James Morrell

James Morrell is a fully qualified person-centred therapist with a Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling and Psychotherapy and an accredited register membership of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), licensed in the United Kingdom. He works from a humanistic, person-centred framework that focuses on each client’s experience and needs, and he does not provide formal diagnoses. Instead he aims to offer a safe and confidential space where clients can explore who they are and what they need.

While rooted in the person-centred model, James draws on additional approaches when they suit a client’s needs, including Transactional Analysis and Egan’s solution-focused work. Over six years of practice he has supported people with a range of concerns such as stress, anxiety, depression and addictions, and he creates an environment where emotions can be shared without judgment so clients can consider the conditions they need to grow.

James has a particular interest in working with men and in thinking about how therapy can better meet men’s needs. He notes the relative scarcity of men both training and working in counselling and has reflected on wider patterns in help-seeking. He references research showing that a large proportion of men who die by suicide had contact with mental health services in the prior year, and that a notable number of men offered treatment through UK NHS Talking Therapies do not complete their allocated sessions. These observations inform his work with male clients and his commitment to a collaborative style in the therapy room.

Questions about masculinity, vulnerability and labels such as toxic masculinity are part of the conversations he is prepared to have. James is mindful that therapists can unintentionally reproduce societal judgments about men - for example seeing anger as difficult or silence as uncooperative - and he aims to provide a space where he talks with clients rather than at them. He welcomes both male and female clients.

James also incorporates cultural competence into his practice, recognising that therapy’s predominantly white, middle-class makeup can be a barrier for people from minority backgrounds. He aims to respect and appreciate the diversity of human experience and the ways culture shapes perspectives.

When working with addictive behaviours James recognises that substance use or behavioural patterns such as pornography or gambling can offer temporary relief from feelings of insecurity or a sense that life is not enough. He offers a space to explore an individual’s relationship with their addiction and to build self-acceptance as a step toward greater autonomy over how they want their life to be.

James is a male, gay therapist who describes himself as older, non-religious and liberal, and he works with both UK and international clients.