Max Marnau
Member Status: Senior Accredited
Member No: NCS21-00827
Location: Selkirk
The longer I work as a therapist the more convinced I am that when I go into the therapy room I do not meet an issue, a problem, or a diagnosis; I meet a human being. And if we are going to work together, then I need to be seeing the client’s world (as far as I can) through the client’s eyes. Carl Rogers said “The best vantage point for understanding behavior is from the internal frame of reference of the individual.” So I hesitate to say that I specialise in any particular issue; I hope I specialise in listening deeply and with attention to human beings. However, there are certain areas in which I do have particular experience and/or training. Some of them are:
- people with, or exploring, a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition. I am autistic myself, and while that doesn't mean we will have the same experience of life, you may well find it helpful to work with an autistic therapist. You can find an interview with me on this at The Squarepeg Podcasts, Series 2 episode 7: "Empathy, feeling 'alien' and being fluent in Neurotypical: being an autistic counsellor."
- people suffering from anxiety, depression or low self-esteem, perhaps as a result of past trauma.
- people who are discovering or questioning their faith/spirituality, or who have suffered spiritual abuse, whether in cults or in mainstream religious organisations.
- people who have lost someone important to them, recently or many years ago, by death, disappearance or separation.
I work online, from my house in Selkirk, and from the Quaker Meeting House in Kelso. Sometimes appointments can be arranged in Edinburgh.
The foundation of person-centred therapy is the belief that, damaged, discouraged and desperate as we may be, we all have a natural impetus towards health; as its founder, Carl Rogers, put it, towards “becoming the self that we truly are”. A person-centred counsellor is not the expert in their client's condition; only the client can be that. We are counsellor and client, yes, but first and foremost we are two human beings. What works isn’t techniques or any wisdom the counsellor might have, but the therapeutic relationship between those two human beings: it is the relationship that heals. The counselling room is a safe place to think, say or feel things you need to say, think or feel, knowing that you will be met with respect, empathy and honesty.
Your dog is very welcome to join us in the counselling room, both in Selkirk and Kelso, as long as it is reasonably well behaved. I have a therapy cat in Selkirk for anyone who would find that helpful.
