ABOUT CHRIS
What would you like to know about your counsellor?
Consider what you need to know to work with me. For some, getting to know me is part of the work and aids the therapeutic process, for others this may get in the way and you may prefer to know as little as possible and start from a blank slate. I am naturally very open, and will share happily if in the service of a client and off course, I often get asked for my CV for employee counselling and mental health service work I do. However in private practice you may just want the basics. If you do not want to know any more, than just resist the urge to keep scrolling.
Introduction
I started my love of all things counselling related in 1998 in a basic psychology course, where I first dared to imagine I could be a counsellor one day. From there I studied counselling as part of my first degree, and dabbled in the wackier side of therapeutic approaches until, in 2003 I finally found the professional approach I had been searching for and began formal training. Seven years of various enlightening training courses and volunteer placements in inspirational charities, I gained a Masters degree in person centred counselling and psychotherapy, and opened Kendal Therapy, which celebrates it's 12 year anniversary this year. Along the way I have worked in charities, the NHS and in business specialising in mental health service creation and development. Weekends are spent outdoor adventuring. Still reading? If you want to know more, my full CV is bellow. If not, just know that I am experienced, qualified and a registered member of the BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy), and I am here if you would like to talk.
MAIN QUALIFICATIONS
Master of Arts in Person Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy (MA)
Post Qualificatory Certificate in Couples Counselling
Certificate in Clinical Supervision
Post Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Development and Facilitation (PGC)
Level 4 Certificate in Education and Training
Accredited Practitoner of the Institute of Outdoor Learning (APIOL)
Bachelor of Science in Outdoor Studies (BSc Hons)
Nero Linguistic Programming Practitioner Certificate
Nero Linguistic Programming Coaching Certificate
Mountain Leader Award (Summer)
Single Pitch Climbing Award
Training and Facilitation Certificate
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)
Member of the BACP Coaching Division
Member of the British Associatiation for the Person Centred Approach (BAPCA)
IWFM IMPACT AWARD - WELLBEING 2021
The IWFM Impact Awards is the workplace and facilities management industry's most prestigious event.
it celebrates and showcases outstanding best practice and ingenuity from an influential profession which touches many areas of life, including some of the greatest challenges facing economies and communities across the globe.
Our Sodexo Pandemic Wellbeing Response came first in the UK. To find out more about employee counselling, click the link below.
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MY BACKGROUND
I am an approachable and friendly person who has for many years explored how I can support people to the best of my ability. I believe in the power of relationship and nurturing individual’s inner motivation. I am motivated by and passionate about the work that I do directly with people and it having an emerging positive influence on their families, friends, colleagues, organisations and communities.
I offer a gently robust approach that aims to address the issue or issues that each person, or team brings, and develop a therapeutic relationship based on compassion, integrity, and empathy.
I have a Masters Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy, a Degree in Outdoor Studies, specialist training in coaching and NLP (Neuro-linguistic programming) and achieved a Masters level qualification in Spiritual Development and Facilitation. I am a Registered Member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and accredited by the Institute of Outdoor Learning for my outdoor work with individuals and groups.
I am deeply committed to working with people to improve their mental, emotional and spiritual health. I am adaptable to the needs of individuals, groups and organisations I work with offering compassion, integrity, and empathy, and a down to earth way of working within the Person Centred Approach.
I became a counsellor and psychotherapist in 2012, following on naturally from being at the cutting edge of delivering, managing and leading personal and professional development training, teaching, coaching and outdoor adventure, within and for, leading national and international consultancy organisations for over 15 years.
I have had the privilege of working with over 200 organisations, countless groups and teams, company directors and managers, blue and white collar workers, children and young people - all of which, have taught me so much of the human condition and how people change, grow, cope and develop, and what it takes to keep going and doing your best no matter what life or work bring, and most importantly; the skills, attitudes and conditions necessary to do these things and how to offer these to the absolute best of my ability in my private practice (Kendal Therapy) today.
In the first four years of being a counsellor I worked part time as a Counselling Coordinator' developing the 25 plus counselling team and services in my Local Mind (South Lakeland Mind), which has given me valuable experience in supporting people with a huge variety of challenges and issues that I would rarely meet in private practice, but are desperate for support, with usually nowhere else to go. Developing the South Lakeland Mind counselling service up to the MQM (Mind Quality Standard) was hugely rewarding and had the knock on effect of helping me support my private practice clients even better. I also founded the first outdoor counselling service in the UK, which included training up counsellors to be able to work outside with their clients safely and effectively.
I have had a very small consultancy and training role in South Lakeland Mind supporting the training and outdoor therapy services. I have also Lectured at the University of Cumbria on Outdoor Therapy related modules on their graduate and post graduate programmes. I am sometimes asked to consult on Outdoor Therapy projects too which really is a joy. My focus though, is counselling and my Kendal Therapy clients are my priority.
Alongside my private counselling practice, I have been the Pandemic Wellbeing Response Lead for Sodexo Healthcare UK, responsible for in house pandemic wellbeing and mental health services across a range of UK hospital sites, supporting key workers that have been on the front line fighting against Covid-19 and working throughout the outbreak. I Led the delivery team, and was based in Manchester Central Hospital (The Largest Hospital in Europe) and The project has since won the 'Spirit of Sodexo UK and Ireland Award 2021 for Health and Safety Initiative'. After a year, the services are thriving and broader in scope. I went on become the National Counselling Lead focusing on supporting other Sodexo sites coming out of the pandemic and supporting staff with any issue related to mental and emotional distress. The project went on to win the external IWFM Impact Award for Wellbeing 2021. I returned back to full time to Kendal Therapy in January 2023.
MY CV - TIME LINE OVERVIEW
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Christopher Frampton BSc (Hons) APIOL PGC MA Reg. MBACP
Lives and works in Kendal, Cumbria
1976 Born Crawley, West Sussex 16 October 1976
1980 - 88 Milton Mount Primary and Middle School. Crawley, West Sussex
1988 - 92 Hazelwick Comprehensive School. Crawley, West Sussex
1988 - 90 Paper round, Milk round, Market stall, Grocers. Crawley, West Sussex
1990 - 93 Assistant Manager, Master Fryer. Crawley, West Sussex
1994 - 96 Assistant Manager, Road House. Crawley, West Sussex
1997 Outdoor Instructor, Superchoice Adventure Centre, Weymouth, Dorset
1998 - 99 Access to Higher Education, Health Studies, Crawley College. Crawley, West Sussex
1999 - 02 BSc (Hons) Outdoor Studies, Lancaster University. Ambleside, Cumbria
2002 - 03 Apprenticeship in Development Training, Brathay Hall. Ambleside, Cumbria *(AO)
2003 Mountain Leader Award. Lake District and North Yorkshire
2003 Single Pitch Award. Lake District and North Yorkshire
2003 Training and Facilitation Certificate, Brathay Hall. Ambleside, Cumbria
2003 Neuro-linguistic Programming Practitioner and Coaching Certificates. Manchester
2003 TA (Transactional Analysis) 101, Head Start. Brampton, Cumbria
2003 L2 Certificate in Counselling Skills, Kendal College. Kendal, Cumbria
2003 - 07 Outdoor Development Trainer, Various training and outdoor centers. NW / UK
2003 - 04 Shamanic / Person Centred, Creative Arts Counselling, Kilder, Northumberland
2004 - 05 Postgraduate Certificate Spiritual Development and Facilitation, University of Surrey. Guilford, Surrey
2006 L3 Certificate in Counselling Skills, Kendal College. Kendal, Cumbria
2006 Accredited Practitioner of the Institute for Outdoor Learning. Cumbria
2006 - 08 Diploma (HE) in Counselling, St. Martins College. Lancaster, Lancashire *(AO)
2007 - 08 PGCE (Year one), Craven College. Skipton, Yorkshire *(AO)
2007 - 08 Lecturer / Research and Development, Craven College. Skipton, Yorkshire
2007 - 09 Senior Learning and Development Consultant, Lakeside National Centre. Cumbria
2009 Senior Organisational Development Consultant, Outward Bound Professional. Eskdale, Cumbria
2009 - 10 Coaching Consultant, BAE Systems. Barrow, Cumbria
2010 - 11 Trainer / Coach, JHP Group. Kendal, Cumbria
2010 - 13 Master of Arts Person Centred Counselling and Psychotherapy, University of Cumbria. Lancaster, Lancashire.
2011 - 16 Befriending Coordinator/ Counselling Coordinator / Training Coordinator and Interim Chief Officer. South Lakeland Mind. Kendal Cumbria
2012 - ... Kendal Therapy opens as home based counselling practice. Kendal, Cumbria
2013 Mental Health Awareness Level 1 and 2, National Mind. London
2013 - ... Counsellor and Trainer, Health Assured. Manchester/ Kendal, Cumbria
2014 - 15 Employee Counsellor, NHS, UHMB. Cumbria
2015 - 16 L4 Certificate in Education and Training (QCF), Kendal College. Kendal, Cumbria
2016 - 17 Founded the first Outdoor Counselling service in the UK, South Lakeland Mind. Kendal, Cumbria
2016 - 19 Lecturer (Health and Wellbeing in the Outdoors modules), University of Cumbria. Ambleside, Cumbria
2017 Certificate in Counselling Supervision, Manchester Institute for Psychotherapy. Manchester
2017 - 18 Mental Health Services Consultant, South Lakeland Mind. Kendal, Cumbria
2017 - ... Opened Kendal Therapy’s new therapy room at The Kirkland Centre, Kendal.
2020 - 21 Pandemic Wellbeing Response Lead, Sodexo Healthcare UK (part time)
2021 The Pandemic Wellbeing Response Project won an award called, 'Spirit of Sodexo Award for best Health and Safety Initiative 2021'.
2021 National Counselling Lead, Sodexo Healthcare UK (Part time)
2021 The Sodexo National Counselling Service won the 'IWFM Impact Awards 2021 - Wellbeing' ^^^
2022 - ... Continue to work as a counsellor and psychotherapist in my private practice, Kendal Therapy
2024 - ... Moved into new therapy room, Highgate House, Kendal in October
Key
*(AO) - Attendance only
These courses were fully attended, yet final assessments were not completed. In 2008 I took on too much all in one go and found my physical, emotional and mental limits. I eventually had to completely redo my counselling and teaching qualifications from scratch, one after the other this time, realising this was the only way I was going to succeed.
… - Current Roles Descriptions
I now work primarily within my Counselling and Psychotherapy private practice called Kendal Therapy. I support individuals, and offer workplace and leadership counselling. The outdoor counselling option is also available to anyone who would benefit.
As an Associate for Health Assured, I work with Directors, CEOs and Leadership teams of large organisations that are in crisis, need mental health support or conflict resolution across the UK in person and internationally via video conferencing.
Most recently, I have been the Pandemic Wellbeing Response Lead for Sodexo Healthcare UK, responsible for in house pandemic wellbeing and mental health services across a range of UK sites, supporting hospital key workers that have been on the front line fighting against Covid-19 and working throughout the outbreak. The role morphed into a more general role to, National Counselling Lead. This part time role worked well alongside my Kendal Therapy counselling practice. The national counselling service has won two internal and one external awards in workplace well being categories.
^^^ - The IWFM Impact Awards is the workplace and facilities management industry's most prestigious event; it celebrates and showcases outstanding best practice and ingenuity from an influential profession which touches many areas of life, including some of the greatest challenges facing economies and communities across the globe. Find out more on www.iwfmawards.org