Peter Searle

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”
— Søren Kierkegaard

This quote captures something at the heart of how I approach therapy. We cannot change what has happened to us, but by developing a deeper understanding of our past, we can begin to recognise how it may still be shaping our present — and make different choices about our future.

I am a BACP Accredited integrative counsellor and clinical supervisor with 14 years’ experience, working with individuals, couples and professionals. My approach brings together Psychodynamic, Humanistic and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), allowing me to respond to the individual rather than expecting the individual to fit a particular therapeutic model.

Although integrative, my work is strongly influenced by psychodynamic thinking. I am particularly interested in making the unconscious conscious and the invisible visible: gently exploring the experiences, relationships and beliefs that may sit beneath the surface of our lives. Sometimes we find ourselves repeating patterns we do not fully understand, responding to present relationships through the lens of earlier experiences, or simply feeling that something is not quite right without knowing why.

Therapy provides an opportunity to become curious about these things rather than judging them.

I work with people experiencing anxiety, depression, loss, trauma, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and significant periods of change or uncertainty. Alongside individual therapy, I work with couples, where the relationship itself becomes an important focus of our work. Rather than simply deciding who is right or wrong, we can explore the patterns that have developed between two people, what lies beneath conflict or disconnection, and how each partner might begin to understand both themselves and one another differently.

I also provide clinical supervision and reflective practice groups, supporting counsellors, leaders and professionals whose work involves caring for, supporting or holding responsibility for others. I have worked across private practice, charities, churches and organisational settings.

At the heart of everything I do is the relationship. I believe therapy should offer a space where you can feel safe enough to be honest, curious enough to explore what may be difficult, and accepted enough not to have all the answers.

As a practising Christian, I can also offer faith-sensitive therapy where this is important to the client. Equally, I warmly welcome people of all faiths and none.

Ultimately, my role is not to tell you who you should become, but to walk alongside you as we develop a deeper understanding of who you are, what has shaped you — and how you would like to live moving forwards.