How the counselling works
Person-centred counselling means you set the direction and I listen without judgement — no programme, no homework, no scoring. Sessions run 50 minutes by private video with Mark Clarke, a BACP-registered counsellor working with English-speaking gay and bisexual men. No waiting list, no screening, no limit on sessions, and the same counsellor every time.
What happens, step by step?
A conversation first
Thirty minutes, no charge. You ask anything, and both of us get a sense of whether this is the right fit. There is no obligation to book afterwards.
The first session
Fifty minutes with room for the whole story — what brought you here, what has already been tried, and what you would like to be different.
Fees for each session type are on the services page.
A regular rhythm
Most clients meet weekly or fortnightly. The rhythm can slow down when life is loud and there is no minimum commitment.
Reviewing it together
Every eight to ten sessions the work pauses to ask a plain question: is this helping, and what should change?
How other men have described that review point is on the client experiences page.
Why pay when free LGBTQ+ counselling exists?
Free counselling from LGBTQ+ charities is a genuine good, and for many men it is exactly the right choice. It also has built-in limits that no amount of goodwill removes: sessions are usually limited to six or twelve, there is often a waiting list, clients are assigned to whichever counsellor has space, and a charity keeps a case file.
The Great Thriving is built the other way around. The same qualified counsellor is there every session. There is no limit on how many sessions you have, no waiting list and no screening. Appointment times include early mornings and evenings, which matters for men whose diaries are visible to other people. Privacy is complete: sessions are never recorded, and nothing in a calendar entry or a payment reference identifies the appointment as counselling — the FAQ sets out exactly how privacy is held.
If you're in a position to pay, the free places stay available for men who aren't.
What do men usually bring?
- Coming out later in life, or after marriage
- Being closeted in a senior or public-facing role
- Loneliness at the top — having no one to confide in
- Family estrangement and rejection
- Ageing, body image and the scene
- Sex, desire and performance difficulties
Session lengths and fees are set out on the services page.
Common questions
- What kind of therapy is this?
- The Great Thriving offers person-centred counselling, a talking therapy in which the client sets the direction of each session. The practice does not offer CBT, EMDR, psychodynamic therapy or any other named model.
- Is counselling with The Great Thriving confidential?
- Yes. Sessions are held by private video, nothing is recorded, and confidentiality has the standard limits applying to all UK counsellors: serious risk of harm, safeguarding, and legal telling people orders.
- Who can have sessions?
- English-speaking adult gay and bisexual men. All sessions are online.
- How many sessions will I need?
- There is no fixed number and no limit. Some clients work for a few months, others for a year or more, and the work can end at any point the client chooses.
The full list — fees, cancellation, confidentiality, credentials — lives on the FAQ page.