Glenn Nicholls Counselling & Psychotherapy in Cambridge & London

Psychotherapeutic work is relational, it requires genuine personal engagement. The relationship is a key to good therapy. Whether I'm working with you as part of a couple for couple counselling, coaching you to become a better leader, supervising your work, or working with you as your psychotherapist, the challenge is about having new conversations that break us out of ourselves, our tired and familiar narratives, heightened emotionality, personal drama and fear.

Psychotherapy and counselling provide a new way of seeing how to relate to ourselves and others, to life and to the world. How we see things often blinds us from seeing anything else.

'The opposite of play is not work. The opposite of play is depression.'

Brian Sutton-Smith

I’ve been a psychotherapist for over twenty years, mostly in private practice. I offer couple counselling, supervision, training, group therapy, executive and leadership coaching, and organisational development consultancy. My professional experience includes:

• Lead Tutor (2011-2022) for the Diploma in Integrative Supervision of Individuals and Groups at The Grove Practice, London
• Tutor for four years on the Certificate in Psychodynamic Counselling at the University of Cambridge
• Psychotherapist at the Whittington Hospital NHS Trust for four years
• Trauma counsellor at Transport for London
• Principle Tutor and founding member of the first Gestalt and Integrative Psychotherapy training in Budapest
• Summer school teacher and counsellor in Crimea
• Set up and led a Couples & Intimate Systems course in Cambridge
• Providing executive coaching to leaders in business, science and tech, government, religious organisations, academia and the arts

"The child is alone only in the presence of someone."

Donald Winnicott

I often work with writers, artists and people more generally engaged in creative process. Some of whom have managed to got lost along the way, whilst others need a little help in getting there.

I've found writing helps me see what I think about life and psychotherapy.

These lines from Rainer Marie Rilke's poem Fictional Fact perfectly sums up how I approach writing::

‘I don’t really have anything else to say, how about you?’ David hands the session over to me. As this is our last session for six months these remaining minutes may become poignant.

‘There is something I could share,’ my voice sounds hesitant and uncertain though it feels more excited than anything else. I had wondered whether this moment would present itself and decided that if it did, I would.

‘Oh that does sound interesting, do continue,’ it seems David has picked up on the signals in my voice.

‘It feels a little odd sharing this…’ it’s too late now I’ve taken my own bait.

‘This sounds good,’ David interjects with what sounds like encouragement and his excitement, though it feels more like an angler not letting a fish off the hook.

‘Well, it’s something that happened about three weeks ago at the start of the Christmas break. The morning after I was really eager to share it with you, but since then my excitement has waned and so I decided to see how this session went, and now I’m not so sure.’

‘Go on, you’ve got my attention, besides you can’t stop now,’ he’s right, and just like that I’m fully up out of the water and into the net.

‘So it’s 3am in the morning and I’m lying in bed awake. I’ve probably already been asleep and I’m in a blissfully relaxed state, I know I can easily slip into sleep and yet despite that, I’m fully awake.’ I’m now feeling a little more comfortable although I’m not quite sure how to say the next bit, ‘so, anyway, I notice I’ve got this unusual erection…’

‘Ooh,’ David sounds surprised...

I'm an accredited psychotherapist with United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy. My practice as a clinical supervisor, couple counsellor, group therapist, trainer and executive coach accord with UKCP's Code of Ethics.

I practice individual psychotherapy, executive and leadership coaching, and couple counselling from home in Cambridge. I work remotely in the UK and across different time zones via Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and by telephone.