Welcome
A confidential space to explore the thoughts, feelings and challenges in your life
Thank you for visiting Andrew Cooke Psychotherapy.
About me
Hi, I’m Andrew and I’m a musician turned trainee psychotherapist; in my journey of swerving into this career path I’ve noticed how the art of deep listening has been a powerful crossover between the two. My intention is to bring this enthusiasm, creativity and inspiration into my psychotherapy practice; I understand and respect the importance of trust and compassion in the bonds I form with both my clients and students. From my own history I believe that psychotherapy can be a challenging yet also a very exhilarating experience; the art of learning to live fully and inhabiting one’s potential.
I’m in my fourth year of training in mindfulness-based Core Process Psychotherapy at the Bristol-based Karuna Institute, having previously studied at the BCPC in Bath. I have been working in one-to-one capacities with adults and young adults for almost ten years, and have volunteered with mental health charities.
My background is very much in music; performance, composition, and education. I studied piano for many years in the Royal Irish Academy Of Music in Dublin (my hometown), whilst also performing in bands, choirs and ensembles. I got a BA in Music in Trinity College Dublin before moving to Bristol about ten years ago to study an MA in film composition, which was then my dream job. After I graduated, I realised that networking and self-promotion were too exhausting for me, so I ended up getting sucked into Bristol’s chaotically wonderful experimental music and art scene, performing savagely unlistenable music and promoting tiny gigs in sweaty basements. After the pandemic, and with my therapy training, I sadly found less opportunities to perform, but you can occasionally still find me hiding in the back of a free jazz group. I’m very interested in how music is perceived; texturally, certain abstract shapes and forms, through colour… all types of synaesthetic ways.
I became interested in training in psychotherapy mainly through wanting to understand myself better, and thus to want to share this others who have found themselves in times as dark as I did; though my own therapy and studies I have experienced ways to challenge and reformat my own patterns and ways of thinking, which I believed were indelibly etched into my life since childhood. I firmly hold confidence in talking therapy, where healing relationships of significant value can be formed. I myself can understand what difficulties and suffering life may conjure up for us, and that such obstacles may feel immovable at times.. yet there can always be ways to navigate these, and reclaim one’s noble path.
I work to the Core Process model, which is a mindfulness-based approach. It has at its heart the idea that all of us are inherently healthy, and that the events of childhood, relationships and society may obstruct the process of finding freedom from suffering.
Everything is welcome in the therapy room; together we can explore the essence of how it is to be you, in a safe, welcoming and confidential space.
I am a senior trainee of Core Process Psychotherapy at the Karuna Institute here in Bristol; I adhere to the Association of Core Process Psychotherapists and UKCP codes of ethics, and my work is fully supervised and insured; in supervision work my clients’ identities remain protected.
Core Process Psychotherapy, founded in 1982, is one of the original mindfulness-based psychotherapy training programs. Buddhist psychology and mindfulness practice are the basis of this work.
In Core Process Psychotherapy, we explore our present experience. Both therapist and client undergo a shared process of healing and discovery where an awareness of the body, and the states of mind that may emerge thereof, are used to explore that which arises in each passing moment. The therapist's role is to maintain this environment of awareness, being present and staying with the client. The relationship between the therapist and client is key, as it is valued as a shared experience of learning and exploration.
The essence of Core Process work is trusting in our true experience, both internal and external, to the extent that change and healing are possible. We focus on the body and the presence of each passing moment, staying with the truth of our experience. By looking at the causes of suffering in our lives, gently at first and then in more detail, we can learn to accept them before reworking them to find strength and clarity. Both therapist and client embark on these journeys of transformation together, every step of the way.
Maura Sills is the founder of Core Process Psychotherapy, and together with Franklyn Sills she has developed the Core Process Psychotherapy approach for application in various clinical contexts.
Please visit the Karuna Institute website if you are curious about learning more about Core Process Psychotherapy.
What issues can psychotherapy help with?
Psychotherapy can take differing forms, from short and targeted to a mid- to long-term process on an open-ended basis. It can assist with:
General feelings of struggle, unhappiness, dissatisfaction or unease
Finding oneself stuck in restrictive patterns
Life events in childhood or adulthood
Difficulty creating and maintaining relationships, intimate or otherwise
Blocked Creativity
Searching for spiritual meaning
Trauma
Anxiety
Relationship Issues
Depression
Grief, loss and bereavement
Some frequently asked questions
I always prefer to work face-to-face, accepting new clients who can initially come in person. I can also accommodate online sessions.
Sessions cost £45 for an hour – this is a discounted rate, and I charge this as I am a trainee. I also have some concessionary slots; please ask if you are interested in one of these.
Sessions are weekly and at the same time each week. At the moment I have availability on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. There may be some flexibility around other times, if these are not manageable.
I work primarily from the Stokes Croft Practice Rooms at 34 Upper York Street, Stokes Croft, Bristol, BS2 8QF. Please see the map on the Contact Page for the location. I can also accommodate sessions at The Practice Rooms in Cotham: 39 Cotham Hill, Bristol, BS6 6JY.
If you would like to arrange a free introductory meeting of up to 30 minutes, you can call or email me via this site and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Please let me know if you have any accessibility requirements.
If we both agree that we want to proceed, we would aim for an initial six sessions. We would review the work during the 6th session to establish whether we are both happy to continue.
Any more questions?
Please get in touch.
Get in touch
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment.
You can also call me on 07511 424 014 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first.
© Andrew Cooke
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