Richard Whitenstall, BACP

Richard Whitenstall is a Gestalt counsellor and the founder of Get There Counselling, a private practice established in 2021. He began his counselling work in 2013 with placements at Hampshire charities No Limits and Cruse, and over the following years developed services that responded to local needs. From 2017 to 2019 he set up and ran a counselling service for Positive21, a London-based charity, and since 2023 he has worked with international clients through an online counselling service. He also co-authored Strength to Talk, a book focused on men’s mental health with all proceeds donated to the charity Mind.

Alongside counselling practice, Richard has experience as a project worker supporting LGBT young people who face risks such as sexual exploitation, domestic abuse, and neglect. A notable early career moment came in 2014 when he presented at the CAMHS County Forum to raise awareness among mental health professionals about the specific risks faced by LGBT youth. Over eleven years in the field, his clinical interests have included men’s issues, anxiety, relationship difficulties, depression, stress, and grief.

Richard works with a broad range of concerns including stress, anxiety, LGBT matters, relationship and family issues, self-esteem, coping with life changes, addictions, trauma and abuse, grief, intimacy-related difficulties, sleep problems, career concerns, depression, and ADHD. He also addresses additional focus areas such as attachment issues, BDSM and kink, chronic pain and disability, communication problems, divorce and separation, domestic violence, substance and process addictions, gender dysphoria, guilt and shame, HIV/AIDS, men’s issues, polyamory and non-monogamous relationships, and self-harm.

His practice draws on a client-centered ethos alongside approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and solution-focused therapy, aiming to empower people to move at a pace that suits them, focus on achievable change, accept what cannot be changed, and create practical plans for what can be addressed. He holds the BACP credential - the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy - a recognised professional body for counsellors in the UK. Outside of clinical work, Richard produces and co-hosts the podcast It’s Not You, It’s Them, which encourages conversation about mental health and personal growth. He recognises that taking steps toward change can feel daunting and offers a supportive, measured approach to working through difficult issues.