About Me:

Hello, my name is Alistair Thain (He/Him), I am a qualified integrative counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Being an integrative counsellor means I combine many different ways of working in to my practice. This means I can shape my way of working to you, rather than expect you to fit my way of working. I work with individual adults, both in-person and online.

Experience:

My background is in Psychology & Philosophy, as this was my first degree. This led me in to working as a Mental Health Support Worker for the charity Mind for over five years. I worked on a one-to-one basis with people experiencing varying degrees of mental health struggles, and supported them both in their own home and in the wider community. This is very much where I found my passion for working with people, and what inspired me to work towards my second degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

Whilst studying counselling, I volunteered with the charity Cruse Bereavement Support who offer support for individuals who have experienced bereavement, and New Pathways who are a charity that offer support for survivors of sexual abuse/violence. In these two volunteering roles I learned a lot, however my experience and training with New Pathways really highlighted the importance of working with trauma safely. I have continued to work with New Pathways since qualifying as a counsellor.

Now, as a qualified counsellor, I continually add to my knowledge and understanding through courses, seminars, and reading. Continued professional and personal development mean a lot to me, as the world is always changing. See below for a list of my ongoing professional development. When it comes to reading I like to read a wide variety of books, but in particular I like to read about the experiences of lives that I have not lived, and cannot live. I write reviews on the books that I read, which can be found under the “Blog” tab on this website. Additionally, I always like to hear book recommendations about books that have helped you, so always feel welcome to share.

Interests:

Most counsellors tend to have an aspect of counselling, or client group, that they have a particular interest in. My therapeutic interest lies in Neurodiversity, or to be more precise, making my practice Neuro-affirming. People who find themselves under the Neurodiverse umbrella often find it hard to find counsellors who provide a service that supports them for who they are without asking them to shape themselves into a neurotypical world. So I have set out to be the kind of counsellor who is willing to change and adapt to each client, I aim to make my practice as Neuro-affirming as possible, both in the way I work and in the training I undertake. I am a therapist who has experience, knowledge, and a passion for working with Neurodiversity in a way that supports the individual, and I intend to continually add to all those aspects of my practice.