Name: Duncan Tomlinson
Job Title: Counsellor
What is involved in your role?
Offering a safe space and trusting relationship, with no judgement, to people who are experiencing
mental and/or emotional distress, to talk through openly and honestly their thoughts and emotions
on that distress. To hear them, to hold their emotions with them and to help them find a way to
healing.
What is your background?
In terms of counselling, I went through my own mental and emotional collapse(s) over many years before I found the help I needed to get better. From there, I started the long road to becoming a counsellor myself.
A Foundation Certificate in Psychodynamic Theory at the Counselling Foundation back in 2010 and, once my life was in order, graduating from Aylesbury College in 2016 with my Diploma in Integrative Counselling (Person-Centred primarily, along with CBT and Transactional Analysis).
During that Diploma, I had placements at the Progress Centre at Stantonbury Secondary School in Milton Keynes (2 years) and at Mind in Milton Keynes.
I continued with Mind, working voluntarily with clients who experienced bereavement, depression, anxiety and more, before I was employed by Mind to provide counselling services to NHS patients at the Central Milton Keynes GP Practise, which encompassed a rich and rewarding diversity of people and mental health issues to work with.
From there, I began to offer counselling from my private practise and joined We Mind and Kelly Matters a year ago, building upon my work with bereavement, loss, and suicide.
What motivates you?
Being able to help those who can’t afford to pay private fees to have the opportunity to have therapy. I wasn’t in a position to do so when I needed to, yet thanks to charities and those involved with them, I got the help I needed, and I got well again. To be able to give that back to others.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The relationships with the clients I work with.
If you could send a message out to the entire world, what would it be?
Nothing it hasn’t heard before, I’m sure.
This month’s random question: Where is your happy place?
Home, with the door firmly shut behind me.
