Hal Thompson, BACP

Hal Thompson recognises the courage it can take to reach out for support and presents a warm, relational approach to therapy. He is an accredited member of the BACP - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - and holds a Master’s degree in psychodynamic counselling and psychotherapy from Birkbeck, University of London, as well as a BA in psychology from the University of Sussex. He has over 10 years’ professional experience working in mental health across both public and private sectors, and prior roles in the arts and education continue to inform his practice and commitment to working with people to connect with their potential.

Hal’s work is grounded in psychodynamic principles, paying attention to how past experiences and habitual coping patterns shape present life, often through unconscious processes. He aims to collaborate with each person to develop a therapy process tailored to their needs, one that invites and validates different parts of the self and supports the possibility of change. Where appropriate he integrates techniques from cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and internal family systems (IFS) to address specific difficulties.

He specialises in areas including stress, anxiety, addictions, trauma and abuse, and self-esteem, while also focusing on attachment issues, dissociation, drug and alcohol addiction, guilt and shame, men’s issues, narcissism, obsessions and compulsions, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress, prejudice and discrimination, self-harm, self-love, and social anxiety. In sessions he works with gentle curiosity and compassion to explore the often-hidden causes of stuckness, with the aim of supporting greater understanding, recovery, and wellbeing.