ABOUT ME
UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist
Hello. I am Paul, a UKCP accredited psychotherapist providing face to face sessions
in central and south east London. I also offer online sessions via a number of
electronic platforms. I strive to provide a therapeutic space that allows my
clients to feel heard with empathy, openness, and honesty at the core of this experience.
I am committed to helping my clients face the challenges of life, no matter how overwhelming
these may seem.
I have considerable experience as a psychotherapist and counsellor, helping clients from a wide
range of backgrounds. My experience includes helping people with bereavement, general anxiety,
depression, social anxiety, phobias, relationship difficulties, trauma, obsessions / compulsions,
grief, and other mental wellbeing challenges.
Paul Gomes (MBPsS)
Professional Membership
- British Psychological Society: Graduate Chartership (MBPsS)
- Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association - Accredited Member
- United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapists (UKCP) - Accredited Member
I am also an adoption informed counsellor, holding a certificate
in Adoption Support Counselling, allowing me to work with adults whose lives have been
touched by adoption. I have a keen interest in understanding the lived experience of
each person within the adoption triad, with a specific focus on the lived experience
of adoptees that are thinking about starting their reunion journey or have been through
an adoption reunion.
I am trained in a number of different counselling styles,
including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychoanalytic, Existential Phenomenological,
and Mindfulness. As part of my practice, I strive to adapt these approaches to my
client's individual needs. I have experience in working with adults in a number of
different settings, ranging from NHS Talking Therapy, addiction centers, and counselling
charities.
Prior to embarking upon a career in counselling, I worked in
the change management arena for a number of global organisations operating in the
finance, automotive and consumer goods industries. As a result, I have an understanding
of and experience working with the pressures and demands one can face, and the challenges
this can create in maintaining balance between our personal and working lives.
Starting the journey
When making the decision to come to counselling, a question you are likely
to ask is how many sessions will I need? There is no one size fits all answer
to this question, which is why I work using both a time-limited and an open-ended approach.
Short-Term Therapy
Open Ended Therapy
In using a short-term approach, we will arrange a set number of sessions up front
(usually between 10 - 12 sessions) and monitor how we progress. The sessions that
follow are dedicated to working through the personal challenges for which you have sought
counselling. During the last session we will assess what the counselling experience
has been like and discuss how you would like to proceed. Time limited counselling generally
has a tighter focus and concentrates on issues that are current, in the "Here and Now".
Some clients come back for short term work several times, depending on their personal
circumstances.
There are times when clients know from the outset that they would like more time
exploring their way of being. Additionally, some clients may move from time-limited
to open-ended counselling as a result of discovering something they would like to
explore in greater depth. In such cases, we will work collaboratively in the first
session to assess and talk though the expectations of counselling and establish some
outcomes you would like to achieve from your counselling experience. You will then
have on-going sessions for as long as you think and feel they are needed.
Adoption Support Counselling
As an adoption informed counsellor with lived experience regarding adoption, I offer counselling
support for adults whose lives have been affected by adoption. This type of support is available
to adult adoptees, adult members of birth families, and adult members of adoptive families.
Adult Adoptees
- - Exploring your experience of being adopted.
- - Counselling support for adult adoptees wanting to or already embarking on a reunion journey.
- - Exploration of trauma associated with being adopted.
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Birth Families
- - Counselling support for birth mothers looking to place their child into an adoption program.
- - Exploration of the trauma associated with placing a child into an adoption program.
- - Counselling support for birth parents wanting to or already embarking on a reunion journey.
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Adoptive Families
- - Counselling support for adoptive parents who are looking to adopt or who are going through the process of adopting a child.
- - Counselling support for adoptive parents whose adopted child is wanting to or already embarking on a reunion journey.
How I can help
I can support my clients through a wide range of challenges, including low
self-esteem, bereavement, phobias, depression, anger management, anxiety, work
related stress, trauma experiences, addiction, obsessive compulsive disposition,
and relationship issues.
I have found that when entering counselling, clients often have a sense something
is not quite right, but are struggling to identify what it is. In supporting my clients
to work through these challenges, I provide a safe and non-judgemental space to unload
and reflect on the challenges life throws at us.
Types of sessions available
- Low cost sessions - I have a limited number of low cost sessions. Please contact me
to establish availability.
- Face to Face sessions.
- Online sessions.
- Telephone Sessions.
- I offer concessions to students and NHS staff.
