Brendan Barnes
Brendan qualified as a counsellor in 2021 at the Minster Centre in London. This followed a career in the private sector, first as an accountant and since 1990, working in public affairsin the pharmaceutical industry, initially in London and for the last 20 years, in Brussels. In 1989, he completed an MBA at Ashridge Management College. In 2016, he commenced training as an Integrative Counsellor and has been working with clients since 2019. Among other areas he has worked with clients on anxiety, stress, depression, anger and feelings of loss of meaning and direction.
An integrative training explores the contribution that different schools of psychotherapeutic theory can make to working with clients. and thus provides a rich set of resources. and heard. Brendan sees his clients as trying to make sense of their world. Personal history, including its social and cultural context, plays an important part in the work. He aims to support the client's understanding of their values, beliefs, choices and assumptions. Often, it is by questioning what we think we know about ourselves that insight emerges about our internal processes and narratives.
Brendan's work is based on building the conditions for a strong therapeutic alliance in which clients feel safe The work is led by the client. The therapeutic space should be non-judgmental and a safe holding space for clients, while allowing them to define the direction and pace of the work. Counselling works best when there is sufficient trust between the counsellor and the client to allow the therapist to question, explore and challenge the client’s thinking and the client feels comfortable to share. Sometimes, as well as being heard and supported in their enquiry, what clients need is very practical support, guidance and education.
The duration of therapy is open-ended but with regular check-ins to ensure that the work remains relevant to the client's needs.
Brendan is registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and works within the BACP Ethical Framework.