FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Index of questions:
1. Who is Dr Jim Byrne? 2. What services does he offer?
3. What is counselling anyway?
4. How can counselling help people?
5. What is the kind of Cognitive Counselling that Jim Offers?
6. What kind of specialisms does he offer?
7. What other services does he offer?
8. What kinds of people attend his counselling services?
9. What do people get from these services? 10. Where does he offer
those services?
11. What are his charges?
12. Does anybody else recommend Dr Byrne's services?
~~~
Who is Dr Jim Byrne?
Jim Byrne came to Hebden Bridge
from Thailand in January 1979. After a career in nonformal adult education, he diversified into coaching, and then into counselling
and psychotherapy. He has a doctoral degree in counselling from the Univesity of Manchester, a broad-based diploma in integrative
counselling psychology and psychotherapy, and he is a Licensed Fellow of the International Society of Professional Counsellors
(FISPC). Please see the About Dr Jim Byrne page.
What services does he offer?
Jim offers counselling,
coaching and psychotherapy for anger, anxiety, depression, stress, couple conflict and confidence coaching. He does this in
Halifax, Hebden Bridge and all over the world by telephone, email and via the computer. Please see the Four Main Services page.
What is counselling anyway?
Counselling is
a process of being with a person in distress or difficulty, which offers both an empowering relationship and an educational
encounter. It involves listening to the client; clarifying their problem or issue; offering insights and models to help the
client's thinking; offering support for the client's emotional distress or difficulty; and supporting the client through change
or suffering. ...more...
How can counselling help people?
Counselling can
help in a number of different ways: with emotional functioning; behavioural functioning; relationship management and communication;
goal setting and pursuit; refining problems; identifying solutions; promoting efficient and effective actions; and so on.
Outcomes can include that the client...:
1. ...thinks more clearly,
or to better effect;
2. ...manages their emotions better, in that they no longer over-emote,
nor under-emote, relative to their environmental situations;
3. ...behaves more effectively at
home and at work;
4. ...feels happier; more alive; more integrated; more in control; more goal
oriented; and so on.
...more...
~~~
What is the kind of Cognitive Counselling that Jim Offers?
Cognitive Emotive Narrative Therapy (CENT) is a system of counselling, therapy and coaching which integrates Rational
Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), Transactional Analysis (TA), Zen Buddhist philosophy, moral philosophy, Object Relations
theory, and several other cognitive, narrative and psychodynamic therapies.
Firstly, it takes
into account that we are bodies as well as minds, and so diet, exercise, sleep, relaxation/meditation, drugs and other physical
inputs and stimuli are seen as important factors in determining the emotional state of the individual client.
Secondly, it starts from the assumption that we are primarily social animals, and not solitary individuals. We are
social to our very roots, especially from the moment of parturition, when we are handed into the arms of our mothers. Everything
that happens from that point onwards - and also including the original birth trauma - is significant for the development of
the so-called 'individual' (who is really an amalgam of significant other 'individuals' with whom we are related from birth
onwards, and who we 'internalize' as 'models').
...more...
~~~
What kind of specialisms does he offer?
In addition
to his general counselling service, which helps lots of people with depression and anxiety, panic and so on, Jim offers the
following specialisms:
* Anger management
* Stress management
* Couples therapy
* Confidence coaching
~~~
What other services does he offer? Jim also offers:
*
Supervision services for REBT and other kinds of counsellors and psychotherapists
* Training
courses for counsellors and other kinds of carers and support worksers; and for members of the public
* Information and support with: Philosophy of life; Happiness coaching; and Coaching for success
* Counselling research information; and:
* Books for personal and professional development,
linked to psychology, psychotherapy and counselling.
~~~
What kinds of people attend his counselling services?
Over
more than ten years, he has helped almost 500 people, roughly 50:50 males: females; including dozens of couples; with a broad
range of different kinds of issues and problems.
Those people who come to see him tend to have...
1. ...emotional problems; such as: anger, anxiety or depression, lack of confidence, low self
esteem, stress, couple conflict, etc.
2. ...behavioural problems; such as: procrastination, passive-aggressive
behavioural mode, reactivity, lack of proactivity, avoidance, submissiveness, domination, ignoring problems, escape into alcohol
or drugs, and so on.
3. ...relationship problems; such as: unhappiness; growing incompatibility;
verbal conflict; lack of intimacy; communication skills deficits; refusal to take responsibility; absence; coldness; judgementalism;
sexual dissatisfaction; and so on.
~~~
What do people get from these services?
More than 85% of
my clients experience my service as very good or excellent; and report achieving the result for which they came to see me.
Another 10% do not respond to exit questionnaires. And, in a very small number of cases, very, very rarely, an individual
may seem not to be benefiting from working with me, or with REBT/CBT/CENT/TA/Zen, etc., and in such cases I recommend that
they try one of my colleagues, who may be better able to help.
However, it is important to note
that the vast majority of people who come to see me, and to work on their problems with me, achieve dramatic results, and
find that they quickly, and durably, get over their emotional, behavioural and relationship disturbances. As long as they
keep reviewing the work we did together, they can continue to help themselves for a lifetime.
~~~
Where does he offer those services?
In Hebden Bridge,
Halifax (face-to-face); and all over the world, via the telephone, by email and via the computer.
To
find out more, try the Face to face counselling page; and the Long Distance counselling page
~~~
What are his charges?
During
the current recession, all fees have been reduced to assist clients who are struggling finanically. Please see the Fees Schedule page. (Before the recession the following applied: He normally operates a sliding scale of charges
for face to face counselling services. The bottom of the scale, which applies to pensioners, students and unemployed individuals
is just GBP £25 for a 45 minute session. The scale moves up in line with the individual's gross annual income before
tax, up to a maximum of £100 per session. Most people pay somewhere between £40 and £60.) But
these fees have been suspended for the duration of this recession.
Distance learning
services are less costly, at between $30 and $50 US dollars per session or service. And, for the duration
of the current recession (September 2010 onwards) he is offering a "two for one" reduction. See the Fees Schedule page.
For more details on costs/prices, please check the Price List for Services page.
~~~
Does anybody else recommend Dr Byrne's services?
Yes.
There are dozens of unsolicited testimonials on the ABC website, from individuals all over the world who are grateful for relief from anxiety, depression, panic, social anxiety, anger and
rage, couple conflict, conflidence issues, and so on.
Please see the Client Testimonials page.
~~~