This Trusted Place with John-Paul Davies: Mental Health, Therapy & Becoming a Therapist
🎙️ Welcome to This Trusted Place with John-Paul Davies
Honest conversations and reflections on mental health, emotional wellbeing, and the realities of becoming and being a therapist in private practice.
Whether you're a therapist, aspiring to become one, or simply someone curious about the inner world of emotional growth and healing, this podcast offers grounded insights and personal stories that connect.
Hosted by John-Paul Davies, a former City solicitor who retrained as a psychotherapist in 2007, the show explores:
- Changing careers into therapy
- What it’s really like being a therapist and making a living as a helping professional
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing topics inc. relationships, narcissism, trauma, navigating imposter syndrome and burnout, boundaries, self-worth and growth
- Bisexuality
🔗 Watch the video versions on YouTube: youtube.com/@JohnPaulDaviesTTP
🌐 More about John-Paul: thistrustedplace.co.uk
If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating or review — it makes a big difference. Thank you for listening.
Episodes
87 episodes
S9 | E8 Ever Felt Alienated in Bi+ Spaces?
In this episode, I talk about the vital role that community plays in supporting mental health for bi+ individuals, asking questions about whether you have experienced the pressure of conforming to political ideologies within communities and inv...
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Season 9
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Episode 8
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6:05
S9 | E7 What If You Don’t Agree With the Group in Therapy Training?
In this episode, I explore the pressure that therapy trainees, and therapists more generally, can sometimes feel to go along with dominant views within training groups, supervision, or wider therapy spaces.What happens when we don’t fee...
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Season 9
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Episode 7
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5:22
S9 | E6 How to GROW on Social Media as a Therapist (Without BURNOUT)
If you're a therapist or therapist-in-training looking to enhance your social media presence while staying true to your values, hopefully this video is for you.I explore your WHY, your WHO, and your WHAT — three key questions if you wan...
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Season 9
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Episode 6
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24:18
S9 | E5 5 Reasons why I LOVE being a THERAPIST
Discover the top 5 reasons why I love being a therapist! From leading a more loved life to experiencing real human connection, constant learning, feeling part of a community, and avoiding negative impacts on my well-being. If you f...
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Season 9
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Episode 5
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30:36
S9 | E4 Understanding and Overcoming Anxiety ft Dr Patricia E Zurita Ona
In this episode, I welcome Patricia to discuss the complex subject of anxiety and the role of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in managing it. Key Topics:1. Introduction to Anxiety: - We look at w...
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Season 9
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Episode 4
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53:37
S9 | E3 Bisexuality in a Straight Relationship? (Part 2) ft Robert Brooks Cohen
***NOTE: I'd love to have more stories, experiences and journeys about bisexuality/bi+ on this channel, whether that's in-person guests like this one, or reading out someone's story. If you feel you'd like to do either of these, do just either ...
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Season 9
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Episode 3
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1:03:20
S9 | E2 Therapy Training: the CONs (and some PROs!) ft Charlotte Battista
Therapy Training: the CONs (and some PROs!) ft Charlotte BattistaIn this episode, I welcome Charlotte Battista to discuss the challenges and some of the benefits of therapy training. Charlotte is in the early stages of her counselling a...
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Season 9
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Episode 2
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46:36
S9 | E1 5 Things Every Bisexual Person Should Know ft Mark Cusack
In this episode, I welcome Mark Cusack from @notdefining an author, lecturer, content creator, and coach specialising in supporting individuals with complex, fluid...
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Season 9
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Episode 1
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43:35
S8 | E10 Will Neuroscience & AI Revolutionise Therapy and Therapy Training?
Therapy's FUTURE?: Exploring the Integration of Neuroscience and AI in Therapy Training and Therapy (Subscriber's Question)Here is the Subscriber's question: 'Moving over from an industry that has become dominated by AI (and having a lo...
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Season 8
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Episode 10
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28:38
S8 | E9 Family Estrangement: How To Navigate The Painful Divide ft Karl Melvin
In this really insightful and hopefully helpful podcast, I interview Karl Melvin, a therapist with over 13 years of experience in the area of navigating family estrangement. Karl defines estrangement as creating distance between family members,...
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Season 8
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Episode 9
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1:07:39
S8 | E8 Do I have to be HEALED to become a THERAPIST?
In this episode, I give some reflections on this Subscriber's Question: "Would you talk about if it makes sense to try to become a therapist if one is not healed herself, Is 'I can do this as a therapist because this helps me as a patient' real...
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Season 8
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Episode 8
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24:03
S8 | E7 Becoming a THERAPIST: what does the initial training involve (and what does it cost)? ft Harry Japp
***Note: all therapy/counselling courses are different and it would be great to hear how yours is similar/different to Harry’s. Please do therefore feel free to comment on this below and on anything raised in the conversation generally***
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Season 8
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Episode 7
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52:24
S8 | E6 Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy + Mediumship ft Lindsay Percival
This podcast features my conversation with Lindsay Percival, focusing on the integration of spirituality and psychotherapy, along with talking about Lindsay's practice as a medium. Lindsay shares her journey from journalism to therapy, emphasis...
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Season 8
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Episode 6
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1:04:20
S8 | E5 BEST INSPIRATIONAL life ADVICE from THERAPISTS (a compilation)
Full YouTube videos here:Maria Parker - https://youtu.be/ajWo-N_PSRUJames Hawes - https://youtu.be/7Hg_pGVP6EIDr Nicholas Brüss - https://youtu.be/pDAcrbcdZ0MPhilippa Smethurst - https://youtu.be/Bm_0g6hfCCsMichael Toller - ...
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Season 8
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Episode 5
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12:47
S8 | E4 BEST advice for Becoming a THERAPIST? (a compilation)
In this episode, I've put together the best advice for the journey of becoming a therapist from many of the great YouTube conversations I've had. We discuss the importance of personal growth, ongoing education, and the therapeutic relationship,...
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Season 8
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Episode 4
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22:42
S8 | E3 What is Psychedelic Assisted Therapy? Insights and Integration ft Dr Nicholas Brüss
In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of psychedelic assisted therapy, discussing various substances such as ketamine, MDMA, and psilocybin. Nick shares personal experiences and insights on how these medicines can facilitate prof...
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Season 8
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Episode 3
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59:30
S8 | E2 GROWING your YOUTUBE CHANNEL as a Therapist
In this episode, I discuss growing a YouTube channel, particularly for a therapists, based on my own experiences and offering practical tips to enhance channel growth and engagement.Key Topics Covered:1. Three Key Areas for Grow...
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Season 8
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Episode 2
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27:48
S8 | E1 From GEORGE MICHAEL and the BBC to Exploring Attachment Informed EMDR Therapy ft Mark Brayne
In this episode, I'm so pleased to welcome Mark Brayne, a hugely experienced psychotherapist specialising in the trauma treatment - Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). We begin with Mark's fascinating career and h...
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Season 8
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Episode 1
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53:00
S7 | E10 Exploring BISEXUALITY with actor and writer Tom Ward-Thomas
***NOTE: I’d love to be able to have more stories, experiences and journeys about bisexuality on this channel, whether that’s in-person guests like this one, or reading out someone’s story. If you feel you’d like to do either of these, do just ...
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Season 7
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Episode 10
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46:38
S7 | E9 How to NAVIGATE a CAREER CHANGE with Dave Birchmore
In this episode, I welcome Dave Birchmore, a career transition expert, who shares insights on navigating career changes using his innovative model, VIA NOVA. This model, meaning "new path," is designed to help individuals successfully transitio...
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Season 7
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Episode 9
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49:26
S7 | E8 Healing from Trauma (Philippa Smethurst)
Breaking Free From Trauma: A Conversation with Trauma Therapist and Author Philippa Smethurst In this episode, I welcome experienced therapist and author Philippa Smethurst to discuss the complexities of trauma, its manifestations...
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Season 7
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Episode 8
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1:00:14
S7 | E7 Will therapy training CAUSE PROBLEMS in my RELATIONSHIPS? (Subscriber's question)
Training to be a therapist can have a profound impact on relationships. In this episode, I address a subscriber's question about how therapy training affects romantic and close relationships. While I can't provide specific advice, I offer refle...
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Season 7
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Episode 7
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27:24
S7 | E6 Designing Your Therapy Room: Essential Elements and Personal Touches
In this episode, I show you around my therapy room with some advice on setting up a therapy room at home. Based on my own experience, I discuss various elements that can enhance both the therapist's and clients' experiences, including lig...
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Season 7
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Episode 6
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11:41
S7 | E5 CAREER CHANGE and TRAINING to become a THERAPIST/COUNSELLOR? (My Journey) ft Lee Rasberry
In this episode, I welcome Lee Rasberry, a trainee therapist, to discuss his potential career transition from engineering to counselling. Lee shares insights from his journey, including challenges, passion, and has lots of valuable advice for t...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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51:15
S7 | E4 HOW do I KNOW if I would be a good THERAPIST? And does the TRAINING turn you into one?
Subscriber’s question: ‘I'm struggling with this question right now. I've had a long career in technology, but am burned out from it and need to do something else. I also started getting counselling myself a few years ago and find it helpful an...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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36:58