Simon Rylance
BEd Hons, Prof Dip Psy C., Dip Hyp CS.
Hello, my name is Simon Rylance.
My career has largely been in education, spending 35 years in the teaching profession, with a large part of that time in senior pastoral leadership roles including that of Head Teacher. When I decided to retire from teaching, I knew that I wanted to build on all that experience and continue to make a difference.
As part of that career change, I took up studying again and trained and qualified in Psychotherapeutic Counselling. I am a registered member of the NCPS. I am also a qualified hypnotherapist and registered with the National Hypnotherapy Society.
I provide Counselling and Psychotherapy services on the Wirral in Merseyside.
As an ‘Integrative’ psychotherapist I believe that one type of therapy doesn’t suit all, therefore bringing in techniques from other modalities of therapy such as person-centred, CBT, and a psychodynamic approach which provides clients with a greater therapeutic experience. I sometimes use hypnotherapy with certain presenting issues to complement the counselling process. I am able to work with clients on a range of issues including: anxiety, depression, stress, emotional abuse, fears and phobias, low self-esteem, relationship issues, health issues, work issues, general counselling.
My passion and motivation have always been to help others fulfil their potential and where possible to help remove any barriers that get in the way. The wisdom and diverse nature of those years working in a school environment are certainly being put to good use.
I look forward to you taking the next step, getting in touch and having a free consultation with me in order to explore whether counselling can help you to make those changes you are seeking.
I am a registered member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society and a registered member of the National Hypnotherapy Society. I work in a secondary school for 3 days a week supporting young people aged 11 to 18 and I volunteer as a bereavement counsellor at the Marie Curie Centre.
Supporting Young People
Before becoming a counsellor, I worked for many years in secondary education in a variety of roles. I was always struck by the resilience and strength that young people can show in the face of adversity. The journey into counselling has allowed me to connect with young people on a deeper level, to really hear their stories, understand their beliefs and to help them navigate a path to better self-awareness and understanding.
In my role now as a school counsellor, I have seen the impact counselling can have on children and young people. I often get the sense that many young people struggle to find their voice in the many systems they’re part of; families, school, friendship groups and social media platforms. There’s often a lot of pressure and expectation placed on the shoulders of young people and few places where this can be fully explored and held, without distraction or competing demands. In my counselling practice I work hard to create a relationship where young people know that I genuinely care and where they need only show up as themselves.
I’ve found that young people are sometimes desperately trying to navigate what they describe as the awkward and excruciating social situations at school. They become anxious about break times and worry about being included. They can feel painfully self-conscious and suffer with low self-esteem. This is a subject that sometimes comes up in our sessions, when they reflect on their personalities, I encourage them to think about their personal and unique qualities. It can be a real surprise to young people to discover they are perhaps shy and introverted; that they feel more comfortable in small groups and one-to-ones. It’s often as if they’ve been telling themselves a different story about who they should be, in order to try and fit in and be accepted. I’ve seen how through the therapeutic relationship, with their hard work and increased self-awareness, these young people can be more accepting of themselves, and as a result they can become happier.
This illustrates how counselling can support young people to grow and develop their potential. My goal is always to encourage and then empower young people to move forward in their life with a sense of hopefulness.