Ben Wrigley – MNCPS
Counsellor & Supervisor
Ben Wrigley
BA(hons) Dip Couns. Dip Sup. MNCPS
Phone: 07968 947 381
Email: ben@activelistener.co.uk
Choosing a therapist can be one of the biggest blocks when we start therapy, and so it can also become first steps in learning to trust yourself and in taking responsibility for yourself. “How do I know if I’m choosing the right person? What if something doesn’t feel right?”.I wonder if anyone can truly know that beforehand, and perhaps it’s ok to try and then to change your mind. My invitation to you is to find these things out together. We can learn where you want to get to and then – if you still want to go – we can take whatever route feels safe and feels right for you. You have already begun.
I offer a safe and confidential space where you can bring your challenges out into the open so that they can be explored and understood with empathy and compassion. I provide weekly, 50-minute, one-to-one meetings for people 18+ years to work with all types of concerns including depression, stress, suicide, bereavement, anxiety, OCD, anger, relationships, abuse, life events, low self-steem, panic attacks, affairs and many others. I can meet you online or face-to-face just outside Tunbridge Wells in South East England.
I am a fully insured member of the NCPS and I work to their ethical framework.
My fees are £50-70 depending on your circumstances and the value of therapy to you. Our first meeting is free so you can get a sense of who I am, how I work and so that I can ensure we can work together.
My Philosophy
Talking therapy is a process of self-discovery, awareness and letting-go, opening a way through to empowerment, choice and ultimately freedom. It’s about understanding what blocks you from where you want to go and choosing boundaries to keep you where you want to be. It’s about understanding the fears of the future and the sadnesses of the past to help us be more in the present. It’s about building a safe and supportive relationship together where this process can take root. It’s about you.
My Approach
I am a Humanistic Integrative Counsellor. The Humanistic bit means that I believe that you have the potential to be fully you and our work together is about unlocking what is already inside you. After all, you are the expert on you.
The Integrative bit means that I have training and interests in many different theories and modalities and I will draw on whatever feels most useful for you, your journey and our working relationship.
The Counsellor bit means I want to help.
Why did I become a counsellor?
Like so many people, I found myself on a life path that wasn’t really mine; I was ticking checkboxes that I believed would please other people and give me a sense of meaning and worth. But my daily commute to managerial roles in the city was not bringing me joy. Instead, I saw first-hand how so many of us function in the best interests of our work/team/family/relationship, to ‘fall in line’ and to ‘do’ publicly whilst we ‘feel’ privately or simply not feel at all. I witnessed the detrimental effect this had on people’s well-being, self-esteem, autonomy and general contentment. I saw the lack of genuine, emotional support on offer when life becomes stressful.
Supervision
I follow the Normative, Formative and Restorative approach to supervision. Normative: helping to develop best practises within your ethical framework, ensuring well-being of clients and being accountable for our work. Formative: learning from our practise, using your client work in conjunction with other experiences to enhance our understanding. Restorative: supporting your well-being and self-care holistically to mitigate impacts of stressful work.