Chris Orton, BACP

Chris Orton works with people who find parts of their lives difficult or overwhelming, offering a steady, respectful presence as they explore what is unsettling them. He believes that facing challenging thoughts, feelings and behaviours takes courage, and that careful exploration within a supportive therapeutic relationship can reveal the patterns that shape a person’s experience. Greater self-understanding, he suggests, creates the opportunity to develop new, healthier ways of living that feel more fulfilling over time.

His practice rests on a strong belief in clients’ capacity to use the therapeutic relationship to deepen self-knowledge and effect meaningful change. Chris places emphasis on being fully present and empathically walking alongside people in their distress while encouraging a holistic exploration of emotions, thoughts and behaviours in a supportive yet appropriately challenging environment. He also recognises that emotional difficulties often arise from a mix of inner experiences and wider societal pressures, and he aims to help people adapt their relationship to those external factors where possible.

Chris privileges each person’s individuality and works in a client-centred way that honours difference and diversity. He trained and qualified at postgraduate level in Counselling and Psychotherapy, and he is registered in the United Kingdom with the BACP, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Before establishing his private practice he worked in a university counselling service providing therapy to a diverse student population. He has a research interest in cross-cultural therapy and offers an integrative humanistic approach drawing on person-centred, experiential, existential and phenomenological influences.