“Being in therapy made us talk about important issues, which I initially thought would end in a break-up. However, it made me feel even more connected to my partner and I realised how much I love and want to be with him.”
- Leo
Simon was compassionate, flexible, interested, sometimes funny. It was a pleasure working with him.
- Milo
Simon was very attentive, took great notes and remembered everything I said, and I felt like he was very invested in my growth and development.
[Therapy] honestly just made me far more aware of my negative thought patterns. In the past when I would experience negative self-talk, if I caught myself doing it then I would immediately feel a sense of shame which fed this loop of negative self talk -> feeling of shame -> more negative self talk -> more shame, etc.
The skills learning using CBT allow me to exit that loop much quicker by noticing my thoughts/feelings, and then just moving on.”
- Kyle
“I liked being comfortable to clearly and frankly talk through subjects that I’ve never discussed with anyone else in many cases. Simon’s thoughtful and logical way of listening and responding, whilst offering incredibly helpful tools and techniques, has a had a profound effect on my daily life. One of the key messages, to be kinder to myself, has been especially helpful.
Overall, the therapy I’ve received has had a dramatically positive effect on all aspects of my life. More so than I would’ve imagined before beginning the process. Thank you Simon!”
- Stanford
“I was in the incredibly lucky position to find exactly what I was looking for in a therapist in Simon at the exact right moment in time. A stroke of luck in what did not feel like a very lucky time in my life.
Simon quickly helped me to gain perspective and listened with compassion and generosity. A shared understanding of what it means to navigate life as gay men in their 40s helped lay the groundwork for a trusting relationship which opened the door for more difficult conversations. I was so grateful that humour had a place in our sessions which not only helped to break the ice initially, but also made therapy sessions feel like a safe place and I always felt listened to with great empathy and never over-therapised”.
- Otto
“I enjoy talking with Simon. He has a good sense of humour and is easy to talk to. I trust him to support me.
Myself and my wife are very grateful. I am not sure how I would be without his help.”
- Oscar
“We found the sessions extremely helpful. While we’ve both had CBT before it made a real difference to be talking to another man who understands what it’s like to be gay. Simon got us to think about things in a clear way. He understood our position and pointed things out to us that seem obvious now, but were not until he hit upon them. We were challenged to find better ways of communicating with and understanding each other. We are very grateful.”
- Matt & Ben
"I always felt fully understood and listened to by Simon. His thoughtfulness, perceptiveness, intellect and humour made him a great counterpart in therapy - there is lots I will take forward from our time together"
- Jane
“Having exposure therapy for the first time was so beneficial, I’d never done it before, but it really helped my recovery. It was difficult, especially doing it live in the session, but this was the only way to really learn and understand it.
I loved just being challenged, having my thoughts questioned, to make me think and challenge them myself. The first time Simon asked me why? it just felt like a relief. Why do I have to think this, feel this, believe my thoughts.
Simon has a different style to other therapists I’ve seen, and it’s been beneficial to me. It’s good to be pushed but in the right way. He challenged that OCD voice.
For me as well, having homework and focus for what I needed to do outside of the sessions was really important.”
- Holly
“Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity of having Simon as my therapist. He was kind, understanding and never made me feel like I was being judged. He led our sessions with focus and compassion, not to mention that I was very positively surprised by the fact that as a male therapist could be so knowledgeable of female sexuality. Our work to help me overcome vaginismus and anxiety really changed my life.”
- J.M.
“I felt 100% listened to. I was always amazed by Simon’s ability to remember things that I’d said in previous sessions… It showed me that he cares and is always picking up on even the smallest details
Simon has a calm and genuinely caring nature. Over time he helped me shift my perspective and look at things differently, gently nudging me to put into practice some of the things we discussed.
I couldn’t have had a better experience.”
- Adam
“I had spoken to a few therapists previously and had discussed my feelings of shame but didn’t make any real progress. I never felt that they understood what I was saying, which often left me feeling confused and embarrassed. With Simon I really felt that he understood where I was coming from. Talking with him I became aware that the way I was feeling was actually very common and that there was a way to fix it.”
- Tommy
“To summarise everything, this has been quite the journey. I was initially disappointed that there wasn’t this magic wand that was going to make me feel better and often in the beginning, the process felt extremely emotionally draining and I thought I was getting nowhere. But I think the key difference happened when I changed my attitude to therapy and my belief in it, which I think is so important to communicate to anyone starting therapy.
Simon didn’t have the answers to all my problems but he has this amazing ability to make you think about things a certain way by asking you questions, which I initially didn’t acknowledge but I would think about them outside the sessions and come back having reflected on it. And slowly but surely I had a whole new mindset that meant I could cope with issues and emotions and have better outlook in general. All in all, I feel very privileged to have been in a position where I had access to someone like Simon.”
- Dan
“I liked the open and friendly manner in which our sessions were conducted. I felt I could trust and open up to Simon quickly like I was talking to a friend. I felt I was “heard”, spoken to as an equal rather than being talked at like a patient or judged which I felt has happened when I have worked with other therapists. I felt I could be very open/honest and speak about things that I found difficult or embarrassing.”
- Colin
“I valued the time & space to talk through my anxiety and OCD with someone as thoughtful, experienced and empathetic as Simon. He has helped me to think differently about how I speak to and about myself, and what that owes to my experience growing up gay.
Simon has a very calm, relaxed, friendly approach which is no less challenging for that, but which makes it very easy to open up and talk through things which are uncomfortable, and consider and talk about things which I perhaps hadn’t thought about before, or which I had never thought about in that way before.”
- Gareth
“I would just like to say a massive, heartfelt thank you. The sessions have helped me change the way I think and do things for the better and I truly believe they will be long lasting changes which will make me much happier. Whilst it has been hard at times and very challenging, the therapy has been genuinely enjoyable and given me so much. Whilst I will miss the sessions and the opportunity to talk to Simon about things regularly, I feel much more confident in my own abilities, have a much better sense of self-worth and am hopeful about the future.”
- Julius
“Therapy felt like teamwork. Like we were both trying to solve problems. Simon was really supportive and encouraged me not to berate myself for acting in a certain way, but instead just consider how I might do it differently next time. I’m really happy with the progress we made.”
- Ben
“Thank you so much for everything over the past year. I can't believe the progress. I'm definitely in a much better place than I've been in for a long time, and I feel equipped to continue in that good place despite whatever stresses life throws at me. “
- Laura
“Simon is a great listener. My sessions felt like a comfortable conversation, not a structured session working through a list of points to tick off. I think Simon has found the perfect balance between listening and offering advice that helped guide me to a better understanding of myself and my life in general. I didn’t feel like I was being told what I should or shouldn’t do, but rather being helped to work out what was right for me.
The support that Simon provided has had such a positive impact in a far wider way than I expected. I went to Simon about a specific issue and came away feeling better in all areas of my life. I can’t recommend him highly enough.”
- Giles
“I first met with Simon when I was at a real low point in terms of my self-esteem and my struggles with anxiety. I very quickly felt understood and over the course of the months that followed was able with Simon’s help to find a sense of perspective and overcome at least in part the issues I was dealing with. I can’t thank him enough.”
- Graham
“Simon is a wonderful therapist, kind, firm and supportive. When we first started meeting, I was extremely unhappy, thinking about self-harm and craving support. Simon has done more than offer that support, he’s helped me learn to support myself and given me the tools to care for myself, more than anyone I’ve ever known. I am extremely grateful.”
- M
“Can’t recommend enough, couldn’t have got through the last eight months without these sessions and Simon’s patience, support and direction. 10/10.”
- Michael
"The way Simon was able to be so straightforward with me and help me see me own problems was so helpful. He helped me learn to simply accept myself and give worth to myself and see everything I have in a clear perspective. And he was able to truly understand exactly what I meant and not try and put a greater meaning to anything like I have had with other therapists in the past.
I liked that I could come in one morning with a view of something in a particular way, and leave an hour later in a complete different mind, and always the better for it. Simon also never forced topics and never insisted that anything had to be a certain way but instead gave me the opportunity to express how I felt and show me other ways I could think about it.
There were moments of discomfort because of what we were addressing, but I am glad those moments happened because it was important for me. Admittedly the exercises where difficult. I’m glad I was given tasks to complete though, as they really aided my journey.
Simon is a fantastic therapist whom I would refer to anyone looking for CBT."
- Alex
“Drawing and discussing my timeline had an immediate effect on me. I feel that after that session a weight lifted and I haven’t felt angry about the things I discussed in these sessions ever since, although memories used to jump out all of the time before and make me constantly angry and upset. I’m not sure how this worked, but I have felt completely different ever since I left my appointment that day.”
- Ioanna
"I felt 100% understood. It was great having sessions with Simon because I felt that he really was listening to what I was saying. He helped create a really welcoming environment and it made the sessions feel very informal/comfortable while actually covering a huge range of topics and coping skills.
Simon encouraged me to think about things differently but not in a patronising way. We were able to have really open conversations which helped me see situations from different points of view. I have never done CBT before and was initially very hesitant but Simon was great at explaining the benefits and if something wasn't working, we just moved onto a different technique."
- Riley
"Simon was a tremendous help through a particularly difficult time. He helped me to be mindful, question my thought processes, and reclaim my self-confidence. He is inquisitive at the right moments and a patient listener, never judgmental or dismissive. After only a handful of sessions, I felt the benefits and was able to apply them to how I dealt with issues in my life. During sessions it felt like talking to a friend, rather than a cold or clinical environment, which was thanks to Simon’s frankness and openness."
- Steven
“I never felt judged and Simon was incredibly understanding.
I really valued the fact that Simon was so personable and warm. It helped put me at ease and made our appointments easier to look forward to, rather than something I was anxious about. As time went on it felt more like speaking with a friend. I also liked that it was never just a one-way conversation – Simon was really helpful and engaged throughout. I always felt listened to and often came away feeling positive about working things through.”
- Louis
"I liked the consistency in our meetings, Simon was always available to me and very supportive. He held a lot of information for me and provided me with an objective and positive space to work in. He was compassionate, knowledgeable and generous.
I would recommend Simon to anyone who was seeking CBT Therapy. I found him very professional and personable."
- Francisco
“I was initially hesitant to have sessions online but I thought Simon was really great and delivered a great service online.”
- Liam
“Working with Simon felt like a very safe place. He was relaxed, put me at ease, was able to make light of things when appropriate which made me look forward to the sessions. I also liked and respected the fact that Simon was honest about when he felt our work together was coming to a close which is not behaviour I saw with other therapists. I also liked the level of challenge Simon was able to give me in the sessions together which was an overall approach which was inquisitive / challenging but not overwhelming.
I would highly recommend Simon to others seeking a therapist. I found his approach down to earth, I enjoyed our time together and found everything we worked on to be practical and bite sized approach to implementing change in my life.”
- Ivan
“I am very stubborn and was very sceptical – it was only in hindsight of a few sessions that I realised it was helping and my opinion of how my mind works was changing. I was deeply unhappy and couldn’t pinpoint why or see hope, and I believe if I were in that place again I have the tools to prevent it or at least work my way out of it.”
- Mark
“I would recommend Simon. He was very easy to talk to and understood what I was going through. He was able to offer helpful advice and ideas in order to be able to deal with what I was going through. He also was not afraid to challenge me, especially around some of my more negative thoughts about myself.”
- Jason
"After trying various therapy methods with different therapists I became quite frustrated with the process. The sessions with Simon were finally what I was looking for; a great therapist who listened to my issues, offered a different perspective to my problems, gave me useful techniques to use in everyday situations, and ultimately, helped me think differently."
- George
“Simon is an excellent listener and has great empathy skills.
I liked Simon's caring nature and his dedication to helping me overcome my behavioural problems and start feeling better. I have seen a few therapists over a number of years and my experience was that Simon put more time and energy into supporting me than anyone else I had seen. He made me feel valued and cared for rather than just another client to spend an hour a week with.
I appreciated Simon's humour, he regularly made me laugh, always in an appropriate way, which helped when I was feeling very low.
I also appreciated Simon's wisdom. I think he is a very talented therapist who deserves to be successful."
- Darren
"Simon is very much a no-nonsense CBT therapist and does not allow you to make excuses for yourself or wallow in self-pity. With previous therapists, I think a little too much time was spent analysing my patterns of thought and behaviour and not enough was spent actually finding ways to disrupt them. I did not feel that this was the case with Simon.
I liked that the sessions felt quite informal and that I was able to feel like I was talking to a friend – this helped me broach subjects that might have been more difficult to bring up otherwise. Simon is non-judgmental, fun to be around and clearly puts a lot of thought and effort into his work. I liked that I turned up at my second session and he had already made a highly accurate word cloud about my life and my problems.
But most importantly, I have seen quite significant improvements in the way that I react to my intrusive thoughts, particularly the most troublesome ones. I am still finding it quite hard to alter some of my daily behaviours, but I feel much more able to stop myself from spiralling and getting myself into a complete state, which I feel very pleased about."
- Hannah
“I came to Simon at a dark time. After ignoring my feelings and never considering what was at the root of them, I accepted that at nearly 40 years of age, I needed to deal with them. I didn’t know what to expect when I started, but week after week, I went back. Simon listened patiently and provided me with the tools that have gotten me to the good place I am in now.
Looking back, it is hard for me to recognise the person that I was when I started. I recognise that person is still who I am, but now I am equipped to deal with my thoughts, pressures and stress. At 40 years old, I have turned a corner, and I am unbelievably thankful for the role that Simon played in my journey.
- Sam
“The therapist was really supportive, understanding and non-judgmental. I had been to therapists before but this therapist was the first to really get me to be honest about what I was going through as he was really open minded, compassionate and constructive.”
- Thomas
“Simon is an excellent listener and helped me explore and resolve issues. Advice was always delivered in a non-judgmental way.
He provided a safe environment for me to explore my sexuality and behaviour and to understand it better and provided useful reading material.
I liked the casual organic approach. I felt safe to talk about anything.”
- Volker
“Independently of coming from different cultures and having different native languages, I felt very understood. Over the therapy we also transitioned to digital resources and that went very smoothly.
I am very thankful of all the progress completed through this therapy. It has helped me to get over some rough time where I was feeling down and with no energy to carry on with my planned commitments. I have regained positivity in my day to day life, confidence to surpass challenges, capacity to get over tensions in relationships and motivation to achieve my goals.
I can say now that my aspirations for life are much more aligned with the way I am actually living.”
- Alberto
“I’m very grateful to have had therapy with Simon. I would highly recommend anyone else struggling with obsessing and sexuality. I wouldn’t have made so much progress and change for the better without him. Truly a great therapist! Definitely deserves a moment of appreciation and celebration for what he does!”
- Henry
“My partner and I had therapy from other therapists individually and as a couple before. Simon was the best therapist we had. He is very kind, considerate, and practical in solving our issues. He has been very straightforward in his approach to the problems. He can identify the underlying problems very quickly and he tries to find a solution.
He is extremely friendly, and we felt he is very genuine. He instilled confidence in us.”
- A&H
“My CBT sessions with Simon have been very helpful and most of the tools I find myself using, or thinking about, daily. I found the level of having my ideas/thoughts/beliefs ‘challenged’ to be at a really good level - an open discussion but also kind of ‘poke-y’ enough to not let me stay comfortable with my current state of mind.
The sessions have encouraged me to push to do things I know are good for me, but sometimes I chose not to do.”
- Olive
“Thinking about where I was mentally, emotionally, spiritually, to where I am now is incomparable; it’s definitely been tricky – probably one of the hardest things I’ve done – but to have Simon there walking along beside me as I’ve gone on this journey, brought me immense comfort and reassurance throughout.”
- Sam
“I found Simon to be an incredibly attentive listener, picking up on things mentioned weeks earlier and checking in on my progress as well as regular check ins on how I was finding the sessions.
Homework, reading suggestions and follow up after sessions was really appreciated, as was a tougher, more challenging approach than I have found in previous therapy/counselling relationships.”
- Stuart
“Simon is incredibly easy to get along with, and had a wonderful humour and warmth. As this was my first ever counselling experience that meant a great deal, as he put me at ease straight away. Whereas I previously associated therapy/counselling with lying on a sofa and someone asking me “How does that make you feel?”, it actually felt like I was talking to a (highly qualified!) friend.
I was hoping that these sessions would help me get over a large change of circumstance within my life, and that I would be able to move forward. What they did was so much more. They made me understand myself more, love myself more, and want more for myself. I have absolutely left these sessions a better person, and excited about the future ahead of myself, and I will genuinely miss my sessions with Simon.”
- Delme
"Simon is an excellent listener. I felt that what I said to him in every session was taken into consideration with real care for me and my needs. He would subsequently link previous sessions that demonstrated a real understanding of what I had said before, drawing comparisons in ways that showed a real comprehensive understanding and consideration of what I was saying."
- Angie
“Simon is patient, supportive, open, reassuring, non-judgemental and honest. It was really important to me that my therapist gave honest feedback throughout my sessions, and he’s allowed for a two-way conversation when it was naturally relevant / applicable. Having limited friends sharing similar experiences to me, Simon has been constantly supportive and understanding.
I came to Simon at a really difficult time in my life, and my time with him since has been the most valued hour of each week for me. From the first session, where I found myself saying strings of words I’d never said out loud before, I knew I could be open with him, and he was never judgemental, but also welcoming and understanding.
I feel like a different person to when we started, and I can’t thank Simon enough for that.”
- David
“I felt that service was very personal to me, not just a standard treatment plan.
I definitely feel that CBT has helped me understand things better and given me practical tools to use in future.”
- Grace
“I felt incredibly listened to and understood throughout. Simon never made me feel bad or weird, and I never felt like he was shocked by anything I was saying. He has helped me see myself in a different light and was very supportive and kind but at the same time offering practical advice and homework for in between sessions.
Simon persevered and was extremely patient when I was finding it very difficult, even four sessions in, to be honest about my thoughts. I also liked the fact that he wasn’t going to take any bullsh*t but got straight to the issue despite avoidance tactics by me as ultimately this was really helpful.
I liked the fact we were able to find humour in the midst of the dark thoughts and OCD. We always found things to laugh about in the sessions which helped.
I found being honest about my OCD thoughts and sharing them with another person, after keeping them to myself for 17 years, was one of the most difficult but also the most helpful aspect of the treatment.
The other most difficult, but also most helpful, part of the treatment was disconnecting the thought from what I understood the thought to mean about me as a person/what I am capable of and interrupting the judgments and assumptions I have held about myself for many years.
I also found that using a kind inner voice, showing myself compassion and being my own best friend rather than berating myself for the thoughts has had a lasting impact on my mind and the way that I talk to myself/think of myself.
I wouldn’t be being OTT, only honest, if I said that the treatment has changed my life.”
- Jamima
“I wish I’d done it earlier!”
- Jessy
“The regular check-ins allowed me to take a step back and observe what I’m doing and question it. And then think about what I want going forward.
I felt comfortable and able to really share how I was feeling. Simon really understood my issues and was quickly able to guide me to face them.
Being able to have the sessions over video made it very convenient and removed a lot of the initial fear factor of meeting a therapist.”
- Alexander