Therapist opens new base for his private counselling practice

Jason Hanson at his new counselling base.

A garage in his garden has been converted into a building which houses a place to meet his clients, an office and also self-contained toilets.

Jason, aged 39, who launched the part-time practice after moving into Mansfield from his native West Yorkshire in 2014, said: “It has taken a lot of work, but it looks stunning.

“The business has really taken off and gone from strength to strength, but I needed more space and more privacy, so I had to move from a room I was using in the house.

“To convert the garage, I had to dig a huge trench in the garden initially. But most of the conversion work has been done by family members, who have been wonderful, particularly my father-in-law, Barry Duncan, a retired joiner. He has been brilliant.”

Jason’s full-time job is teaching A-level sociology and politics at Vision West Nottinghamshire College in Mansfield.

However, he freely admits his true passion is therapy, and he is now a fully qualified and accredited counsellor.

He meets up to nine clients per week, in the evening, Mondays to Fridays, and occasionally at weekends, and helps them with a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, addiction, relationship problems, self-harm, bereavement, unemployment and personality disorder.

Jason said: “There has been a definite increase in the number of people seeking counselling in recent years, including youngsters aged 12 or 13.

“But it is difficult to know what to attribute that to. Is it because what is going on in society at the moment means more people are subjected to mental-health problems, or is the fact we are slowly battling a stigma and unhelpful attitudes surrounding mental health, meaning more people are confident enough to open up and disclose things?”

Either way, Jason says he is sure his new base, which offers a warm, safe and comfortable environment, can help those keen to talk about their feelings of despair or despondency as part of their recovery.

The opening of the new building is just the start of a big year for Jason.

Next month, his wife Lynsey, 33, is expecting their first child, and he is also in the process of co-writing a new book about the domestic abuse of men, which should be published later in 2019.