Jeff Surma
Registered Member MÏã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¾«×¼×ÊÁÏ (Accredited)
Contact information
- Phone number
- 07842873733
Therapist - Darlington
Features
- Flexible hours available
- Wheelchair accessible office
- Concessionary rates
About me and my therapy practice
Hi my name is Jeff, I'm a Counsellor and Counselling Supervisor. I hope I can offer you what I believe counselling gave me when, in my late 30s (some 35 yrs ago) I was advised to speak to a counsellor at a time of personal confusion, anxiety and stress. Counselling enabled me not only to "step out of and look at" my world for an hour each week, but it also led me to begin to make changes necessary for me to live a more meaningful life - including a change of career!
So what did I get from counselling? I was able to talk confidentially with someone who was not family or one of my friends and who was impartial. It felt scary at first but I slowly began to feel safe, accepted and not judged. I grew to trust my counsellor and felt it was ok to talk about my stuff - that it was not selfish to do so, rather it was self caring. I was not seen as a case or a diagnosis (e.g. anxiety, personality disorder, depression etc.) but as a human being struggling to make sense of things happening in his life. I was not told how to live, rather I was helped to find my own way. This is how I will approach my sessions with you. I will strive to meet the human being behind whatever brings you to counselling.
I've worked in many settings including a drug/alcohol agency but most recently, and for several years, I've been employed part-time at both a local hospice and a GP surgery (where a client might come with any issue you can imagine!)
If after reading this you feel you might like to contact me (which, as I well remember, can feel a massive first step to take - but I'm so glad I did), then please do so.
Go well
Jeff
Practice description
I am a Person-Centred Counsellor. You are at the heart of my work and your well-being is my primary concern. I will be happy to explain this in more detail when we first speak or meet if you so wish.
My first session
Apart from the cost of room hire (currently £11.00) I offer my first session free of charge. A first session can give us the opportunity to meet so as to decide if we can work together. You will get a sense of how I offer counselling , and decide if that meets your needs. From what you feel able to share, I will get a greater awareness of what has brought you to counselling.
What I can help with
Abuse, ADD / ADHD, Addictions, AIDS/HIV, Anger management, Anxiety, Autism spectrum, Bereavement, Cancer, Child related issues, Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME, Cultural issues, Depression, Disability, Eating disorders, Health related issues, Identity issues, Infertility, LGBTQ+ counselling, Life coaching, Loss, Men's issues, Mood disorder, Neurodiversity, Obsessions, Personal development, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy related issues, Redundancy, Relationships, Self esteem, Self-harm, Service veterans, Sex-related issues, Sexual identity, Sexuality, Spirituality, Stress, Substance Dependency, Trauma, Vegan allied, Women's issues, Work related issues
Types of therapy
Brief therapy, Existential, Humanistic, Interpersonal, Person centred, Phenomenological, Relational
Clients I work with
Adults, Older adults
How I deliver therapy
Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Outdoor therapy, Short-term face-to-face work, Time-limited