Testimonial 1
Working with you really helped me realise how much anxiety was debilitating my life and now being able to notice it is allowing me to work through feeling avoidant. I know that my anxious responses don't help me in the long run and my behaviour is a lot calmer and safer than it used to be. I'm genuinely very grateful and have felt super guilty for not providing feedback sooner also very much helped that you understood my background and it never felt like i was being judged - with help ive had in the past ive felt the need to underplay my behaviour out of fear of not being understood
20 year old unnamed
Testimonial 2
Our 9 year old was doing extremely poorly with OCD. We had been to a psychologist, a family therapist, and a psychiatrist.
We got medication from the psychiatrist, which helped lower anxiety but did not solve the problem. The family therapist helped us parents marginally but not our child. The psychologist gave the traditional cognitive behaviour training (CBT), which was successful initially, but quickly the OCD turned resistant.
The traditional mental health professionals seemed to work out of one fixed model for how OCD should be handled. They did not seem to understand our child or see the entirety of our child. When their approach to OCD therapy failed they gave up and let us know that they did not know how to help our child. None of them tried a different approach.
Our then 10 year old was unable to attend school and unable to do much else than put the brain on standby with youtube. Everything was a battle down to the smallest things like brushing teeth, taking a shower, getting to the toilet, getting off the toilet, answering a question. Nothing seemed to help and we realised that a likely adult path for our child would be substance abuse to get momentary relief. We were deeply worried for our wonderful child who was going through such hardship.
The change came with James and his work. James' approach is very much NOT fitting everyone into a certain box. He very much sees our child as the whole person they are. He looked at our child, and found a solution. Where the psychologist was telling our child how things worked and what our child would need to do, James nudged our child to realise it on their own. He has a really nice way of combining little nuggets of information given him by our child and formulating that into a plan of guidance. James' approach to OCD therapy is different than the traditional CBT exposure response prevention, which aims to make the OCD manageable. James' aim is to guide our child to be able to recognise OCD and ignore it. It has been crucial for us all to realise that battling OCD is giving it negative attention, which is still attention. Our whole vocabulary around this has changed from battleground to zen.
Our now 11 year old child is not finished with their journey to automatically ignore OCD, but they have the tools, we again recognise our child and no longer worry for their future (more than any parents do for their children).
We highly recommend James to any parent of a child with OCD (or any adult with OCD for that matter).
Names withheld for the privacy of our child.
Testimonial 3
Where to begin!! Life changing. As a 35 year old woman with the world at my feet, my feet were firmly planted on the floor going nowhere, with a head full of anxiety and OCD. I wish I had met James years ago. I’ve struggled with anxiety and OCD ever since I can remember. I’ve tried numerous therapies; CBT, talking therapies, self help books (all of which are excellent) but none of which fully understood the problem, and so, therefore, could not solve the problem. James is completely different. He understands the brain and why I was suffering the way that I was.
It wasn’t just about the now, it was about what had gone on before, the patterns of behaviour, the thought processes and what was fuelling them. After years of battling uncertainty, I have finally fought to change my relationship with anxiety. It isn’t an easy process, but if you really want it, it’s available for everybody, and it works. James taught me the importance of feeling pain, fear and acceptance, and the role they play in recovering from anxiety and OCD. I know OCD will always be there, because it’s everywhere!! I notice it in people every single day. Every time I turn on the radio or the TV, I hear people joking about their rituals to ensure their team win the football, or something similar. I hope with all my heart that children who hear these anecdotes don’t spend too long dwelling on them, because if practiced and believed, these compulsions can turn into years of suffering.
My OCD is now completely manageable. There are of course tests in life when it tries to take control. I sometimes catch myself in a compulsion and think, hang on a minute, that’s OCD! Stop it! Laughter is often the best cure, along with the knowledge that it’s my brain trying to keep me safe, in a world where fear must be felt. I know with my new skills these compulsions will become more and more infrequent, and I want to feel the fear and carry on regardless, because that’s the best feeling of all. I feel free, and I feel excited, and I feel eternally grateful to James.
Sophie (35)
Testimonial 4
I had originally been with a camhs OCD group before coming to James, which I found completely ineffective for my type of OCD. I became disengaged as I found the team didn’t acknowledge my individual issues but rather gave me textbook coping methods which i found completely ineffective. After finding James and Overoverthought the sessions were extremely engaging as it was like talking to a friend who always seemed to have the right advice. I felt that I wasn’t just a ‘textbook case’ and that my personal problems were listened to and cared for. I learned to cope with my OCD rapidly due to his style of therapy and the different techniques used to battle the disorder. Although all the technical advice helped me massively, I thank James mostly for giving me the confidence to battle my OCD instead of giving into it; reassuring me that this wasn’t me and that my life could change. Nearly a year after being diagnosed with OCD, I find my head much easier to cope with, as well as my life in general. Thank you for everything James.
Unnamed (17)
Testimonial 5
I have known James for around 20 years as a friend, We lost touch for a few years but managed to re connect about 7 months ago and I’m so glad we did. I was telling him about some of the issues I was facing regarding self belief and my past holding me back. Through his nlp practice James has helped me identify and break down limitations that were holding me back from achieving my goals. I can’t recommend James highly enough, as a professional he is of high integrity, his knowledge on how the mind works is second to none and his outlook on life is a breath of fresh air. James is so easy to talk to and I’ve always felt at ease with him which has helped me greatly. As a person they don’t come much nicer than James and I’m proud to call him my friend.Unnamed Male 37
Testimonial 6
When I was given James’s telephone number our world had been turned completely upside down as my 17-year-old daughter’s OCD Intrusive thoughts had come to light by someone she had confided in, playing it out on social media in the form that she was a paedophile, for the whole world to see and people believed this. We were in the worst place possible.
James was there for both my daughter and I from the onset and supported us through the learning of this illness we had never heard of. Just knowing that there was help out there, that actually other people had suffered with it and with the correct mental health therapy were now managing their lives, was absolutely massive to us.
I could clearly see from the onset that James is able to talk to young people in a way that they feel comfortable but also kept me as parent up to date with progress updates. His knowledge has really invaluable.
We have now come to an end of her therapy, but it is reassuring to know that James is there at the end of the phone if she encounters ‘blips’ on the road ahead.
Yes the cost of sessions is not cheap however the results are worth every penny, we were referred for CBT as a result of the Child in Need Social Services Assessment but are still waiting for this, James was there when we needed it and this is absolutely priceless
Mother of young person
Testimonial 7
I have suffered with OCD and anxiety since childhood, I experience flare ups during times of stress. Last spring I found myself slipping into a very difficult episode. I was having trouble sleeping, panic attacks were happening daily and my OCD was in overdrive. Thankfully I saw James' advert and made the call. He was so understanding on the phone and seemed to understand me and my condition more than even my own family. Within a week I'd had my first session. James offers a different approach to OCD and anxiety treatment, taking things at your pace and getting to know you as a person. I felt safe with him and was able to open up about things I'd never spoken about before. A stressful house move, difficulties at work and relationship problems had compounded my anxiety but with James' help I was able to work through a lot of stuff and steadily rebuild my self-esteem, confidence and find the strong to do things that I'd always hidden away from because of OCD fears. I appreciated the ability to taper off my sessions towards the end of this journey, as I started to feel better, knowing that if I ever was struggling with my mental health I can just call and he will see me again.
I highly recommend James and his approach. He is incredibly easy to get along with and cuts to the heart of issues with his unique understanding and individuality. (Anonymous)
Testimonial 8
I’ve worked with James for the past couple years now and I am yet to find someone who is as understanding, patient and determined to help you get to the route of whatever the issue may be for you. James is able to create a safe place where you feel you are able to easily build a trusting relationship which is so important when it comes to talking about such personal issues. James has truly helped me in more ways than I could ever explain. Although I am so aware that life is rarely easy I truly feel like I have my own life and freedom back. James has been able to help me with personal traumas and the wild journey of managing ADHD. (Anonymous)
Testimonial 9
I’ve had two sets of sessions with James, he made me feel at ease straight away and used examples of his own experiences during the session which made him relatable. James took the time to really understand me as a person which, I feel, made sessions far more effective than therapy I’ve had in the past. I highly recommend James to anyone looking for help navigating the emotional challenges that can come from complexity of life.
Women 20’s
Testimonial 10
Hiya James mate,
So I don’t even know where to start but you have helped me so so much since when we started and not only just with the addiction but just as a person too I’ve grown so much as an individual since when we first met. Honestly can’t put into words how much you have actually helped me in my teen years! I just want to say a huge thank you to you and I wish you the absolute best with whatever you have coming your way! I’m sure you’ll keep helping people just like you helped me ! But thanks again mate I’m so much happier now!
Man 22