Ali Bushell

If you’re reading this, I suspect you’re in a place where you’ve decided that you could use some help, and you want someone you can trust to provide it. Maybe you need something quick and focused to help you in a difficult time, or because you don’t know what to do, or maybe you think there are bigger issues going on for you that you want to understand. Whatever is happening, I’d like to help.

So what can I say to help put you at ease? What kind of person am I? The easiest way to describe myself would be to simply say that I’m a good listener - people feel like they can talk to me, but also that they want to. I’m non-judgemental, curious and interested to know what is happening for my clients and I don’t look to place labels on them or pathologise their behaviour. I don’t diagnose people with disorders because I don’t think people are broken in ways that can be labelled, but if you do have an existing diagnosis you want to talk about I will do what I can to help understand what that means for you, how that information is helpful to your healing.

I’m highly able to understand and connect with the emotions of others. I’m open and transparent in my approach, but also able to be analytical about what is happening too. My style of working with people is of course professional, and I am aware of what is appropriate to the needs of the client, but I also think therapy can be a fun and joyful place to explore who we are, it doesn’t have to be a path of broken glass we must walk.

Sometimes people just need to be able to take off whatever mask they feel they need to wear in the world so that they can be seen, accepted and understood. I do my best to make my clients feel comfortable so that when they are challenged it feels like someone trying to help them, not like they are being criticised, judged or attacked. I also think it’s important for clients to have a space where they can simply be, to express their fears or other feelings they don’t believe can be shown elsewhere - if what you need is a place to be emotionally held and contained, but no-one else is doing that, I would like to help.