Client Reviews

I am back with my wife, clean of drugs and for the first time in a long time optimistic of what the future holds. If anyone is reading this and unsure of seeing Mark, my advice to you would be, if something in your life is causing you distress, then speak to Mark at Ataraxia because through personal experience he helped me save my family and life”. (D.K. Hoddesdon).

"I was a little nervous about going to see a therapist, but i needn't had been. Working with Mark has been a satisfying and rewarding experience. His warm and caring demeanour has enabled me to open up and honestly work through some difficult issues that were holding me back. Without his help i would not have been able to do this. I will always be thankful for Marks support through some difficult times" (D.M, Ware).

"Mark made me feel very comfortable from the moment I walked through his door for the first time. He is a very good therapist who I will and have recommended to many people. I feel completely at ease with Mark and he is helping my husband and I to communicate again. Really impressed". (L.M, Ware).

“After a second bout of depression I was advised to seek professional help in the realm of counselling. I was recommended to Mark, I have not looked back. Years of stress and not being able to find a way out had taken its toll. Three months on and I wish I had done it earlier. A man of great integrity with a school of life. I can now see light at the end of the tunnel and the trigger points that have helped me. I can’t recommend this professionial highly enough. It has been my light and way forward". (J.S. Broxbourne).

“I started seeing Mark last April after what I refer to as my meltdown after everything just overwhelmed me.

I have a wonderful life, job, beautiful wife and sons but it still didn’t stop it. I had no confidence, low self-esteem and serious trust issues. I didn’t know if it was depression, bipolar or what. After a few sessions with Mark it became apparent that I had built a fantastic image of my childhood which turned out to be my way of blocking the reality out. As we have journeyed over the months, thanks to Marks amazing understanding and sensitivity we have untangled a huge amount of my past. I am not saying I am totally recovered as it’s a long journey but I do have a much better understanding of myself now and realise I wasn’t the person I thought I was. I feel more confident and have higher self-esteem than before but I still do fall down every now and then. I would recommend Mark to anyone without hesitation. He is patient, understanding and has an amazing way of making you connect things you would never have imagined about yourself. I know I will be seeing Mark for a while yet as I know I still need to, but without his help I can’t imagine where I would be now". (P.S. Stansted Abbotts).

“I was recommended to Mark three months ago whilst in the midst of a situation I just couldn’t cope with. Mark has more than helped me, made me feel its okay to be me and counselled me through the devestation I felt and out the other side.

Mark is very easy to talk to and I feel totally comfortable with opening up to him and he always makes sure I am okay when the session has ended. I would highly recommend Mark". (J.B. Hoddesdon).

“Mark has been an absolutely invaluable help to me in helping to gain clarity and perspective in my life.

He is kind, open minded and a trustworthy individual who helps you to gain deeper insight into your own issues and thought processes through a combination of techniques. He’s absolutely brilliant at what he does and I thoroughly recommend him to anyone thinking of taking the leap into therapy". (L.F. Harlow).

"When I first visited Mark, I was no stranger to counselling. Over 10 years I had been through the process of meeting, introducing, explaining, and building the groundwork into healing multiple times before. I was a bonafide veteran in receiving therapy. But was it really working? Why did I find myself going round in this loop where I had no option than to call for kelp from a professional? While it's true that I was able to learn some helpful lessons with each counsellor I met, at the same time I was producing wildly differing degrees of success,

In mid - 2018 I found myself in one of the darkest places i'd been in for a long while, after 6 months of positive progress on my own. I'd made some great steps both personally and career - wise in the earlier part of the year, before an event brought it to a grinding halt and I found myself needing help again.

In steps Mark....

The best way I can describe my time with Mark, or more accurately the best way I can describe the way Mark works, is that he not only presents you with the doorway into feeling better about yourself, tackling the demons that are niggling away at you and aiding you to feel more at peace with who you are, but he also helps you walk through it. Then he follows you in and helps you to explore the other side.

His counselling style and the way he treated my situation was one of warmth. compassion, interest and attentiveness, At times there was humour - I tend to diffuse negative feelings about myself with a joke or two and he was right there with me. When I needed to be more serious and delve deeper into my innermost thoughts and feelings, he was right there with me too. But there was never any pressure to do either.

For me, he had ideas and techniques to try to combat almost every aspect of my problems. From my concerns about my physical appearance, confidence, self-belief, anxiety, depression, even my lacklustre sleep pattern, he was willing to be right there with me on each one, and every little concern was treated with the utmost respect and consideration. My mind was blown in one of our earlier sessions when I came in to find he'd done a considerable amount of homework on his own, just to get more up to speed with how best to deal with my issues.

Every appointment I had with Mark, I was always greeted at the door with a shake of the hand, closely followed by a freshly made cup of tea. This instant sense of ease immediately made it clear that this was a safe place where I could just relax and chat casually about what had gone on in the time since I was last there, naturally progressing into the deeper issues as our conversation dictated. That was the favourite thing about my experience - from very early on, it was clear that there was no pressure to bring anything specific to the table, there was no overbearing sense of urgency to fire through all the issues I felt I needed to cover. In fact, it almost felt like each session began as a catch up, not between counsellor and client, but as two friends.

For all this I cannot recommend Mark enough to anybody struggling with themselves, struggling with life, struggling with success, even if you are not sure whats causing the struggle. If you are willing to open up and go along with him in actively working on tackling the issue, then I promise you that you will come on leaps and bounds". (L.T. St Albans).

" I have been in `therapy with Mark for over 6 months now and I cannot find the words to express my gratitude and appreciation for all he has done for me.

My path that lead up to seeking therapy this time was following on from a suicide attempt and prior to this my life was not an easy road. Over the years I suffered with complex PTSD as a result of prolonged childhood abuse and the untimely death of my son in my early twenties, and as a result had many issues dealing with my past throughout my life, many repeated traumas.

I had seen many therapists in the past before I started with Mark, and never quite clicked with any of them. The first day I sat in front of Mark I felt he was the right therapist to work with and made me feel at ease, feel safe, did not patronise me and seemed like a person who had enough life experience for me to open up to and talk about my story and journey and for me most importantly feel I could trust.

I felt for whatever reason Mark was a person who is going to care greatly to help me and have the skill set to do so as-well and I was right.

I was a completely broken shell of a person starting my therapy with Mark and it has not been an easy process, but it has been worth it, I feel for the first time in my life I am at peace with my past and on the way to rebuilding my life and have a better understanding of myself and most importantly not to blame myself.

Mark has given me the tools to help me rebuild my outlook on life and come to terms with my past, I feel like I am starting to live and words fail me to express how truly amazing Mark has been with me, therapy can and will be tough and my advice to anyone starting therapy is to stick with it, it gets tougher before it gets better and as best as possible stay committed , there will be days you might not feel like going but if you commit to it, you will start to heal and it certainly doesn't happen overnight.

My family and GP has been so impressed with the progress I have made and the work Mark. has done in helping me. I wish i had the words to express how truly amazing Mark is and he is one of this worlds angels, he has saved my life, I honestly do not know how I have come this far without getting the right help, and I can never repay him for what he has done for me, I feel my lucky stars were aligned when I met Mark". (A.L Ware)

"I had some serious anger issues that have been gradually getting worse and it was causing issues between myself and my wife. I was apprehensive about going to counselling and wasn't sure if i'd be able to open up about what I had going on but i needn't have worried. I found it very easy to chat with Mark. The sessions were nothing like i'd expected, they were much more casual and relaxed. By talking through everything we managed to figure out what the main trigger was. Then working over a number of weeks on ways to manage my anger I have become more confident in myself and the relationship with my wife has gotten much better. I had put in place practices that have allowed me to gain more control in my life and such am happier than I've been for a long time.

I would not hesitate to recommend Mark to friends and family members as it has helped me greatly". (A.H. Broxbourne.)

"I entered counselling 6 months ago, with personal relationship problems that were causing me anxiety and depression. I was also drinking far too much - a bottle plus of wine a night, a habit that spanned over 20 years.

With the support of my counsellor Mark , I have FINALLY stopped drinking 5 months ago and have not looked back. I'm thoroughly enjoying new and exciting ways of spending the time I used to spend drinking. It's also improved my relationship.

Finding the right counsellor who offers you a non- judgmental safe place to talk through your problems is vital if you are to succeed, and whilst Mark doesn't have a 'magic' wand he can offer all of the above and help you to achieve the life you deserve". (K.B Ware)

"I needed help!!! After finding out after 25 years of marriage that my husband had been a serial cheat, put me through a lifetime of mental cruelty and then went on to physically abuse me. It took me courage to even google the word 'Therapist' and admit to myself that i couldn't cope on my own.

After looking at Marks profile and reviews it just felt right.

I remember my very first meeting with Mark. He met me at the therapy room door, shook my hand, put the kettle on and straight away i felt safe.

Mark has the most gentle, caring and kind way of counselling and always keeping it totally professional;. After several visits it became my safe place, where I was going to see a friend that listened to me and he only ever spoke at the perfect timings.

Mark had the ability to know how i was feeling as soon as i entered his therapy room.

In my safe place i would laugh and I would cry and was reassured that these emotions were natural and totally acceptable.

I cannot recommend Mark enough,

He helped me get through the darkest of times and i ALWAYS felt different when my sessions ended.

Mark to this day is still supporting me.

I will be eternally grateful.

Thank you Mark X (K.B. Harlow)

I have been in Therapy with Mark for over 6 months now. The reason for seeking Therapy was due to my struggles with stress and anxiety. I was also in a cycle of taking class A drugs on a regular basis over the last 5 years and lacking in self-belief.

As a sufferer of bouts of depression and severe depression during my adult life i wanted to address my issues.

Through a little self-investigation on local therapists as well as phone conversations with them i decided on Mark. Mark made me feel very comfortable from the moment I spoke with him on the phone and then when i walked through his door for the first time.

I had seen several therapists over the years and can honestly say i have never been as open with them as I have with Mark.

Through a combination of talking, his techniques and his own life experiences he really has helped me to open up and talk about all my issues fully. My 30 plus year relationship with recreational drugs, my perception of a lack of love and guidance from my parents growing up, the need to control certain activities, the frustrations with my inner circle of friends and work and lack of self-esteem in general.

Mark is a genuine, open minded, honest, trustworthy person who helped me to explore and understand my feelings and frustrations, believe in myself and see me for who I really am. I truly believe I have become a better husband, friend, work colleague and all round person since-seeing and talking with Mark.

I feel as though i have built a close relationship with Mark. I believe he is fantastic at what he does, and i would and will highly recommend him to anyone thinking of exploring therapy. (W.W, Ware)