Welcome to the Hampshire Mindfulness Clinic

Mike Ward is the owner of the London and Hampshire anxiety clinics Limited. He  is an experienced psychotherapist and has been in private practice for over 15 years. He has a BA (Hons) in Therapeutic integrative counselling and continues to train each year. Adding to his portfolio he also trained to a Certificate level in CBT, Trauma and PTSD, including EMDR.  Mike recently completed a Graduate Certificate in Psychology at the University of Winchester, and is planning further academic training at Kings College in London, studying the MSC in The Neuroscience and Psychology of Mental Health,  and then towards a Doctorate. Mike created the  two Anxiety clinics to help people with anxiety in London and Hampshire UK. Naturally this continues to expand and Mike also helps people with anxiety via his online anxiety therapy service, where clients  see him for anxiety treatment from around the globe.

Mike specialises in the structures and patterns of anxiety and has a specific and active interest in this field, he spent over 10 years working for a trauma charity and was a consultant therapist to a blue light emergency service. In addition Mike also set up and led an Employee Assistance programme for a company with over 900 employees. 

He keeps himself up to date with the latest research including neuroscience and cognitive and behavioural psychotherapies, very recently undertaking training and being mentored in the neuroscience field with Doctor Sarah Mckay. This information provides him with a continual and healthy approach to providing effective and modern therapeutic treatments, including applying the principles of neuroscience through his work. Please feel free to review his twitter feed and the research and resources page to read the fascinating information and findings that he wants to share with you. There is clearly a science and neurobiology behind the affects of anxiety and applying modern science along with therapy and advice about nutrition, the health and well being of our clients is at the core of his work.  

Along with his recent academic training at University, he is also a registered psychotherapist and counsellor with the BACP, an Accredited/registered member of the National Counselling Society, and on the Accredited register  of the Professional standards authority. This was set up by the Government to improve standards  and safety for the public using therapy services. Mike is also a volunteer at the BACP for Good practice guidance as a peer reviewer.

In addition to the Anxiety clinics, Mike has an active interest and practice in the field of Mindfulness, providing mindfulness training to groups and individuals. This can be just for those that are interested in the subject of mindfulness, or used as stress reduction techniques.  

To find out more about Mike Ward and his other private practices in Hampshire, and London please also visit his counselling and psychotherapy website www.mcwprofessionaltherapies.co.uk and his Clinic for Anxiety in Chandlers Ford Hampshire  www.hampshireanxietyclinic.co.uk . His London clinic is www.londonanxietyclinic.co.uk .

What is mindfulness?

With intention and purpose, mindfulness is about bringing and paying full attention to the present moment, without making any kind of judgement.

Mindfulness provides the practice and tools to bring a fuller focus to the present moment. Developing and deepening the skills of self compassion and observation of judgement, recognising feelings or emotions without getting caught up in them, that can drive meaning and behaviours, in both positive and negative ways.

There can be many hours and days when we just behave and make decision on auto pilot, there is benefit to this as we can organise information in the brain to an efficient level to carry out tasks automatically. Look at the daily things like tying a shoe lace, picking up a glass of water, opening a door or getting dressed. All of these are coded habitually into the brain saving time and energy allowing the brain the space to learn new things.

However, whilst  the majority of what we do automatically saves us time, many thoughts are naturally on auto pilot, and these can be affecting emotions and behaviours in not so many useful or adaptive ways.

Mindfulness practice helps to  bring attention to the present moment, how to hold focus to the present moment, as naturally the mind can wander, especially to habitual thinking.  Habitual thinking will naturally contain judgement and meaning, possibly limiting your reality of living. Imagine being able to expand your reality by spotting the autopilot thoughts, behaviours and judgements that have locked you in to a particular way? Then being able to change the way you want to think or judge and life feeling better and bringing more choice and opportunity, being able to organise things in a very different way?

Think of thoughts as a perceptual tool, a way of looking at the world and describing your experience and meaning. We can learn to observe the habitual patterns with present awareness to maybe release ourself from the power and dramas of these thoughts.  

Compassionate curiosity and  self discovery of these habitual patterns can be liberating and empowering. Feeling more connected to the present moment and with others.

Cultivating and engaging in a growing commitment to mindfulness can assist in influencing your health and well being. The practice of becoming more present in the moment allows you to recognise greater choice and flexibility in your options of thoughts and judgements. Often people report life feeling more vivid and real, seeing and hearing sounds in different ways.

Mindfulness also provides the ability to foster self compassion and kindness,  being able to enhance your life  to feel calmer, more centred, more connected to your choices and empowered with making change for yourself.

To find out more and follow your natural curiosity please explore all of the pages here on this site, reviewing what is available and the choices and opportunities available for  your self development and learning.

One to one mindfulness training Hampshire UK

This page is currently being updated, please come back very soon to read through.