Break that Rusty Cage, and Run
Get the knowledge, skills and support to stop fear, shame, hurt and anger from controlling your life.
Openforwards is a Birmingham-based five-star Psychology Enterprise offering Counselling and Psychotherapy, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapies (CBT) and Professional Training.
Openforwards CBT & Counselling
Who are we and how are we different?
We go beyond the conventional wisdom to teach you powerful coping strategies that will last for a lifetime. You can find out about our range of innovative services including an online community that gives you the courage, compassion and confidence to power forwards together.
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How can we help?
We know how hard it can be when you don’t have the best coping strategies to deal with stress, anxiety, depression and many other psychological difficulties. Our Birmingham-based Accredited Therapists, Counsellors and Clinical Psychologists can teach you a range of effective techniques using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based interventions including Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and EMDR for traumatic stress.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) & Counselling for Anxiety
Tackle your fears, obsessions, panic, worry and agoraphobia.
Lift My Mood & Reduce Depression with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Understand your vulnerability to depression and learn how to give yourself more stability.
Increase My Confidence & Self-Esteem with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Handle a fear of failure or rejection and build your strength to take risks.
CBT to Manage My Work-related Stress
Reduce your work-related stress and build your strength to cope with new challenges.
Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) after abuse or injury
Change your future, despite any past traumas and cope better with the Ups & Downs.
I want to save my Marriage / Relationship
Reduce the arguments and build a closer connection with a Couples Counsellor.
Training & Supervision in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) & CBT
Expand your skills-set and choice of interventions so you can be a better therapist.
Consultancy Services
We bring specialist knowledge and skills to your well-being project, course or event
Join our Online Community
Become part of a safe and warm private space where you can get the knowledge, skills and support to #getactive #havefun #beproductive #improveperformance #sharemore #selfcare.
Reaching out for help is a sign of strength. It gives you the opportunity to learn and to build your confidence. The truth is that we all struggle from time to time. It’s a part of being alive and a sign that you want more from life.
Learn the relevant coping skills to help you get where you want to go
With our psychological therapy and counselling services both in Birmingham and online, you can get to the root of the problem quickly and find new strategies that work. We’ll help you get fully equipped with practical and scientifically-based methods so you can move forward with your life. Using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and other evidence-based psychological approaches, we’ll teach you simple and effective techniques that give you more stability quickly and strengthen your resilience. We’ll help you make changes in the short-term and show you how to protect yourself for the future.
VIEW OUR ONLINE & BIRMINGHAM COUNSELLING & (CBT) SERVICES
Hear how what people think about us?
“Jim has helped me so much in the time i have been seeing him. He has helped me in lots of ways, setting me small tasks, listening to me and helping me stand back from certain situations…i can see things are not as bad as i perceive and I’ve learned to take a different perspective”
Louise · 39 years old
“I would recommend Jim to anyone who finds themselves in my position, anyone who is seeking to make changes, those motivated to turn their life around for the better.”
Gary · 31 years old
“I found the counselling sessions and your approach to CBT extremely beneficial. Counselling not only helped me overcome my OCD but has given me the tools to manage my condition and to prevent the obsessions and compulsions from returning”
Ben · 27 years old
“I came to Jim for help after struggling with panic attacks and agoraphobia for many years. The therapy has been challenging at times but, with patience and support, Jim has taught me to adopt a new approach to my anxiety, which is enabling me to live a fuller life”
Maria · 44 years old
The Openforwards Approach to Improving your Well-being
Here are our Evidence-based Psychotherapy tools that we use to help you learn to cope and live a happier and more fulfilling life
Counselling
Counselling is a talking therapy. Sit down with a Counsellor, and explore both past events and current struggles. The Counsellor listens, and creates a safe and compassionate place. It’s a chance to reflect and identify what you want that will make your life better.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behaviour Therapies (CBT) is an umbrella terms for evidence-based interventions that teach you specific coping strategies. Traditional Cognitive techniques teach you how to challenge your unhelpful or inaccurate thoughts, abandon unhelpful behaviours and build more useful ones.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based CBT treatment that teaches you how to build psychological flexibility. You focus on living less in your head and more in the real external world. By becoming more open to painful emotions, you can focus on what truly matters.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
Compassion-focused Therapy (CFT) works to reduce self-criticism, isolation and shame by building self-compassion. Using courage and kindness, you learn to let go of judgements, tune in to what you are feeling and make investments in your self-care and well-being.
EMDR (Trauma Therapy)
EMDR or Eye Movement Desensitisation Re-Processing is an evidence-based intervention for trauma (PTSD). It focuses on alleviating the suffering caused by flashbacks, nightmares and frightening intrusive memories.
Wondering whether we are the right counselling service to support you through this challenging time?
If you’d like some more information about how therapy works or what to expect, you can check out our FAQs. Alternatively, you can speak to a therapist or book in for a consultation and get the ball rolling.
One of our counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists will complete an assessment and outline a therapy plan that includes the full range of skills and coping strategies you’ll need to move forward.
Learn to Improve your Health and Wellbeing
We share creative ideas and solid science from around the world through our health and wellbeing resources. Whether you want to change the way you work, communicate in relationships or take care of your body and mental state, our ebooks, online courses, free articles and podcasts will give you new perspectives. We don’t just give you the headlines, we want to show you the practical steps through relevant and accessible ‘how-to’ guides, so that you can put it to work in your life.
Work, Love, Play and ‘Feel’ Better
The Openforwards blog is your portable guide to help you stay psychologically flexible. We write articles and bring together a weekly round-up of other people’s ideas from around the world to help you work, love, play and feel better.
[weekly] Do you feel under pressure at work?
Do you feel under pressure at work? April is Stress Awareness Month in the UK. Did you know that stress accounts for around half of all sick days, so it’s a big problem? Many organisational factors cause stress in employees, e.g. excessive workload and administration. Work-related stress is also a warning sign for burnout, depression and physical health problems such as […]
[weekly] I’m still standing
Are you still standing? Another weekend and another week of lockdown are over. If you’re wondering how many more weeks you can suffer, then you are not alone. You know that, of course. Most days feel like I’m getting shoved between ‘man this is tough’ and ‘yes, but many more people have it worse.’ It’s […]
[weekly] Have yourself a stubbornly optimistic Christmas
What do you want for Christmas? I’m on the lookout for some stubborn optimism The situation keeps changing. Naturally, so too do the rules, and it’s hard to keep up. My Christmas plans have changed five times in the last few weeks. We’re not in control of what happens, and it’s full of disappointment, frustration […]
[weekly] Search for the Hero inside yourself
We could be heroes It was Heather Small, the 90s pop sensation from M People who first told us to search for the hero inside yourself. These are hard times and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, scared and frustrated. Stress has a horrible habit of bringing out the worse in us and the people we […]
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