Michael Wilkes-Spellman

• Stress and anxiety
• Relationship and intimacy
• Client-centred and CBT

About Michael

Michael Wilkes-Spellman helps people with stress, anxiety, relationship and intimacy concerns, grief, trauma and abuse, career challenges and depression. He also supports issues related to LGBT matters, compassion fatigue and coping with life changes. Michael is an accredited member of the National Counselling Society and has 13 years' experience. He offers appointments in the evenings on weekdays.

Michael uses an integrated way of working that draws mainly on client-centred (person-centred) and cognitive behavioural methods. In practice this means sessions focus on the person's experience, and on understanding patterns of thinking and behaviour that keep problems going. He works with practical steps when useful, and on exploring feelings and history where that helps.

Sessions are conversational and structured around what the individual wants to achieve. Michael will listen to current pressures and help define clear goals or small experiments to try between meetings. He also supports people dealing with complex life events such as bereavement, separation and long-term caregiving stress.

With a background in ongoing professional development since completing initial training in 2011, Michael blends reflective listening with targeted techniques. This can include mindfulness skills, motivational interviewing questions to support change, and psychodynamic ideas about how past patterns affect present relationships.

He works part time and offers evening appointments on weekdays, and sessions use a subscription model that can be cancelled at any time. People should confirm the session formats available before booking.

How his approaches are used in online counselling

Michael draws on client-centred therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy when working online. Client-centred therapy focuses on the person's own experience and priorities, with the counsellor listening and reflecting to help clarify feelings and goals. Cognitive behavioural therapy looks at patterns of thought and behaviour and uses practical exercises to test and change unhelpful patterns.

Finding the right approach is part of the work. Michael will discuss your goals and preferences and together you will decide which methods to try. That might mean more exploratory, reflective sessions at times and more structured tasks at others, depending on what helps most.

Session formats are not specified in the biography, so please confirm the current options before booking. Online sessions can make it easier to fit counselling into a busy week, reduce travel time and allow shorter check-ins when needed, which helps people manage work or caring commitments alongside therapy. Registered or accredited professionals can adapt exercises such as mindfulness practices or CBT homework to suit remote meetings and everyday routines.

Topics Michael lists

• Stress and anxiety
• LGBT
• Relationship issues
• Grief
• Intimacy-related issues
• Family conflicts
• Trauma and abuse
• Anger management
• Career difficulties
• Depression
• Coping with life changes
• Coaching
• Compassion fatigue
• Abandonment
• Adoption and foster care
• Aging and geriatric issues
• Antisocial personality
• Autism and Asperger Syndrome
• BDSM, kink, and alternative sex culture
• Body image
• Caregiver issues and stress
• Co-morbidity
• Codependency
• Commitment issues
• Control issues
• Coping with natural or human-caused disaster
• Divorce and separation
• Domestic violence
• Drug and alcohol addiction
• Family of origin issues
• Family problems
• Fatherhood issues
• First responder issues
• Forgiveness
• Guilt and shame
• Hoarding
• Hospice and end-of-life counselling
• Impulsivity
• Infidelity
• Isolation and loneliness
• Jealousy
• Life purpose
• Men's issues
• Midlife crisis
• Veteran and armed forces issues
• Money and financial issues
• Mood disorders
• Obsessions, compulsions, and OCD
• Phobias
• Polyamory and non-monogamous relationships
• Post-traumatic stress
• Process addictions
• Self-love
• Sex addiction
• Sexual dysfunction
• Sexuality
• Quitting smoking or vaping
• Social anxiety and phobia
• Somatization
• Workplace issues

Ways of working

• Client-Centred Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
• Mindfulness Therapy
• Motivational Interviewing
• Psychodynamic Therapy
• Solution-Focused Therapy
• Internal Family Systems

Questions about Michael

Does he work with anxiety?

Yes. He supports people with anxiety and related stress symptoms using person-centred and cognitive behavioural approaches.

What kind of counselling does he offer?

He offers an integrated approach drawing mainly on client-centred (person-centred) therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy, with mindfulness, motivational interviewing and psychodynamic ideas as additional tools.

How much experience does he have?

He has 13 years' experience since completing his counselling training in 2011.

Is he accredited and where does he practise?

He is an accredited member of the National Counselling Society and practices in the United Kingdom.

Can I have sessions in a language other than English?

Sessions are offered in English.

Does he accept international clients?

No, he does not take clients outside the United Kingdom.

How much do sessions cost?

Cost varies with location; sessions use a subscription that can be cancelled at any time.

How do I start sessions with him?

Select the Talk to a counsellor online button, complete a short matching questionnaire, and schedule a first session.