David Seddon

Before I trained as a counsellor, I spent seventeen years as a primary school teacher. That work — sitting alongside children at their most curious, most anxious, and most open — gave me a lasting belief in what people can do when they feel genuinely supported.

When I moved into one-to-one counselling, I brought that same commitment. My approach is grounded in the person-centred tradition developed by Carl Rogers — the belief that the therapeutic relationship itself is where healing happens.

What that means in practice: I offer warmth, empathy, and respect, without judgement. I listen — properly — and I share my honest responses when it’s useful. I don’t believe in telling people what to do. I believe in being present enough that they find their own way.

My degree in Philosophy has been an unexpected gift in this work — sitting with uncertainty, thinking carefully about meaning, asking the right questions slowly. I’m also trained in couples counselling, which requires a different kind of attention: holding two people’s experiences at the same time, fairly.