situation by changing behaviours that contribute to the problem or by finding constructive ways to deal with a situation that is beyond your personal control. Professional counsellors offer help in addressing many situations that cause emotional stress,

Counsellors may offer a supportive and caring relationship in which you can explore any issue at your own pace.
You are accepted for who you are.
It can help you see difficulties more objectively.
It can help you express your feelings and come to terms with new or past experiences.
It can be part of a growing process whereby unwanted feelings can be changed.
It can build self esteem.
It can help you take control of your life and become more assertive.
It can improve communication.
It can help you to become more realistic in setting goals.

At the moment I work as a volunteer counsellor with the Everyman Project which aims to help men to change their anger, violent or abusive behaviour. I also work for Bupa Psychological as a Trauma Incident Manager offering on site support to large companies. I also work for the Bupa EAP as a telephone counsellor. I have a private practise working from home in Sutton and at E1 Toynbee Hall in the City.

Qualifications

My initial training was working Person Centred. I completed a Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling based in Psychodynamic theory (Psychodynamic counselling is based on empathy, acceptance and understanding) and working Inter Culturally. I have a primary certificate in CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) where examining our feelings, or emotions, and our behaviour, as well as our thinking may lead to change. I now work and am informed by integrating different theories. Every person is unique and one theory does not fit all. Research indicates that the most probable factors determining a successful outcome to therapy are the personal qualities of therapist and client and the relationship between them, rather than the particular approach used. As part of my professional development I completed a BA Hons course in Integrative Counselling. I am a member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy) and I am working towards accreditation. I work with the BACP code of ethics.

I am trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) it is a method of psychotherapy that has been extensively researched and proven effective for the treatment of trauma. EMDR is a set of standardized protocols that incorporates elements from many different treatment approaches. To date, EMDR has helped an estimated two million people of all ages relieve many types of psychological stress.

Sept 2009	EMDR Level 3
Feb 2009	EMDR Level 2
July 2008	EMDR Level 1
April 2008	Primary Certificate in PTSD- Centre for Stress management
2007 - 2009	BA HONS in Integrative Counselling
Oct 2007	Primary Certificate in CBT Centre for Stress management
Sept 2005 - July 2007	Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling - Lambeth College (Psychodynamic and intercultural orientations)
Sept 2004 - July 2005	Level 3 Certificate in Counselling Studies - Lambeth College
Jan 2004 - July 2004	Level 2 Certificate in Counselling Skills - Lambeth College
Sept 2003 - Dec 2003	Introduction to Counselling - Lambeth College

"Going for counselling can be daunting, and having made the decision I wasn't sure what to expect. James put me totally at ease from the start, enabling me to find clarity on what I was looking to achieve out of the sessions, and creating a counselling environment where I felt safe to talk about some difficult and long-standing issues. I worked with James for a number of months - he never rushed or pressurized me in any way, but there was also a sense in which he wouldn't allow me simply to sit there feeling sorry for myself; the sessions were always very constructive, no matter how difficult the subject matter was at times. As the weeks went by, I began to feel much stronger in myself, able to stand on my own two feet again, and that my self-esteem was better than it had been in years. Indeed, I was able to make some very positive changes in my life as a result of our work. Looking back, however daunting it might have felt at first, I am so glad that I took the decision to work with James, and cannot recommend him highly enough."
-R.M.

"I started counselling with James when I was at a very low point following career difficulties and redundancy. I had a lot of issues to address, mainly around lack of self esteem and anger management. For a while I had been considering counselling but only actually jumped in when things really reached rock bottom. I couldn't really make progress via talking to my wife and friends, and felt too embarrassed as well.

In short, three months of visiting James every week really helped me turn things round. James really gives you the space to talk and puts you at ease. He is an excellent listener, and his non-directive approach allows you to figure out the solutions for yourself and see things more clearly. He has helped me put my anxieties into context and seek potential causes from various critical points in my life - but his ultimate focus is on the here and now, and how to make things better for the future. He listens, gently probes and makes suggestions, and we developed tactics and strategies to help me change long-term patterns of negative behaviour.

6 months on, life is going much better, and much of this is directly due to how James has helped me to modify my outlook and behaviour in a more positive direction. I would very much recommend him to anyone who needs some support and counselling, for whatever reason, at any stage in their life."
-S.U.

EMDR is a form of psychotherapy that was developed to resolve symptoms resulting from disturbing and unresolved life experiences. It uses a structured approach to address past, present, and future aspects of disturbing memories. The approach was developed by Francine Shapiro to resolve the development of trauma-related disorders as resulting from exposure to a traumatic or distressing event, such as rape or military combat. Clinical trials have been conducted to assess EMDR's efficacy in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In some studies it has been shown to be equivalent to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and exposure therapies and more effective than some alternative treatments (see effectiveness sections below). EMDR may be used for various problems; its research support is primarily for disorders stemming from distressing life experiences.

NICE the National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommends EMDR in the treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (2005). The guidelines are based on a number of high quality randomised control trails (RCT) that have provided an evidence base for the effectiveness of EMDR in the treatment of traumatic memories.

EMDR has helped with:

Trauma (resulting from accidents, disasters and emotional distress
Phobias
Anxiety

Counselling with James Carver, Dip, BA Hons