Counselling and Psychotherapy in Lewes, East Sussex
Hello, and thanks for visiting my website. My name is Richard Church and I am an experienced, registered and accredited member of the British Association of Counsellors & Psychotherapists. (BACP)
As a counsellor and psychotherapist in Lewes, East Sussex, I provide a non judgemental environment for you to explore your own story. I will help you to look at your present circumstances, and to understand how you came to be where you are. It is easy to feel like a victim of circumstance and one aim of counselling and psychotherapy is to give us a greater sense of control over our lives.
I have been a qualified Integrated Counsellor & Psychotherapist since 2006. It's hard to believe sometimes that I am in my 18th year of private practice. The time has flown by. As you read on you will notice that I use the terms "counsellor" "counselling" and "psychotherapist" "psychotherapy." You may ask yourself, what's the difference? There is a very current and on going debate within my industry in regard to this question, but currently, there is no official difference. The big debate is complex and many different voices are currently airing their views. If you force me into an opinion, then I would say counselling is often short term (6 to 12 weeks) and psychotherapy is longer term. My rational for that distinction is that the longer you are engaged in counselling, the deeper into your psyche you are likely to go. The deeper into your psyche you go, the more our relationship moves into the realm of psychotherapy. Others may make a differentiation based on the academic level of study. I am happy to elaborate on this debate in person, if that would be a benefit to you. At the end of the day, all the research tells us that The professional and boundaried relationship that we make, is key to successful outcomes.
I am trained and experienced in humanistic schools of counselling & Psychotherapy. The benefit of this approach is that I work with you, the client, to discover your answer to your presenting issues. One size does not fit all, everyone is an individual, and while some problems are more common, your experience of your life is unique to you.
I began my counselling and psychotherapy training in 2003. After graduation I began building my private practice, firstly in Brighton, and then in Lewes, East Sussex. I obtained my accreditation from the BACP in 2008. It was then that my imaginatively entitled Richard Church Counselling & Psychotherapy Lewes, really took off. And I am happy to say that I have been working as a counsellor and psychotherapist ever since.
In 2010 I added to my qualifications by studying clinical supervision. I then spent the next 14 years supporting other Lewes based counsellors and psychotherapists in their work. In 2024 I decided to stop supervising and concentrate on my own one to one work with clients.
Why do people have therapy?
Counsellors and psychotherapists like myself provide a space for people to discover and talk about their feelings, think about their choices or their behaviour, and make changes in their lives.
People often seek counselling to help them explore difficult thoughts or emotions, and/or psychological and relationship issues. You may be experiencing difficult and distressing events in your life, such as bereavement, divorce, health issues or job concerns. Or you may have more general underlying feelings of anxiety or dissatisfaction with life. If this rings a bell with you, then counselling or psychotherapy in Lewes may be helpful.
You may feel isolated and have no one else to talk to, but even people with supportive family and friends can find it difficult to talk to them about feeling anxious or depressed. Or you may just find it easier to talk about personal, family or relationship issues with someone unconnected to your everyday life.
It is worth saying at this point that I never work with friends or other people I know.
What happens in therapy?
Psychotherapy and counselling involves a series of formal sessions where the therapist and the client talk about what is on the client's mind. There is no set number of sessions, the decision of how long or how many sessions you want is discussed and agreed upon. Often people just agree an open ended arrangement and come until they feel ready to stop. The sessions take place at a regular, agreed time and in a ‘safe’ private place where the client and therapist will not be overheard or interrupted.
Therapy with me will involve talking about life events, feelings, emotions, relationships, ways of thinking and patterns of behaviour. I will listen, encourage and empathise, but will also challenge to help you see your issues more clearly or in a different way.
Counselling and psychotherapy is not about giving you advice or opinions. Nor is it a friendly chat with a friend. It is my aim to help you to understand yourself better and find your own solutions to resolve or cope with whatever is going on for you..
What issues can counselling help with?
I am a registered accreditted member of the BACP, and over the years I have worked with people with a variety of issues, including:
depression
relationship issues
career issues
bereavement & loss
anxiety
existential crisis
sexual identity
sadness
stress
work related issues
These are just examples of what clients have bought to therapy. It is not always necessary to come with a label or a specific issue...sometimes people come to talk because they know something is not quite happening for them as they would like it to. There really are no restrictions on what you can talk about.
“You are not your feelings. You just experience them.
Anger, sadness, hate, depression, fear. This is the rain you walk in. But you
don’t become the rain. You know the rain will pass. You walk on. And you
remember the soft glow of the sun that will come again.” ~Matt Haig
My location
You will find my Counselling and Psychotherapy services in the picturesque East Sussex town of Lewes. It is half way between Brighton and Eastbourne and a few miles north of Newhaven. I am easily accessed off of the A27.
More specifically, I am located right in the heart of Lewes in Cliffe High St.
If travelling by car, then parking can be challenging but possible. Lewes does have several centrally located car parks, and pay and display on street parking is also available. I can give you the benefit of more specific parking solutions when you call or email to make your first appointment. Alternatively, the train station is a ten minute walk away. Lewes is well served by bus services.
Fees & availability
All the research tells us that it is the relationship between the therapist and client that is the key ingredient in effective counselling & psychotherapy. Therefore the first assessment session is free of charge. Each session thereafter lasts for 50 miniutes and costs £60.
If you would like to talk me about accessing my service, then don't hesitate to call or email. We can explore your needs and decide if I am the right therapist for you.
I work daytimes and evenings Monday to Thursday, and daytime until 5pm on Fridays.
Alongside my private practice, I have also worked as a counsellor in Lewes providing psychotherapy to clients on Employee Assisted Programmes. Your employer may well be willing to pay for some short term counselling, so ask your human resources dept if you are entitled. I also accept referrals from private psychiatrists.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. Effective therapy really is all about the relationship between therapist & client. Therefore the first assessment session is free of charge.
You can also call me on 07708 769092 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.
About Me
My name is Richard Church and I originate from South-East London. When I left school I fell into a career within the UK book publishing industry. When I approached middle age I began to feel uncomfortable in my life. I was certainly okay, I was functioning in that I was earning enough to pay for my life. I had some responsibility in my work, by no means too much, but I just had a growing sense that there was something missing. Someone suggested that I go to see a counsellor. Through talking over my story, I began to realise that my past, my early experiences of life, had led me to simply going through the motions of life. I had no goal, no aspiration. In short I discovered that I was lacking meaning in my life.
Eventually, I quit my job, and travelled for a year. You could say that I had what people now call a gap year, the only difference being that I was older than most. While sitting on (one of many) paradise beaches, I decided that I wanted to do something fulfilling with my life. I wanted to be useful and do something that contributed in some small way to society. That realisation led me to retrain as a counsellor and psychotherapist.
I began my counselling and psychotherapy training 2003 when I lived in Brighton. During this training I worked as a volunteer for the local drug and alcohol services, providing short term counselling to substance misusers. I began building my private practice in 2006 and I obtained my accreditation from the BACP in 2008, and have continued to provide psychotherapy & counselling to Lewes and other East Sussex based clients since then. In 2010 I qualified as a supervisor of counsellors, psychotherapists and allied professionals and provided clinical supervision to East Sussex based counsellors and psychotherapists for the next 14 years. In 2024 I decided to stop supervising in order to concentrate on my own one to one work with clients.
As a registered & accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, I am bound by and adhere to its Ethical Framework for Good Practice. I am fully insured.
Qualifications
Diploma Clinical Supervision of Counsellors, Psychotherapists & Allied Professionals 2010
Advanced Diploma Integrative Counselling & Therapy 2005
OCR Counselling Skills 2003
Professional Membership
BACP Accreditation 2008 Click here to check my credentials
I work within an Integrated Humanistic framework with adults of all ages. I provide both long term and short term counselling. One size does not fit all, you and your experience of your life is unique. Therefore, at our first meeting, provided free of charge, we will agree how best to move forward.
I have recently decided to stop offering this service.
I am licensed to teach adults and was, for two years (2008-2010) a Lead Tutor at Sussex Downs College, Newhaven, where I taught City & Guilds Level 3 Qualification in Community Justice. Since then I have taught counselling students at Wealden College (2019-21), and contributed to Cathy Davey's private supervision training course in 2020 & 2021.
In 2023/24 I had a brief stint teaching Level One and Level Two counselling at East Sussex College.
I have experience of delivering workshops and training on a variety of psychological issues, to counsellors and other related professionals.
I have gained very specific training and experience in the field of substance misuse. I was a counsellor for the drug and alcohol treatment services in Brighton from 2003 until 2008. I can offer advice, information, health management strategies and individual support to people concerned with their own drug or alcohol use, or that of someone close to them.
I am an experienced group facilitator. Should you be interested in utilising my skills in this area, or if you would be interested in discussing other group work possibilities, please phone or email me.
Should you have any questions about my service or therapy in general, please feel free to call or email.
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I have checked on the governments website https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/ and while I have no legal obligations in this area, I do have an ethical duty to adhere to the principles of the legislation, and I am happy to do so.
Counselling and psychotherapy is a confidential activity. I do not share clients’ personal data with others. The exception being that if I believe that a client is at risk of seriously harming themselves, or someone else then I reserve the right to break confidentiality in order to prevent harm. The other exception is that if I am ordered to by a court of law, then I would have to. This would be following a court order, signed by a judge. The police or anyone else have no right to obtain details of my clients without a signed court order.
So what information do I store? Your name, address, phone number and that of your General Practitioner are noted on paper and kept locked away separately from all other paperwork.
I do keep notes about my sessions with clients, and these are not identifiable by name, just a code that only I know. These notes are again stored on paper and are kept locked away separately. I do not keep any client records stored electronically. However clients’ phone numbers and their first name are stored on my phone and if you email me then your email address will be recorded within the hard drive of my lap top.
Client’s may withdraw consent for me to hold the above information at any time and may ask for any information I hold to be sent to them. I have a duty to comply with any such request within one month.