LOCATION: Wilbury Road and online
AVAILABILITY: Thursday evenings for face to face appointments and other times online by arrangement
PRICE: £50 per session
SPECIALISMS:
Trauma-stress
Men's Issues
Addictions/Dependencies
Loss & Grief
Life Transitions
Drugs & Alcohol
Coping & Managing
Anger & Frustration
Identity & Self-esteem
Anxious & Depressive states
Talking Suicide (and suicidal thoughts)

Training

Larry is a BSc (Hons) qualified and insured counsellor, and registered member of the BACP. He trained in the humanistic person-centred tradition, which is a respectful, relationship-focused approach. He incorporates other ways of working, as and when deemed helpful by the client.

With over 10 years’ experience, Larry has worked in specialist agencies providing support for those suffering problematic drug & alcohol use, and other dependencies, and more recently providing trauma-informed counselling with male survivors of unwanted sexual experiences. He has also worked with clients on general issues at counselling cooperatives, and in private practice. Larry continues an upkeep of professional development training through workshops, online, and publications.

Approach

Larry welcomes, and is open to, working with all clients and issues, either face to face or online.

Larry strives to work in a very practical, non-judgemental, caring, and down-to-earth way as a therapy partner and exploratory companion. His approach is rooted in humanistic person-centred values which acknowledges that an effective, confidential, and safe working alliance between client and counsellor is probably the single most important, fundamental aspect of therapy. From this relationship-focused base, Larry works in a flexible and adaptive way, challenging the 'one size fits all' view, with collaboration at its heart, and an emphasis on client–therapist dialogue on the 'goals' or 'aims' of the therapy, and methods used, by working with an openness to all approaches on the premise that each client is unique, and may simply need different things at different times.

He views people as experts on their own lives (even if they don't feel like they are), who have lots of potentially good ideas about how to deal with their difficulties. One of his main roles, as he sees it, is to help the person make the best use of their own resources, strengths, experiences, and viewpoints. How therapy can help with this is by working with the client to disentangle the various strands of the issues, and help to decide what needs to be addressed first, in support of the client working toward potentially better ways of living a more present and satisfying life.

Working with trauma-stress

Larry has worked with clients presenting with varying degrees of ongoing trauma-related distress, either from past or ongoing experiences. He bases the work on a very practical 3 stage trauma-informed model that is hoped will support the client better manage and cope with everyday life. The stages are not necessarily linear, and may flow in and out of each other, which is completely normal as a continuous process.

Stage 1: Safety and stabilisation - 'putting the brakes on, and slowing down', grounding work (mindfulness), and managing possible dissociative experiences.

Stage 2: Acceptance - coming to terms with traumatic experiences and memories, at your pace, and only what feels right for you - it is not essential that you disclose detail of your experiences.

Stage 3: Integration and moving on - coping, managing, moving forward, doing things differently, connecting better socially.

Men's Issues

Having worked with men from all walks of life, including those who've suffered and survived unwanted sexual experiences. Larry believes that 21st century men seeing a mental health professional about their wellbeing and expressing how they feel has little to no stigma surrounding it anymore, and the belief that men must 'suffer in silence' an outmoded and ultimately harmful way of thinking and living.

Attitudes have changed, and men are beginning to see that therapy is "a legitimate and worthwhile thing to do." It's OK to want help and talk through feelings of frustration and sadness, struggles with addictions, sexual relations, feeling alone, suicidal thoughts, or a combination of these.

Reaching out to talk in a confidential space is a great start, and working with a male counsellor in particular may hold some added merit.

Addictions/Dependencies

Larry offers emotional and motivational support to help reduce or abstain from addictions & dependencies. Whether your concern is about an occasional drink or some other activity i.e. risky relationships, food, self-harm, alcohol & drug use, social media and pornography, gambling etc. 

Larry's position throughout sessions is to understand, accept, and not judge you, whilst working with you to bring an awareness to ‘the root of the problem’. This aspect is a major part of the discovery and learning about oneself, how these dependencies came about, and finding a way forward. There is no pressure, or a right or wrong way, only your way, with gentle challenge, realistic considerations, and practical encouragement.

Other information

Larry appreciates the difference and diversity in our society and endeavours to treat everyone with attention, courtesy, respect and consideration and will not discriminate against anyone - either directly or indirectly - on grounds of race, colour, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, disability, religion or belief, age, part-time or fixed-term status, or on any other irrelevant or irrational basis in support of equality and diversity within society.

Larry’s articles in expertise and resources