Mike Swift

Warm, collaborative counselling for individuals and couples in Bristol and online. I also offer standalone EMDR therapy and psychedelic integration support.

Hello and welcome. I am an EMDR therapist and integrative counsellor working in Bristol, Keynsham and online. I am also a member of the training team, here at BCPC. 

Perhaps you’ve begun to notice that, despite your best efforts, you keep encountering the same emotional, relational difficulties. You may understand them intellectually, yet still find yourself in the same places.

I am an integrative counsellor working with individuals and couples in central Bristol and online. I use, EMDR, psychodynamic, person-centred and somatic therapy/breathwork techniques to explore the patterns that can underlie psychological distress and common accompanying physical symptoms.

I work with adults from all walks of life who are seeking to understand themselves, heal and change, whether they are struggling with long-standing emotional difficulties, relationship patterns, the impact of trauma, the impact of neurodiversity in a neurotypical society, or simply a sense that life could feel more connected and meaningful.

My work is less concerned with treating isolated symptoms than with encountering what's underneath - and creating the conditions in which you can move towards a more integrated version of yourself. To support this process, I draw on a range of approaches, which we can experiment with to find what feels most useful to you.

I see therapy as an opportunity to become curious about the experiences, stories, emotions and responses that have shaped how you relate to yourself, others and the world, while feeling understood rather than judged. As deeper layers of experience become more conscious and felt, new possibilities for living and relating can begin to emerge.

I aim to offer a therapeutic relationship characterised by curiosity, warmth and openness, where you feel safe to bring your full self.

Finally, and this is decidedly un-therapist-like of me to say, but I bring my sense of humour to the work. Sometimes having a good laugh about life is very much needed when everything feels heavy.

If this sounds good, drop me a line to arrange for a free, no-obligation conversation about working together.

First, you will want to know about me -

I have a passion for my own development as a therapist and have over seven years of training: an advanced level 6 counselling diploma from BCPC in Bath, couples therapy training with the School of Relational Couples Therapy, and recently I completed a second professional diploma in Depth Psychology and Psychedelic Assisted Therapy at The Institute of Psychedelic Therapy (while I welcome prep/integration work, I do not offer psychedelic-assisted therapy in the UK). I am currently completing accredited EMDR training.

My work is grounded in Person-Centred, Psychodynamic, Jungian, Groffian, Existential, Internal Family Systems and EMDR modalities, with a deep reverence for the inherent wisdom and healing capacity of the psyche. I am up to date with trauma research.

I am interested in transformational crisis through the lens of depth psychology, and warmly welcome working with people experiencing their unique 'dark night of the soul'. 

I am BACP registered, fully insured and my work is overseen by a qualified clinical supervisor. I am also a member of a small, long-term peer supervision group as an additional support to my work. I have my own personal therapy and see my own personal development work as a lifelong endeavour.

I work from my own private and confidential office in central Bristol BS15EH (or online with people based anywhere). 

The work we do is fully confidential, with the standard caveat that I may sometimes take our work to supervision to make sure that I am providing the best possible service for you.

I seek regular feedback from all clients to ensure that the work we are doing is helpful. I have not received any complaints, but do have a clear procedure in place should this ever arise, which I believe is important.

All of this gives you some guarantee that, if you choose to contact me, you are contacting a therapist who is well trained, passionate about the work, ethical and accountable.

Drop me a line to arrange for a free, no-obligation conversation about working together.

Information for couples counselling

I imagine if you're looking for couples counselling, the way that you are being with each other is not satisfying you. Perhaps the feelings you once had have changed. Perhaps this has built slowly over time, or a life transition or event has brought things to a head. Either way - something needs to change in the relationship. Perhaps you're at the stage where it's either - things have to improve - or you separate. Often, a build up of resentment and disappointment has slowly eroded the relationship. This needs to be understood, addressed and processed in order to move back into the healthy, growthful relationship you both want and deserve. Part of my task will be noticing and stopping what's happening between you and helping you to do things differently.

Commonly, the situation between a couple has reached crisis point by the time couples counselling is sought. If your desire to stay together is still strong, and you are willing to work at it, my goal as a couples therapist is to notice and to intervene in the patterns and shapes that you are co-creating, to assist you as a couple to re-establish communication and empathy where is has broken down. I will provide communication advice and exercises - to be done in sessions and at home - to help you re-connect.

When relationships get into difficulty, usually it can be traced back to our unconscious patterns and projections from the past and how these have become entangled with the other's in ways that activate our early wounding, I will help you to explore and begin to unpick these tangles and knots. This can be hard work, and will often require time and commitment to the process, especially when things feel hard. My commitment is to be reliable, fully present and in the process with you.

If you would both like to give it a go, we would meet for a full initial session in order to get a good sense of what it is like working together.

I offer regular weekly couples therapy, and a more flexible arrangement for those couples for whom it would be impossible to commit to a regular time. 

Get in touch to arrange a meeting. 

EMDR Europe Accredited Training

Professional Diploma Depth Relational Process Psychedelic Assisted Therapy - Institute of Psychedelic Therapy 2025

Certificate in Relational Couples Therapy - School of Relational Couples Therapy 2023

Advanced level 6 Diploma Humanistic & Integrative Counselling BCPC 2021

Swan Project Placement Counsellor 2018 - 2021 - long-term counselling for clients with alcohol-related issues

Mindline listening-skills volunteer training 120hrs 2006

Philosophy BA Reading University 2002

Individual: In-person £60+

Individual: Online £60+