Counselling & psychotherapy for adults

Understanding ourselvescan change how we live.

You may know exactly what has brought you to therapy. You may have been struggling for a long time. You may be facing something that has changed your life, or feel caught in feelings, relationships or patterns that seem difficult to change. Sometimes it is much harder to know what is wrong. You may know only that something does not feel right.

A tangled thread gradually becoming a living branch

I’m Imran, a counsellor and psychotherapist. I work with adults experiencing difficulties that can range from a challenging period in life to problems that are longstanding, complex or deeply affecting everyday life.

This might involve depression or anxiety, difficulties in relationships, loss, trauma, overwhelming emotions, difficulties with trust or self-worth, feeling disconnected from yourself or others, or patterns that keep repeating despite your efforts to change them.

You may have a diagnosis, several ways of understanding what you are experiencing, or no name for it at all.

Check current availability

Registered member

Accredited Registrant

Accredited Practitioner

When we begin to talk...

You don’t have to present a polished version of yourself.

Talking openly to someone you have never met can feel exposing, particularly when there are things you have kept to yourself, found difficult to explain, or perhaps never said out loud before.

I don’t take that trust for granted.

I won’t assume that because I have heard something similar before, I already understand what it means for you. I will listen, ask questions and take the time to understand.

As we get to know each other, we can begin to look more closely at what is happening. We might explore feelings, relationships, beliefs and patterns, including times when your thoughts, feelings and actions do not seem to fit together.

We can become curious about where these patterns may have come from, what keeps them going, and why something can remain difficult to change even when part of you knows it is causing you difficulty.

I won’t simply agree with everything you say.

At times I may question something, point out a contradiction or invite us to look at something differently. That does not mean I am there to decide what is right for you. We are trying to understand more of what is happening, including parts of yourself or your experience that may not have been fully recognised before.

Greater awareness can give you more choice.

What you want to hold on to, understand differently or change remains for you to decide.

From what has been endured, something new can still rise.

Something has changed

A relationship has ended. Someone important has died. Your family, health, work or circumstances have changed. Sometimes life moves in a direction we did not expect, and the way we understood ourselves or our place in it no longer feels quite the same.

Something has become difficult to live with

You may be living with depression, anxiety, trauma, loneliness, low self-worth, overwhelming emotions or a sense of disconnection. This may be relatively recent, or something you have carried for many years. Perhaps you have found ways of carrying on, but carrying on has not made the difficulty disappear.

Something keeps repeating

You may notice familiar patterns in your relationships, choices or behaviour. Perhaps you understand some of what is happening and still find yourself returning to it. Knowing that something is causing difficulty does not always make it easy to do something differently.

What happened before may still matter now

Earlier relationships and experiences can influence how we feel about ourselves, what we expect from other people and how we respond in relationships now. Family, attachment, culture and belonging may all be part of understanding what has shaped us.

Beauty can take root in the most unexpected places.

At the beginning, we will take time to understand what has brought you to therapy and what life is like for you now. We may talk about what you would like to be different, the people and relationships that matter to you, and experiences from your life that may help us understand what is happening.

We don't have to understand everything at once.

As we work together, things can begin to connect. We may notice patterns in relationships, feelings or behaviour, beliefs you hold about yourself or other people, or differences between what you think, feel and do. Sometimes we may become interested in something you had not previously considered important.

There isn't a script that every person follows. Sometimes I will listen and give something time. At other times I may ask questions, make an observation, point out a contradiction, offer a different way of looking at something, or suggest that we stay with something rather than move away from it.

We can have a focus without forcing everything into it.

Having a sense of what we are trying to understand or change can give the therapy direction. But we are complex, and something important may emerge that we had not anticipated. We can allow the work to develop while continuing to think together about what feels important.

What happens between us matters too.

There may be times when I misunderstand you, when something I say does not sit right, when you disagree with me, or when you feel the therapy is not helping. I would want us to be able to talk about that.

Difficult moments between us do not necessarily mean that therapy has gone wrong. Sometimes understanding what has happened between us can become part of the work itself.

You do not have to agree with me for therapy to work.

Some of what we explore may be uncomfortable. There may also be moments of relief, recognition or a new way of seeing something. The purpose is not to produce a particular feeling in every session, but to develop a fuller understanding of what is happening and, where possible, create more choice in how you respond to it.

My professional journey

A little about me.

More than two decades of counselling and mental-health work have shaped how I understand people, relationships and psychological difficulty. My experience has included NHS psychological therapy, longer-term individual work, therapeutic groups, supervision and work with severe and enduring mental-health difficulties.

That experience has not taught me to assume that I already understand someone. It has taught me how much there can be to understand.

However many people I have worked with, I have never worked with you before.

Read about my professional journey →

Professional background

MSc Counselling & PsychotherapyUniversity of Salford

Diploma in Person-Centred Counselling

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for DepressionSpecialist IAPT-accredited training

BACP Registered NCPS Accredited IPT UK Accredited

£60per session

50 minutesper appointment

Usually weeklysessions booked individually

Therapy usually benefits from regularity and continuity. If we decide to work together, I would normally suggest meeting weekly at first.

Some people come with something relatively focused, while difficulties that are longstanding or more complex may need more time. We can decide together what makes sense next.

Sessions are arranged and paid for individually.

Planned for Greater Manchester

Face-to-face therapy

Where possible, I prefer to work face to face.

Being together in the same room can allow us to notice more of what is happening between us, including things that are not always communicated through words. In relational work, I value that shared physical space and the therapeutic relationship that can develop within it.

Face-to-face appointments will be introduced once a suitable practice location is confirmed.

Online therapy

For many people, online therapy makes attending regularly more practical.

Online sessions are offered through Microsoft Teams when appointments are available. You can attend from a private place that works for you, without the additional time involved in travelling to and from appointments.

For people balancing work, family or other responsibilities, online therapy can make regular sessions easier to fit into a busy week while still protecting time for yourself and the work we are doing together.

Before therapy begins

An initial conversation

This is an opportunity to tell me a little about what has brought you here, ask questions and get a sense of whether you would feel comfortable working with me.

It also allows me to understand what you are looking for and consider whether what I offer is appropriate for you.

When I am accepting new clients, I offer a free 15-minute introductory conversation on Microsoft Teams.

Check current availability

TalkWise is not an emergency service. Find urgent support.

Confidentiality

Your privacy matters to me.

Some experiences can be difficult to speak about. When you do speak, you should not have to wonder where your words go, who may hear them or what might happen after you share them.

Before we begin, I will explain clearly how confidentiality works: how your information is protected, what supervision means, and the rare circumstances in which a serious safety concern or legal duty may require me to share information. You can ask about any part of this at any time.

Read about confidentiality and its limits ↗

Taking the next step

When you feel ready.

New client appointments are not currently available. You can check the current position or send a brief enquiry if you would like to ask a question.

Check current availability Send a private enquiry →