A little bit about me...

Hello, I’m Joe.

Welcome to the Palms Counselling and Personal Development web-page.

I founded Palms Counselling and Personal Development as I wanted to provide a down-to-earth, no-nonsense counselling service for blokes; whatever your background, history and life circumstances happens to be.

I’m probably not your stereotypical therapist – in that I’ve spent most of my working life so far on building sites, and in my down time I'm interested in strength athletics and Rock n' Roll.

But it’s these kinds of things (as well as many others) that make me the person that I am; and it’s important for you to know a bit about me if you’re going to trust me enough to share about yourself.

Background

I’ve spent most of my working life in the building industry as a site carpenter, and also spent time working as a doorman at some bars & nightclubs in Bournemouth in my younger days.

In my late-20's I went to university and studied applied theology, which in turn led me on to training to become a qualified counsellor.

I’ve also spent time creating and delivering a non-profit youth project in some local schools, working with teenage lads to think about life issues like resilience and self-confidence.

Counselling Experience

I did my counselling training at Redlands, a counselling agency and training centre in Bournemouth, and I’m professionally trained as a Humanistic Integrative counsellor.

What this basically means is that I have been trained in a variety of approaches to counselling, where the model that best suits you can be used. As we are all so unique as individuals, I don't believe there can be a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to counselling; so I find it beneficial to tailor my counselling approach to each individual I'm working with to best meet their needs.

I have experience counselling people with a variety of concerns, including working with a nationwide EAP service, within a local counselling agency and also with Bournemouth YMCA.

In addition to being professionally trained, I am also a registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy); more information on the requirements for attaining BACP membership can be read here.

I am also DBS checked and fully insured.

I believe that we can all greatly benefit from taking time to work on our mental health - whether that be working through some challenging life 'stuff' that has come our way, or taking focused time to plan and grow in our professional or personal life.

Qualifications and Continued Professional Development

Registered Member of British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
Level 4 Diploma Therapeutic Counselling
Level 3 Therapeutic Counselling
Level 2 Counselling Skills
BA HONS Applied Theology
Transactional Analysis in Action CPD workshop