Tom Horner: BACP Certified Member, DIP Couns, BA in Music
A little bit about me:
I have lived in York for 9 years and find it to be one of the most beautiful places in the UK, as well as being a fantastic city to study and live in. Having done academic courses at a number of higher learning institutions, the University of York, York St John's and York College, I have a large amount of personal experience regarding the obstacles that these endeavours can bring.
My previous academic research into Therapy has focussed on Song Writing Therapy, where lyrics are used to explore one's perspective as well as to document these explorations for future consideration. Through this work, I have gained a deep respect for the power of symbolism and metaphors and how unrestrained creativity can be used to reveal and explore one’s inner workings.
Over the years I have worked in a variety of roles including as a musician, woodworker, academic teacher and sports coach. I have found that each of these careers has provided me an opportunity to work with different individuals from distinctly different backgrounds, this is something that I draw upon during my counselling work. Currently, my hobbies include running, Esports, squash, singing and DND. I find that this mix of creativity-driven pursuits complemented by more physical activities is a great way to maintain my mental health and general well-being.
My practice:
I am a Person Centred Counsellor; this means that the values of acceptance, honesty and empathy are central to my practice. Whatever content you may bring to our work together, I will provide you with a calm and restorative environment where we can reduce your immediate levels of stress. From this point, we can go on to discuss the root of these pressures to better understand and resolve them. Although this humanistic approach can be applied to all areas, I have observed that it can be particularly helpful in coming to peace with sources of shame and guilt, which underlie most of our psychological difficulties, as well as achieving closure for past negative events that continue to impact your day to day life.
If you feel like you struggle to concentrate or quickly move from one idea to the next then my practice in particular may be well suited to you. I have a great deal of experience working with younger clients who feel like they are 'about to burst' due to the number of ideas they wish to express. Through my work I am confident that I will be able to ground you, help you take apart the concepts that you find overwhelming and take them apart piece by piece.