Counselling & Psychotherapy in Wirral & Liverpool
MEET
Martin Poole
When was the last time you felt truly understood?
As an honest, compassionate counsellor, I offer a down-to-earth, no-nonsense approach I would have appreciated when I attended therapy. Having been a sceptical client myself before becoming a therapist, I have some idea of what you might be feeling, especially if this is your first time seeking therapy. I believe you have been trying to manage life in the best way you can, but sometimes we all need help. By listening carefully to understand your unique circumstances, we can work together to fulfil your needs and empower you to make positive choices in life.
I am a Level 7 fully qualified person-centred and humanistic counsellor (PG Diploma – with distinction) and a registered member of the BACP.
Therapy For Adults
Short or long-term therapy
Some clients use sessions for personal development, to talk through major life decisions, or to explore existential and philosophical questions of meaning, purpose or belief. I also work with a broad spectrum of human distress. Whatever your background or identity, you’re welcome here. I see clients with a broad range of difficulties, including:
- Anxiety, Panic, and Stress: When worry, panic or pressure is taking over and you want space to untangle it.
- Depression, Low Mood and Self-Esteem: Feeling flat, stuck, disconnected, or not good enough.
- Work, Life Transitions and Big Decisions: Burnout, career change, or standing at a crossroads and needing room to think.
- Relationships, Separation and Divorce: Trouble with partners, family or friends, and the fallout when a relationship ends.
- Bereavement, Grief, and Loss: Loss in all its forms, including the quiet kind of isolation that can follow it.
- Trauma, Abuse and Neglect: Working at your pace with the trauma of emotional or physical abuse, neglect and childhood sexual abuse.
- Anger, Alcohol and Drug Use: Looking at what’s underneath the anger, or the drinking or drug use, without judgement.
- Suicidal Thoughts and Self-Harm: Somewhere you can talk about it openly without being judged or rushed.
- Psychosis, Paranoia and Unusual Experiences: If your mind is frightening or confusing right now, you can talk about it here.
- Not Sure Therapy Is For You: If you’re sceptical, or someone else suggested it, that’s a perfectly good place to start.
Specialist Communities
Alongside my general practice, my own life path means I bring unique, personal insight and insider knowledge to two very specific areas.
- Creative & Theatre Professionals: Having spent over 25 years working in the theatre industry, I understand the unique psychological pressures affecting actors, musicians, dancers, stage managers, directors and producers - including audition and performance anxiety, identity shifts, and irregular lifestyle cycles.
- Boarding School Alumni & Survivors: As an ex-boarder myself, I work sensitively with adults navigating the distinct psychological legacy and "boarding school syndrome" caused by early separation and institutional survival strategies.
A Note on Neurodiversity, Autism, and ADHD Diagnoses
As a person-centred, humanistic and trauma-informed therapist, I don’t assess or diagnose. I do work with people who have a diagnosis, are waiting for one, or have come to their own understanding of themselves, whether that’s autism, ADHD or something else. Either way, I see you as an individual and focus on whatever you want to talk about. For some people that includes what a diagnosis means to them; for others it isn’t relevant to why they’re here. You take the lead.
Locations & Fees
I see clients in person at my home in Wallasey (next to Wallasey Grove Road Station), in Birkenhead (near Hamilton Square Station) and in central Liverpool (close to all four central Liverpool stations). I also offer Walk and Talk therapy in Harrison Park in Wallasey and Birkenhead Park (weather permitting).
Clients can also access therapy by video or phone call from anywhere in the UK and most countries worldwide.
Most clients book 60 or 90 minute sessions, but depending on the venue, sessions can be booked for anything between 50 and 120 minutes (charged on a pro-rata basis). Fees also vary depending on location. Online and phone sessions are charged at the same rate as those in Wallasey.
Clicking on a location below will open a link in Google Maps.
- WALLASEY
- 60 mins - £60
- 90 mins - £90
- BIRKENHEAD
- 60 mins - £75
- 90 mins - £112.50
- LIVERPOOL
- 60 mins - £90
- 90 mins - £135
I offer complete flexibility in terms of frequency of appointments. I am happy to offer regular weekly sessions, but I also understand that a more flexible approach may be needed by some clients. We can therefore fit appointments around both of our schedules, holding sessions in person, online or over the phone, to fit in with your needs at the time.
Safety First
As well as abiding by the BACP’s ethical framework, I am also a member of tPCA (the Person-Centred Association), which reflects my person-centred and humanistic way of working. I am also fully insured, hold a current DBS certificate and am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as part of my legal requirement regarding General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
I have regular supervision and undertake continued personal and professional development. I have also had a great deal of my own therapy (and return to it when needed), because I believe the work a therapist does on themselves matters just as much as their training. Alongside my private practice, I also serve as a Trustee and Board Member for a registered mental health charity in Merseyside, making mental health care more accessible within the community.
Email martin@wirraltherapist.co.uk to request a free no-obligation call or for further information.
You can also phone or text me on 07788 723570 and I’ll get back to you if I’m not available.
