Dean Pooley 

deanpooleycounselling@yahoo.com
07353788138   

At the heart of my work is the belief that change happens through a genuine and respectful therapeutic relationship. I am interested in how you experience yourself with others, the patterns that may repeat in your relationships, and what tends to surface emotionally when life feels challenging. Paying attention to what unfolds between us can offer valuable insight into wider difficulties you may be facing.

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Before qualifying as a counsellor, I spent over twenty years working in education and pastoral roles, as well as youth work and sport. My background has shaped a strong sense of advocacy in my work. I am attentive to power, voice, and the ways people can feel unseen or unheard within systems. This background has given me a strong understanding of pressure, responsibility, and the emotional impact of caring or high-responsibility roles, particularly when there is little space to attend to your own needs.

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Alongside this, earlier experiences in high-performance sport have shaped my awareness of the quieter costs of striving and achievement, including burnout, self-criticism, and questions of identity when coping or performing becomes central.

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I commonly support people experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss, and relationship difficulties. I aim to work collaboratively, offering steadiness alongside gentle challenge, to help develop understanding and open up the possibility of change.