Perception Check
Counselling
Copyright © 2025 - 2035 Perception Check®. All rights reserved.
Hi, I'm Cal
I am an openly neurodivergent counsellor, specialising in Addiction, ADHD, ASC, Anger Management, and Communication. I trained to become a counsellor following a positive experience as a client. I know what it is like to sit in that chair for the first time, and I still do it regularly. For over six years, I have worked with a diverse caseload of clients from around the world. As a pluralistic practitioner, I believe that different people work in different ways and it is my responsibility to adapt to your way of working. I am a fully qualified, registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy.​​​
​​My Approach
I am experienced and trained in the application of a range of therapeutic techniques, tools, and theory, integrating aspects of Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Existential Psychotherapy, Mindfulness, Person-Centred therapy, Psychoanalytic therapies such as Transactional Analysis, and Psychoeducation. I have experience in facilitating group therapy, one to one therapy, remote therapy, outdoor therapy, and also the therapeutic use of media such as tabletop role-playing games.
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Accountability, adaptability and transparency are fundamental to my practice. I will regularly check my understanding, and welcome feedback to ensure a safe and autonomous therapeutic experience that is right for you.​
Therapeutic Roleplaying
If traditional counselling isn't for you, then I have also drawn from psychotherapeutic theory to create my own gaming system, allowing for an engaging therapeutic experience in a tabletop role-playing game format.
If you would like to know more about this, or if you are a fellow practitioner who would like to enquire about using my gaming system, then please feel free to reach out.
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​​Why Role-playing Games?
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Role-playing games can provide an accessible and safe way to explore one's experiences. I first began using role-playing games in a therapeutic setting whilst working as part of a multidisciplinary team on acute and forensic psychiatric wards for the NHS. I was encouraged and fascinated by the way that games could create a safe space in which even those for whom socialising is very challenging could interact via their character in a way that they described as fun and liberating.
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Effectively, such games can act as a form of 'Gestalt therapy', which focuses on self-awareness, the present moment, and personal responsibility. Games can helps us to recognise patterns in our thoughts, emotions, and behaviours by exploring how we experience situations, rather than just seeking to analyse them as an intellectual exercise. In a therapeutic gaming session, the game mechanics and narrative format can be used to address specific goals, such as communication or conflict resolution, thereby facilitating the practice of skills in a more engaging manner compared to traditional therapeutic techniques.
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Research exploring the integration of psychotherapy within table-top role-playing game groups has suggested that this approach can positively affect social skills, reduce behaviours and symptoms of anxiety, provide insight by encouraging an observer perspective of one's experiences, and enhance the mental well-being of participants.
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In creating my own therapeutic gaming system, I have used practical elements of psychotherapeutic theory and models as the foundation for the mechanics of the game. This introduces a Psychoeducational element to the gaming experience, and allows for the player's in-game choices, experiences, and interactions to provide actionable points for further exploration in therapy.
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Copyright © 2025 - 2035 Perception Check®. All rights reserved.