Ryan Dawes, Mphil, PGDip, Reg.MBACP – Counsellor in Glasgow & Helensburgh

Hello and welcome to my page. I did my counselling training at the University of Strathclyde.

In 2014 I spent five months living in three Buddhist monasteries/temples in South Korea, Myanmar, and Thailand and I now visit a Thai Buddhist monastery regularly. I have a regular meditation practice which strongly shapes how I work as a counsellor.

Counselling can be a supportive space to help find a way forward when things are difficult or impossible to bear and a safe space to explore new or unknown aspects of yourself.

I aim to

• create an environment or climate where you feel empowered to be with or explore your thoughts, feelings and aspects of your life important to you in a way perhaps not possible with friends or family
• provide an unconditional acceptance that is safe, warm and respectful of what and how you are. I follow your lead and try to understand things from your point of view.

I have worked with children, young people and adults suffering with anxiety, stress, depression, low mood, trauma, dissociation, loss and change, abuse (physical, emotional and sexual), self-harm, suicidal ideation/thoughts about suicide, relationship difficulties and people searching for meaning or significant change in their lives.

Types of work:

• Short-term Counselling (up to 10, 20 or 30 meetings) for increasing/developing
  o understanding of problems/difficulties
  o understanding of self
  o awareness of feelings
• Long-term Counselling (more than 30 to 40 meetings) for increasing/developing
  o understanding of problems/difficulties, understanding of self, awareness of feelings
  o internal resources (for example understanding what you 'bring' to a situation, appreciation of your sense of a situation)
• Focused Counselling (1-3 meetings) - working rapidly and intensively on your problem(s)/difficulty(ies) you already have a developed understanding of.
• Single/One-off meeting.

I can meet in Glasgow or in Helensburgh or online.

Qualifications:
Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy (University of Strathclyde)

Memberships:
I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) and an Accredited Member of the National Counselling Society. I'm also a Practitioner Member of Person-Centred Therapy Scotland and .

Fees:

• Standard fee - £40 per meeting (first meeting - £25 (approximately 2/3 price))
• Reduced fee - £30 per meeting (first meeting - £20 (2/3 price)) if
  opt-in to my research into the effectiveness/helpfulness of counselling (visit www.research.ryandawes.co.uk for details), or
  on a low income, or
  a student.
• Initial 20-minute meeting online - free.