ABOUT ME
Existential Psychotherapist
Training Counselling Psychologist
I strive to provide a therapeutic space that facilitates clients feeling heard, with empathy, openness and honesty at the core of this experience. I am committed to helping my clients face the challenges of life and to reflect on and embrace the freedom of choice human kind has. I am mindful of understanding a client's position in the world and their unique identity in relating to themselves and to others. I believe in working with you to reflect on your current ways of being, enabling you to identify and develop further on your internal resources.
Paul Gomes (MBPsS)
My Training
- PhD Candidate: Doctorate in Counselling Psychology
- Certificate in Adoption Support Counselling
- Post Graduate Certificate in Psychological Studies
- Masters of Science: Psychology
- Bachelor of Arts: Industrial Psychology
Professional Membership
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy: Registered Member (MBACP)
- British Psychological Society: Graduate Chartership (MBPsS)
- Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association
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 have been through an adoption reunion.
I am trained in a number of different counselling styles, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychoanalytic, Existential Phenomenological, and Mindfuleness. As part of my practise, I strive to adapt these approaches to my clients 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 open-ended approach.
In using a time-limited approach, we will arrange a set number of sessions up front (usually between 10 - 12 sessions) and monitor how we progress with the sessions. In the first session we will talk through what has brought you to counselling, your expectations of the counselling process, and what you would like to get out of your counselling experience. This also provides me with an oppertunity of understanding if time-limited therapy will be suited to your circumstances. The sessions that follow will be dedicated to working through the personal challenges you have sought counselling for. During the last session we will assess what the counselling experience has been like and discuss how you would like to proceed. Short term or time limited counselling can be a good introduction to the therapeutic process, if this is the first time you have sought counselling. Time limited counselling generally has a tighter focus and concentrates on issues that are current, and 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. Adittionally, some clients may move from time-limited to open-ended counselling as a result of discovering something they would like to explore in greatter 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 experienceclients. You will then have on-going sessions for as long as you think and feel they are needed.
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 therapy I offer
- Face to face sessions in Kings Cross, London
- Online sessions
- Telephone Sessions
