Marriage Counselling Guildford
Hello, my name is Andy Spencer and I’m a fully qualified and experienced Relationship Therapist for couples and indviduals. I’m also a Supervisor for other Couple Counsellors and an accredited member of the ‘National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists’ (NCIP).
Many of us choose to share the whole, or a significant part of our lives, with another person. Therefore, in order to find happiness and fulfilment, it’s important to foster healthy relationships. In my view, a healthy relationship is where both parties are open, honest and feel safe enough to share their authentic needs with one another. However, this sadly isn’t always the case. Sometimes we find it difficult to speak to our partner, or the process gets interrupted and our relationship becomes turbulent, painful and an uphill struggle.
Sometimes external factors put pressure on a relationship. Problems with money, family or children, chronic illness or long working hours can all have a negative impact on a relationship. This, alongside not necessarily understanding each other’s relational needs fully, or how to meet them, can make matters worse. In addition to this, ineffective communication and/or dealing with differences in a defensive or hurtful manner can be a contributing factor.
My approach to couple therapy
I provide a safe, supportive and confidential space for our relationship counselling sessions. This will hopefully enable you to feel comfortable enought to open up and talk through and address your concerns, along with what you hope to achieve from our sessions. My approach to couple therapy is proactive. Which means I will support you by using a variety of tools (if appropriate) to help enhance your own problem-solving skills. Through doing this, you will be able explore what went wrong between you and the role you both played in the relationship reaching this point. Together, we will help you find a way through, in whichever way you choose.
Sometimes couples decide that the best option for them is to end the relationship. Therefore, I can support one or both of you through this difficult process, so are are able to separate less painfully, especially if children are involved.
I offfer Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and Person Centred Counselling in my practice.
Ethical Standards
As an accredited member of the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists (NCIP). I adhere to their ethical guidelines and have ongoing supervision and CPD (Continual Professional Development). This ensures the service I provide to my clients the best possible.
Qualifications
- Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Counselling (Guildford College);
- Certificate for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE);
- Diploma in Practical skills for Eating Disorders (NCFED);
- Diploma for Eating Disorders and Obesity (NCFED);
- Certificate in Couples Counseling (Heartsworks);
- Certificate in Working with Trauma (The Link Centre); and
- Diploma in Clinical Supervision (The Awareness Centre).
Background/experience
I have experience in working with bereavement and life limiting illness at the ‘Sam Beare and Woking Hospices’. I still provide therapy to members of “Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide” (SOBS). This is for issues such as loss, anxiety and depression.
I’ve also worked with male and female survivors of rape and sexual abuse at Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) in Guildford. Along with gaiing experience supporting vicitims of trauma and its impact when dealing with intense and overwhelming emotions. I also provided short term therapy for anxiety and depression for the NHS.
I maintain continuous on-going training and work within the ethical boundaries of the NCIP. I’m DBS checked and fully insured.
I live with my partner and have 4 grown up step children.
How I can help you
- Couples I have seen in the past have told me that they found me warm, approachable and understanding.
- I provide a safe, confidential and uninterrupted space where you can talk about the challenges you are facing in your relationship. I will listen to both of your perspecitves and I will not judge or take sides. Relationships can be difficult and becasue we are human, we don’t always behave in the most helpful way.
- My aim is help you communicate your thoughts, feelings and needs to each other in a calm and non-hurtful way. This will hopefully enable a greater understanding of eachother. I will encourage you both to really listen to each and value the others perspective, even if you don’t necessarily agree with it. I will explain the tools available to help you during therapy, and you can choose which ones you think work best for you.
- You will be asked what you hope to achieve out of the couple therapy, if you know. If you don’t, that’s okay, I will help you find clarity and facilitate you working towards that goal. We will look for common ground and learn how to respect each other’s differences and then build upon that.
- Together, we will explore any external infleunces that might be negatively impacting your relationship and explore how we might be able to lessen them.
Types of therapy offered
- Couples Therapy
- Marriage Counselling
- Therapy for Trauma
- Eating Disorders (binge eating disorder. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and obesity. Concerns regarding food, weight and shape
- Carers for loved ones with eating disorders;
- Anxiety and depression
- Stress (including corporate stress);
- Bereavement
- Anger management
If you would like to book to see Andrew for Marriage Counselling Guildford. Please use this link to Book
