ABOUT ME

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I'm Gordon (he/they), a neuroqueer (neurodivergent and queer) integrative psychotherapist, counsellor, coach, and founder of DIVERSE HEADSPACES. 

My UK-based service offers neurodivergent-affirming therapy, counselling, coaching, group work, and training to anyone who, after we've met, we agree, I can help. 

My curiosity about the process of therapy began when I first sat in a room opposite a counsellor in 1995. I wanted to understand not only what could be explored and achieved during those 50-minute sessions but also the seemingly 'magical process' my counsellor used to help me navigate and resolve my internal conflicts and psychological difficulties.

While I'd gained valuable insights into why I found myself in various situations and relationships, this understanding alone did not enable me to move forward as I had hoped. I continuously reverted to the dysfunctional tools and survival strategies I had developed over the previous two and a half decades. I needed something more.

It was when I was diagnosed with an incurable health condition in 2004 that I found myself attending a group for people who had also been recently diagnosed.  It was in there that I was supported by two incredibly kind and empathetic therapists who also employed coaching skills. I remember thinking, "I want to learn how to do what you are doing." This combination enabled me to look to the future and create a fulfilling life. Motivated by what could be achieved with this integrative approach, I completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling and Coaching and a Postgraduate Certificate programme in Neurodiversity Coaching.

I frequently reflect on how outcomes might differ if one practitioner could offer an integrated approach to counselling and coaching, especially for neurodivergent clients or those with long-term health conditions. Having lived with ADHD and ASD for over 50 years, I am dedicated to providing gender, sexuality, and relationship diversity (GSRD) support, along with neuro-affirming care, to all my clients.

I work with adults of all ages, 1-to-1.

I see clients in-person at the Greenhouse Therapy Rooms, Chiswick W4 and online, both in the UK and Europe.

Outside of private practice, I have worked with clients at the Terrence Higgins Trust and currently work as a Psychotherapist with Mind in the City, Hackney, and Waltham Forest, so I’m used to counselling people from a broad cross-section of demographics, nationalities and walks of life. I work in an inclusive way while always remaining mindful of differences and how that may impact our relationship and our work.

• Spending time with my partner, our friends & family
• Roxy, the Jackahuahua, who rescued me in 2014
• Clients: their diversity and everything I learn from them
• Cooking from scratch and sharing what I've cooked
• Travelling, and eating
• Our allotment – thank you, Alain

My training began at CCPE in London, followed by the University of East London and Birkbeck, University of London. I gained valuable experience working with clients at the Terrence Higgins Trust, as well as Mind in the City, in Hackney and Waltham Forest. Before my training, I enjoyed a career spanning two decades in luxury goods, licensing, merchandising, and pharmaceuticals. I’ve also held a range of paid, volunteer, and non-executive roles in the third sector.

• I am a member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP 404900).
• PG Cert Neurodiversity Coaching, Birkbeck College, University of London
• PGDip Integrative Counselling and Coaching, University of East London
• Certificate in the Foundations of Counselling and Psychotherapy, Centre for Counselling and Psychotherapy Education (CCPE)
• Post Graduate Certificate in Gay Men's Health Promotion, University of East London
• M.Des. (Master of Design), The Glasgow School of Art
• BA (Hons) Design, The Glasgow School of Art
• During the pandemic, I worked with Sarah Bickers to further develop the 'Understanding Your ADHD' workshops she had created. Together, we now deliver the monthly drop-in, ‘Newly diagnosed? What next?’: a space to ask questions for people newly diagnosed with ADHD delivered in partnership with ADHDUK.