ABOUT PETE ASKEW
Helping people develop their inner wisdom for healing and change, without unnecessary jargon or false promises.
Want to explore healing for change?
Experiencing someone walking alongside you when things are tough is a real gift in the wilderness of pain and confusion that life can throw at you. To have a confidential space to work through things with someone who is independent, and has the training to help you find insights to make changes for yourself, is empowering and freeing.
It was this experience, when I was working through a difficult situation in my own life twenty five years ago, which prompted me to help others in a similar way by entering the helping professions.
Having spent time with people who were in emotional pain, or at a crossroads in life, as an anglican priest and retreat leader, I expanded my experience and training and became a psychotherapeutic counsellor.
This has given me an in-depth understanding of what causes inner suffering, and how to recover from it. This has been a significant help in my own life, and has also provided me with the ability to help others with symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and OCD, and to tackle the deeper root causes of their problems, such as abuse, low self-esteem, or attachment issues in early childhood.
My guiding principles
I believe we all have an inner wisdom for living - the deep soul place within us, or intuition, which offers truths and guidance beyond the confusing thoughts and feelings of our conscious mind for solving the problems that we encounter in the wilderness of life, and this is at the heart of my core beliefs as a psychotherapeutic counsellor.
When we lose connection with our inner wisdom, it is very hard to make sense of the emotional wilderness we might find ourselves in as we journey through life and its challenges. In this position it is very easy to slip into a way of being where we look to others for our sense of love, admiration, and safety, rather than looking within ourselves for our own answers to our problems, and this can lead to feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, sadness, isolation and emptiness.
In our ever increasingly digitally connected world, this is a growing problem for many people.
Am I The Right Therapist For You?
My approach to healing is holistic - mind, body, and soul, and is integrative. I integrate a variety of techniques drawn from Transactional Analysis, Gestalt, and Existential therapies, including talking therapy, guided imagery, empty chair work, dream work, and creative exercises, to form a tailor-made therapy for each individual client to help you develop your connection with your inner wisdom for living.
A therapeutic relationship of openness and trust is key to a successful experience of therapy. I will hold a safe space for you to be curious about your life and its problems, and listen to your story in a non-judgemental way, with care and respect. I will help you explore your problems by asking questions, and by being honest with you in response to any questions you ask me. I try not to use unnecessary jargon, and if I don’t know the answer to a question, I will tell you.
It's important to the therapeutic process that both of us can be ourselves in the therapy room. Clients have described me as a calm, safe, and steady presence, with insight and good humour, and I feel privileged to have treated people from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, from which I have learned and been inspired.
my journey into psychotherapeutic counselling
Leadership and management experience in business, spiritual, and charity sectors
Experience of supporting leaders with local, national, and parliamentary roles.
Pastoral and Chaplaincy experience in parish, education, and in leadership settings
Experience of running an independent retreat house, leading individual and group retreats, and providing spiritual accompaniment.
Experience of providing therapy in the NHS and the charitable sector.
Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry
Diploma in Psychotheraputic Counselling
Over 150 hours of personal therapy as part of my training.
Registered member of British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy