Mark comes to Madrona with over 20 years of experience in private practice as a counsellor, therapist, facilitator, and teacher. His practice is based deeply in Psychosynthesis, a form of transpersonal psychology, and in Social Ecology with a focus in Ecopsychology. Mark’s approach honours how personal insight and knowing, gained through life experiences, can ultimately bring clients into more ease with themselves and how they relate to the world around them. This reflects Gregory Bateson’s observation that so many problems “are the result of the difference between how nature works and the way people think”. Addressing this difference can be hugely liberating, deeply relieving - and ultimately wonder-full. Nature does not have an opinion about the way things are, it flows with what is. Mark helps his clients discover that, like nature, they hold an innate wisdom to shape the flow of their lives, as a tree grows towards the light.

With a background in conservation, communications, and theatre – where he developed a love of improv as a tool to build self-confidence, as well as training to facilitate Joanna Macy’s The Work that Reconnects, Mark is as passionate about social change as he is about personal change, and sees that they go hand-in-hand. Mark supports his clients in learning how to live fully, especially in the face of the challenging times, both personally and globally.

Mark offers a broad-based general practice for adults both individually and in groups, in person and online, and often finds himself in support of counsellors, therapists, and folks who hold space for others.

He has experience working with: life transitions; issues relating to uncertainty and lack of purpose; crises of ageing, death and dying; the psycho-spiritual distress and trauma of living in times of great division, the apparent “unravelling” and change of climate and social systems we believed we could rely upon and trust; and more.

Just as physical illness occurs when our natural processes of healing are interrupted, so with psycho-emotional disturbance. When emotional well-being is compromised, it tends to be our sense of our identity, purpose and value that is challenged, although this may also spill over into our physical reality. I work with my clients to align with their own processes to recover their sense of themselves, their purpose, and the aliveness that informs us all.

Though born in the UK, Mark lived for four decades in Aotearoa/New Zealand, where he was a founder of one of the first transition towns in Australasia, leading efforts to empower local communities to create solutions around eco-social challenges. In addition to his practice, Mark was course facilitator at Psychosynthesis Institute of New Zealand for 12 years. He relocated with his Canadian partner to Salt Spring in 2020.

From Mark: ‘Uy‛ skweyul. This Hul’qumi’num greeting recognises the traditional caretakers of these lands, and my gratitude to have felt welcomed here, both by people and place.

Credentials: Dip.Counselling (Psychosynthesis) Dip.Psychotherapy (Psychosynthesis) M.Ed (Social Ecology) Psychotherapist Member: CCPA/ACCP (Canadian Counselling & Psychotherapy Association) Life member: PanzA (Psychosynthesis Aotearoa (New Zealand) & Australia

Mark comes to Madrona with over 20 years of experience in private practice as a counsellor, thera... Read More