Counselling in Stroud

Are you struggling to resolve current issues that are creating difficulties in your life and not sure where to turn? I offer a supportive and compassionate safe space for you to talk through and explore your feelings, helping you to find your way to healing and making the positive changes that you seek. Whether you are experiencing stress, anxiety, relationship problems, trauma, narcissistic abuse, addiction issues, bereavement and loss, low self esteem, infertility, Long Covid, please contact me so that I can offer you a calming, comforting and confidential Initial Consultation Session to discuss the problems you are facing.

People take the step to seek therapy for many reasons. Perhaps you are experiencing feelings of anxiety, overwhelm or depression. You may be facing a dilemma, feeling stuck or lacking a sense of purpose or direction in life. Often people will come because they are struggling with relationship or family issues that feel hard to resolve. A traumatic event, loss or life-stage crisis might lead you to look for professional support. Maybe fears and unhelpful behaviours are limiting your life.

I champion a person's ability to empower themselves and develop a stronger self connection and connection to others. It is a privilege to share in the personal challenges and ventures of each unique individual & couple I work with in therapy. If you need to find a space to really be listened to, make sense of past, present or future events, discuss personal issues and learn how to move into a deeper understanding of yourself & your relationship to those around you, I would be honoured to be there alongside you.

Therapy offers an important step in discovering the world around us and finding our place in it. For some people, coming to therapy is a big step. It can take courage to identify a need to heal, recover or progress. My approach aims to ensure that you feel safe in the knowledge that you can trust the therapeutic process. Maintaining the core values of empathy, unconditional positive regard for you as well as congruence (being authentic), I also use other modes of therapy.

Choosing a counsellor with whom to connect and build a trusting therapeutic relationship can feel daunting, even risky, yet also empowering and hopeful. What does it feel like to take off masks, shedding protective layers that keep the authentic, vulnerable self safe while navigating through challenging or traumatic times? Together we can explore what you feel ready and safe to share - whether these are current, buried or almost forgotten experiences. I will be at your side to listen; endeavouring to relate to your unique circumstances and way of being; facilitative of your change and growth process.

I am an experienced counsellor PROVIDING THERAPY IN THE OUTDOORS. Sometimes we want to talk but sitting in a counselling room might not feel like the right space for you. WALKING WHILST TALKING might just give you the space and freedom to begin to understand some uncomfortable feelings and past experiences in the safe hands of myself within nature. Being in nature will help you to learn how to resource yourself whilst processing the past giving you a clearer feel of the future. You may feel anxious or depressed, struggling with relationships. I work from Pittville Park, The Cotswolds and Crickley Hill. I also do home visits.

You may be finding it difficult to cope, and feel alone? You may be struggling after a trauma or bereavement, separation, or with ill-health? Or maybe feel that your life is stuck, or lacking purpose? At times like these, counselling offers a space for you to explore your thoughts and feelings, with someone who will strive to understand without judgement, & help you make sense of your feelings, find clarity, or make decisions. I offer all my clients Empathy, Congruence, and Unconditional Positive Regard. I also offer play, sand-tray, art and creative therapies to my younger clients. Home visits are available.

In troubling times it can sometimes feel like you are alone & seeking help might feel really difficult. Just having a space to make sense of the thoughts that jumble around our heads is invaluable. Perhaps you need to understand yourself, your relationships or events from your past. Sometimes all we need is someone to just listen and hear our story. Counselling promotes insight, fosters self-awareness & creates a stronger, more resilient sense of self. This powerful combination can be the kick-start for the changes in your life you wish to make - sometimes even the smallest changes can make a huge difference in your well-being.

Not knowing which way to turn or who you can talk to? Life feeling something like this overwhelming, relationships strained, broken down, lacking confidence & self-esteem, difficult to voice or understand what you need, feeling down on edge & simply confused? Then welcome to Barry Cook 'The Tattooed Counsellor' When we feel this way our problems may be all mixed up growing bigger or unmanageable by the day. It could be that past or present experiences are causing us confusion & conflict. Maybe you would benefit from talking to someone who is not a part of your friends & family and will simply allow you to be you.

Life is not always easy. The fact that you are looking at my page suggests that something feels stuck, painful, maybe hopeless or unreachable and that you want something different for yourself – that you want things to change. Perhaps you want to free yourself from repetitive patterns of behaviour, depression, anxiety and self-limiting beliefs or the impact of trauma. Maybe you want to deepen your connection to yourself so that life feels richer and more rewarding and you can find a more authentic sense of yourself. Whatever your reason, I offer you a safe, empathetic and thoughtful space to explore whatever you want to bring.

I am a fully qualified and highly experienced art psychotherapist, parenting consultant clinical supervisor. I provide evidence-based therapeutic services to children, families and adults through art psychotherapy, VIPP-SD (Video feedback Interaction to promote Positive Parenting and Sensitive Discipline) and the Incredible Years Parenting Programme. I have over 12 years of clinical experience working for CAMHS/NHS, charities and within educational institutions with parents, children and adults with varied abilities including neurodiversity. I am passionate about helping others discover inspiration and a fulfilling life.

Systemic and Family Psychotherapy. MSC (distinction) from The Family Institute, University of South Wales. NHS employed (CAMHS), with small private practice. Working with individuals, couples, families and children. Currently completing the IAPT Systemic Supervision course with the University of Exeter. I usually meet with clients face to face at rooms in Stroud, and can also provide digital therapy.

I have worked for over 15 years as a body-oriented psychotherapist, specialising in prenatal & birth/ attachment issues, sexual trauma, life transitions & crisis. I am also a TRE (Tension Releasing Exercises) provider, to support the release of stress from the body/ mind. More recently I have trained to work with women of all ages & life stages around menstrual cycle awareness, the menopause passage & after & I am currently training as a women's transformational coach & facilitator. I feel passionately about supporting women to step into greater self-love, empowerment & fulfillment in all areas of their life.

Are you finding that life is a struggle? Do you feel overwhelmed, anxious or depressed. Research has shown that working with a therapist that you trust can help you.

I work with children, young people and their families, often when things are feeling difficult or overwhelming. Some of the reasons families have worked with me include: support to understand and manage feelings of anxiety, depression or frustration; difficulties with emotion-regulation; and difficulties within family relationships, including parent-infant and parent-child relationships.

We all face difficult times in life, in fact I think we could just say, life is difficult. In counselling you will be thinking with another person about how you manage life’s struggles, how you relate to friends and family and how your present situation may be related to your past experiences. Talking and thinking with another can bring about a new perspective to old problems or worries and help you find new ways of approaching things. in. In my experience even small changes can have a very positive impact. Speaking to someone might feel a bit daunting to begin with but I find people soon settle in.

Do you find yourself going around painful and frustrating circles in your life and relationships? Do you feel stuck, overwhelmed and uncertain how to move forward? Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we just need another person to help us find a new path. Therapy can help us make sense of our feelings, thoughts and actions. It can support us to work through difficult emotions and memories and enable us to find the courage and compassion needed to forge a better life for ourselves. Choosing a therapist can be daunting, but having an initial chat on the phone can help you decide if someone feels like a good fit for you.