Testimonials

“I was working with Hugh for over a year and it was one of the best decisions I made, Hugh is an excellent counsellor who talks to you and not at you, I have seen improvements in my own life thanks to the sessions with Hugh. The sessions are collaborative and Hugh gets you in involved in the sessions, Hugh makes you feel at ease and welcome, his sessions are very helpful and always drops gems that will help you in this game called life”.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect and wasn’t sure if I would get what I needed from the sessions. But, now I have everything I wanted that has helped me with my anxiety and worries. I am very grateful I received this support and found the therapy very beneficial for me. I can see and feel the improvements I have made during the sessions and I know how to deal with my anxiety. Thank you so much!”.

I came to Hugh with what I can only describe as OCD-type symptoms: thoughts generated internally, that took on the semblance of reality and led me to check and recheck things to give myself the relief these scary thoughts were not real. Hugh helped me to challenge this negative internal critic, and gave me tangible ways to combat these thoughts as they arise. A key outcome is that, whilst I accept I still need work on why I have those thoughts in the first place, they don’t cast a shadow over everything I do with anything like the power that they used to. Hugh provided a safe and welcoming environment, and a lot of empathy, and I’m very thankful to have undertaken this course of CBT with him.

The whole experience for me became a real integral part of my life. Hugh’s warmth, understanding and empathy helped me deal with my anxiety and situations that I struggled with. I felt listened to and could express myself fully. Thank you Hugh you have really helped me in so many ways. I can’t thank you enough.

“I can’t thank you enough for always being there for me Hugh. Over the past year during the pandemic lot’s of things came up for me that I needed to work through. Thank you for always listening and helping me understand and accept who I am. Thanks for changing my life and giving me hope for my future”.

‘Deciding to find yourself a therapist can feel like a surrender; ending a shouting match you’ve been having with your own head by simply throwing the toys out the pram and asking somebody else to pick them up and put them back in. It shouldn’t be, and therapy with Hugh certainly wasn’t: it was a victory that snuck slowly out of nowhere. It transliterated the battle between me and my brain into a solicitous conversation between the two of us, one that not only let the clouds lift on my anxiety and depression, but gave a gilt edge outline to a proud sense of self my own neuroses had up until that point forced me to repeatedly detour around. With Hugh I went from getting lost in myself and losing myself in the process to being able to elide my past and present selves into a cohesive and honest conception of who I am that I am continually proud of without even realising it. Now when I stare inside I don’t have to flinch and look away, thanks to Hugh I simply smile.’

Continual thanks for everything you’ve done!

‘I learnt in sessions the ability to open up to someone and not fearing that I would be judged in anyway. Thank you!’

“We were increasingly worried about some aspects of our 11 year old son’s behaviour and his general mental well-being.  So we approached Hugh who undertook a course of therapy with him.  Over a period of weekly sessions we found our son increasingly happy to visit Hugh and his gentle approach seemed to bring about a noticeable improvement in his apparent wellbeing.  All in all we would recommend Hugh very highly, noting of course that it takes a while to get results and, as with children more generally, it is sometimes it is two steps forward and one back. However, we feel like he now is a much happier 11 year old boy.”  

I felt my thoughts were taken very seriously and felt my therapist respected me and was caring. This helped me to face and work through the problems that affected me in my life. Thank you so much for being there for me.

The sessions really helped me to know myself better and control my anger,

You gave me the space to get a lot of my shoulders and didn’t judge me. I was depressed and feeling low for a long time. I had suicidal thoughts which stopped me from going to college and living my life. You helped me so much to understand and work through my anxieties. Thank you Hugh.

All my gratitude

I came to Hugh having low expectations of what counselling do for me, but Hugh was welcoming and understanding from the first session. The sessions became the highlight of my week and I would emerge feeling like a huge weight had been lifted and feel positivity and hope. Hugh gave me the power to view things from a different perspective and has helped me enjoy the good things in life again. Even though this chapter has been resolved, I would not hesitate to reach out to Hugh again should anything change in the future. Thank you for all your help!

Thanks for all the time you gave me. I really appreciated it, and you helped me so much. Having a platform where I can speak and be myself was amazing and really helped me to cool off. Thank you for listening and never judging me. You accepted me for the real me. I feel honoured to have been able to talk to you every week, and I think its pretty obvious that I will miss our sessions. The sessions were the highlight of my week. You really took the weight off my shoulders, and I can never thank you enough.

Had trouble for years dealing with my anxiety around people. Coming to counselling really helped me deal with this. Thank you for never judging me, and helping me to feel more happier within myself.

Thank you so much Hugh for standing by me throughout. Coming into therapy wasn’t easy for me, as lots of things were going on in my life that affected me, as well as my marriage and family. The support you gave me helped me to move forward,and gave me permission to talk finally about what was troubling me. Thanks again Hugh.

Thank you for being a part of my journey. You’ve helped me to have faith in myself as well as trust for others. I truly appreciate each and every session, and don’t regret taking any step. Thank you once again!

I came to Hugh with low moods and anxiety. Through talking to Hugh my anxiety reduced and I was able to deal with things a lot better. I began to understand the triggers to my moods and we found ways in which helped me to cope and deal with things better. I began to open up to my parents a lot more, which was hard for me when I first started, but now I feel loved, happy and comfortable again. Overall counselling has allowed me to be more open with my feelings and have an understanding of the causes of my low moods, which no longer exist for me.

I struggled developing relationships as I battled with myself expressing and opening up to others without any fear and anxiety of being judged. It was through these sessions with Hugh that helped and provided me with the confidence to face and deal with my own uncertainties about myself. Thanks Hugh for listening and providing the support that has now given me the confidence to go forward in life.

I was not in a very good place mentally, emotionally and physically. These sessions with Hugh have helped me to over come my road blocks and personal issues. I was able to talk through and understand what actually was going on for me. I can proudly say I am able to deal and take care of myself better, and in a much better position mentally in life now. Thank you so much Hugh.

Overall I have a great experience having counselling because I was able to talk about things that were difficult for me in my life. It made me a stronger and confident person and I would like to say thank you Hugh for being there for me.

Our son was adopted at age 3 months, and struggled with many fears and uncertainties about his identity and place in the world. He was lucky enough to attend a primary school where Hugh was a staff member, providing pastoral support and therapy across the school. Our son had weekly therapy sessions with Hugh over the course of three years which had a huge positive impact on his self confidence and sense of identity at school and at home.

Hugh provided enormous support for our son, both academically and socially, at a time when he really needed help. Our son trusted Hugh and always looked forward to his sessions. He knew that Hugh would listen, make space for him to express himself, and nurture him when he was feeling anxious. We all appreciated Hugh’s insight and gentle understanding. Hugh was great at providing us with updates while being respectful of our son’s confidentiality – we all knew exactly what to expect from his sessions and follow ups, and that we could always count on him going the extra mile to support us and our son.

We highly recommend Hugh to parents who are seeking insightful and caring support for their child.

I was feeling frustrated and angry at home. Then my mum asked school if I could be referred to Hugh for help. When I started seeing Hugh, we played a lot of games that made me feel happy. He had a ball that asked questions about my emotions which felt like another game. We passed the ball to each other and answered questions together. When we played with the emotions ball I told him things I had kept in. He made me feel comfortable and he was like a friend to me. It didn’t feel awkward at all. Thanks to Hugh I am happier and more confident.

Thanks Hugh

Hugh has achieved fantastic progress for our son, helping him find confidence and self assurance through a period of intense personal and family upheaval. Hugh provided a safe space for our son to uncover his own feelings and helped him with techniques to manage his own emotions and deal more effectively with those of others around him. Hugh concluded the counselling with a powerful session with the whole family where we were able to recognise and celebrate the differences made for all of us.

Many thanks Hugh for your kind and loving care.

My daughter undertook some sessions with Hugh during her last year of primary school. I found the entire experience very beneficial not only for my daughter but for myself. He kept me informed at all times as to what his findings were and how I may be able to support her at home. Being a parent you think you know everything about your children, but he taught so much about her of which I am so grateful. There were positive results and changes in her attitude and behaviour. I found the service highly effective. I was happy with the speed at which sessions progressed, not too fast yet not too laborious either. She was given a lot of high-quality support. Highly recommended!

Hugh has really helped me since I first visited him. He was very understanding and non-judgemental which was what I needed. He sensitively challenged some things I said which was incredibly helpful at getting me to look at things differently. He got me to put things into perspective and he was great to meet each week to talk to someone with an objective view. He was friendly and I felt able to open up which was important for me.

My daughter visited Hugh for awhile as we had experienced some family issues that affected us all, but especially my daughter emotionally. She never spoke openly about how she felt and was always sad. The sessions helped her work through the problems she faced and we now have a much better understanding relationship together, as she is gets involved in a lot more activities outside of school, and is a much more happier child.

Working with Hugh was great. He helped me to work through some much of my fears and anxieties. He helped me understand what I was going through and supported me throughout, as I never felt alone or judged in anyway.