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Availability

• Monday: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm
• Wednesday: 12pm, 1pm, 2pm
• Friday: 5:30pm & 6:30pm
• Saturday: 9am, 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm & 3pm
• Sunday: 9am, 10am, 11am

"Grief demands a witness". Not someone to fix it, reframe it, or move you through it at a pace that suits everyone else, but someone who can stay present with it, without flinching, for as long as it needs.

That is the kind of counsellor I am.

I'm Joe Matthews, an integrative counsellor based in Bristol, specialising in grief and loss and ecotherapy. I offer outdoor walk-and-talk therapy in Bristol and online counselling across the UK.

Much of what brings people to therapy is not just painful, it is unwitnessed. Grief that others have grown uncomfortable with. Loss that doesn't have a name. A quiet disconnection from yourself that is hard to explain, let alone share. My work is about creating the conditions where those things can finally be met, with patience, with presence, and without pressure to resolve too quickly.

Being outdoors is often central to that process. There is something about the openness of a green space, the rhythm of walking side by side, that invites a different kind of attention. The body settles. The nervous system begins to regulate. Things surface that might not surface in a room, not because they are forced, but because there is finally enough space for them. Nature has a way of slowing us down to the pace at which we can actually hear ourselves.

My approach follows your lead. We pause when something needs pausing. We notice what is present, not just in your thoughts, but in your body, your breathing, the way something sits with you. I am not trying to fix or reframe what you bring. I am trying to help you understand it more fully, at a pace that feels safe.

I also work with people experiencing suicidal ideation. This is an area close to my heart, and one I approach with great care, steadiness, and without judgement.

I work with clients in two ways, depending on what works best for you.

Outdoor walk-and-talk therapy takes place in green spaces around Bristol, walking gently or sitting in nature according to what feels right on the day. Being outside changes something in how we relate to difficult feeling. Conversation flows differently. The body is less braced. For many people, particularly those carrying grief, overwhelm, or a deep tiredness they cannot quite name, working outdoors offers a quality of presence that is hard to find elsewhere.

Online counselling is available across the UK via a secure video platform. Many people find that working from their own space, somewhere already familiar and safe, makes it easier to settle and open up.

Sessions can be arranged weekly, fortnightly, or flexibly to suit where you are.

£65 - 50-minute online session

£65 - 50-minute walk and talk session

£80 - 90-minute extended walk and talk (when you need more time and space to explore).

Concessionary rate available for clients with financial constraints.

Before we begin, I offer a free 15-minute consultation by phone or video, a chance to speak briefly, get a sense of one another, and see if we feel like a good fit.

The first session is unhurried. We will explore what has brought you here and begin to find a way of working together that feels right for you.

If any of this resonates, please do get in touch. You don't need to have the words ready, or know exactly where to begin.