10 Questions with Mark Walker

• What led you to choose psychotherapy or counselling as a profession?

• I was drawn to psychotherapy out of curiosity, to make sense of myself and other people in a caring, helpful way. I'd studied and practiced a variety of therapeutic approaches - art and Sandplay therapies, creative imagination and inner work - and was keen to draw all the thinking and methods together in some form of framework that resonated.

• Which philosophical approaches have influenced your professional/personal development?

• Two of the most famous founders of psychoanalytic practice - Freud and Jung - despite their historic separation, I see as rejoining in modern practice. The most influential people and approaches for me have been Winnicott (object relations, giving us an understanding of our inner worlds), Kohut (self psychology, a sense of linking our self to belonging), Carl Jung and Dora Kalff in terms of imagery and symbolic meaning, and most recently, Bessel Van der Kolk (2014), The Body Keeps the Score, which links whole mind, body, spirit experience, particularly in terms of trauma.

• Which particular aspects of health or the human journey are you interested in?

• Mental health, resilience and trauma. For me the word journey resonates with narrative therapy - telling and having our stories listened to - and Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey (our lived experience / quest via creative imagery, symbolic meaning in life) - Harry Potter is a prime example.

• What method/s do you use?

• This entirely depends on the client/s. My overarching method is psychodynamic therapy, client-led, active listening and assessment. From what I discover about the person/s and their presenting issues, I can then provide a range of approach options from my unique background.

• When do you think the client will start to feel that progress is being made?

• From my experience, unless you come away from the first session having felt listened to, then perhaps the client-therapist match it's right. Progress in terms of achieving client goals, identifying problems and addressing them, is entirely dependant on the client's situation. This is something that needs to be openly discussed and negotiate from the start.

• How has therapy made you a better person?

• I understand myself, my family of origin and other people (in general) so much better. We are amazing and strange creatures and that both intrigues and challenges me.

• What do you like most about being a therapist?

• Getting to understand and share other people's stories. I particularly find children's resilience, energy and creativity uplifting. Curiosity is fundamental to my practice.

• Do you ever have 'bad hair' days?

• Not often. I do, however, like the concept of mental health days.

• What do you think is the most significant problem we face, in the world today?

• Genuine, heartfelt consideration and tolerance of others. Face-to-face time is crucial to true relational engagement and belonging.

• Can you share the name of a book, film, song, event or work of art that inspires you?

• I recently re-read Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, In terms of therapy, Yalom's The Schopenhauer Cure has enthused me to return to group therapy work.