Jonathan Wilkes, BACP

Jonathan Wilkes is a BACP counsellor based in the United Kingdom with four years' experience working in counselling and psychotherapy. He works with adults on a wide range of concerns including depression, anxiety, grief, relationship difficulties and issues around self-esteem and addiction. His profile also lists work around trauma, eating issues, anger, ADHD and guilt and shame.

Jonathan trained in psychosynthesis and draws on that approach while also using ideas from other methods. He uses client-centred principles such as empathy, congruence and unconditional acceptance as the basic ground of his sessions. Sessions are paced to the person and aim to allow feelings to be expressed and worked with rather than avoided.

In practice he helps people look at patterns that formed in childhood and how those patterns affect adult life. He describes how a 'survival personality' can develop and how understanding it can bring useful insight. Jonathan sometimes introduces breathing and meditation practices and body-based awareness techniques alongside talk work.

He also uses more structured approaches when useful, such as cognitive behavioural ideas and elements of dialectical behaviour therapy and solution-focused work. These can be used to manage repetitive negative thoughts, emotional dysregulation, or unhelpful behaviours. He says therapy grows over time through regular sessions and a developing therapeutic relationship.

Jonathan's background includes prior roles supporting adults and young people with complex mental health needs and learning difficulties. He accepts international clients and works with people online and face to face, and asks people to check the current session options before booking.

How his approaches translate to online work