TalkWise Counselling & Psychotherapy
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Counselling & psychotherapy for adults

Understanding ourselves can change how we live.

Something may have changed, become difficult to carry, or stayed with you for longer than you expected. You may understand exactly what is happening, or simply know that something no longer feels right.

A tangled thread gradually becoming a living branch
What feels tangled can still find its way.
Imran Ahmed

I’m Imran, a counsellor and psychotherapist. I work with adults going through difficult periods in life, as well as people living with problems that are longstanding, complex or deeply affecting everyday life.

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

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BACP Registered member NCPS Accredited Registrant IPT UK Accredited Practitioner

The short version

TalkWise in 20 seconds

The essential practical details, without reading the whole website.

  • Individual therapyfor adults
  • Anxiety, depression, trauma,relationships and more
  • More than 20 years’ experienceincluding current NHS Talking Therapies work
  • Accepting new clientsappointments Friday–Sunday
  • Onlineacross the UK · 50 minutes
  • £60Limited reduced-fee availability
A first conversationYou can begin with a free 15-minute conversation before deciding whether you would like to arrange a therapy session.
Arrange a free 15-minute conversation

When we begin to talk

Therapy begins with what you bring into the space.

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.

Speaking this openly involves trust, and I will treat that trust with care.

Therapy is more than simply agreeing.

Even when I have heard something similar before, I will remain open to 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 look more closely at feelings, relationships, beliefs and patterns. We can become curious about where they came from, what keeps them in place and why understanding something does not always free us from it.

At times I may question something, notice a contradiction or invite us to look at something differently. The choices about your life remain yours. Together, we can explore parts of yourself or your experience that may not yet have had the chance to be fully understood.

The moment passes; what it sets in motion remains.

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.

What might bring you to therapy?

You may have spent a long time trying to understand what is happening or finding ways to manage it alone. From the outside, life may still appear to be carrying on. Inside, you may feel hurt, frightened, exhausted, angry, numb, ashamed or unable to settle. You may know what has brought you here, or only know that continuing in the same way has become difficult.

When life changes

A relationship may have ended, or you may be grieving someone important to you. Changes in family, health, work, identity or circumstances can bring loss, rejection, betrayal, fear, anger or loneliness. Sometimes what hurts is not only what happened, but the future you imagined, the relationship you thought you had, or the person you believed yourself to be.

When living becomes harder

Depression can leave life feeling heavy, empty or stripped of pleasure. Anxiety may keep your mind and body on alert, repeatedly anticipating what could go wrong. Trauma, loneliness, low self-worth or overwhelming emotions can make ordinary life feel harder, while the people around you may have little idea how much effort it takes simply to keep going.

When familiar patterns return

You may want closeness and also fear it. You may hide what you need and then feel unseen, keep giving more than you can sustain, withdraw before someone can hurt you, or work harder without ever feeling that you are enough. Recognising a pattern does not necessarily free you from it. We can explore what it is connected to, what keeps drawing you back into it and what might gradually become possible instead.

When the past is still present

Earlier experiences do not always return as clear memories. Sometimes they remain in what you expect from yourself, what you fear from other people, the roles you find yourself taking on and the ways you have learned to protect yourself. Family, attachment, culture, faith, duty and belonging may all matter, including the distance between who you are privately and who you feel you are expected to be. Read more about culture, family and identity →

Two adults talking while mirrors behind them show a young girl and a boy looking down.

Where we begin

These experiences rarely fit into separate categories. What hurts now may be connected to relationships, losses, expectations or experiences that have accumulated over time. We can begin with what feels most pressing and gradually understand how the different parts connect.

Beauty can take root in the most unexpected places.

What happens in therapy?

You can begin with whatever feels most present, even if you are unsure where to start or how to explain it.

We can understand things gradually.

Over time, feelings, relationships and ways of coping may begin to make more sense. Some things need time. We might return to something, ask a question, notice a connection or understand an old experience differently.

What happens between us matters too.

If I misunderstand you, something I say does not feel right, or the therapy itself begins to feel unhelpful, I would want us to talk about it. We do not always have to see things in the same way for the conversation between us to be useful.

A little about who you would be talking to.

More than two decades of counselling and mental-health work shape how I listen and what I notice, but they do not tell me who you are. We begin with your experience, and with what your life has been like for you.

Would you like to know more? →
This is not the TalkWise practice room.

Professional background

MSc Counselling & PsychotherapyUniversity of Salford

Diploma in Person Centred Counselling

Interpersonal Psychotherapy for DepressionSpecialist IAPT-accredited training

BACP Registered member NCPS Accredited Registrant IPT UK Accredited Practitioner

Practical information

Sessions and fees

Individual counselling & psychotherapy

£60per session

50 minutesper appointment

Usually weeklysessions booked individually

Therapy usually benefits from regularity, so I normally suggest that we meet weekly at first.

Some people come with something relatively focused. Longstanding or more complex difficulties may need more time. We can decide together what makes sense, without asking you to commit to a fixed number of sessions.

Private online sessions

Sessions take place online through Microsoft Teams. It is best to join from somewhere private where you feel comfortable and able to speak freely.

Before therapy begins

An initial conversation

You can tell me a little about what has brought you here, ask anything you would like to know and get a sense of what it is like to talk with me. I can also consider whether what I offer is likely to be helpful for you.

The introductory conversation lasts 15 minutes, is free of charge and takes place on Microsoft Teams. There is no obligation to arrange a therapy session afterwards.

Check current availability

TalkWise is not an emergency service. Find urgent support.

Confidentiality

Your privacy matters to me.

Before therapy begins, I will explain how your information is protected, how confidentiality works in supervision and the limited circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be broken. You can ask me about any of this at any time.

Read about confidentiality and its limits ↗

Taking the next step

When you feel ready.

You do not need to be certain that therapy is right for you, or know exactly what you would say. If you would like to ask a question or see whether talking with me feels right, you can begin with a brief private enquiry.

Arrange a free 15-minute conversation Send a private enquiry →