I offer confidential counselling for adults, working from my practice in Ledbury — a calm, private space to think, feel, and find your own way forward.
My name is Martyn Kyle, and I'm a counsellor based in Ledbury and the surrounding area.
People arrive here for all sorts of reasons — sometimes a specific crisis, sometimes a pattern they can't seem to break, sometimes just a quiet unhappiness they can't quite name. Any of those is enough of a reason to be here.
Counselling isn't about being fixed or given answers. It's about having space — real, unhurried space — to hear yourself think, say the things you haven't said, and begin to understand what's actually going on. That understanding, in itself, tends to change things.
The direction comes from you — but I'll listen carefully, ask honest questions, and work alongside you for as long as that feels useful.
I hold a science-based Foundation Degree in Counselling from the University of Worcester, and am an Individual Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP No. 01010519).
I practise with an integrative approach — meaning that rather than applying a single fixed method, I draw on several complementary frameworks and use what best serves you. My core training is person-centred, with additional training in Internal Family Systems (IFS), trauma-informed practice, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
I work across two settings alongside my private practice — both embedded within Ledbury Health Partnership. Through LEAF, a local charity, I provide counselling to people referred through their GP. I also hold a Listening and Guidance role at the surgery, offering brief, structured support. Between them, these roles mean I work with a wide range of human difficulties across different levels of need — and I bring that breadth into my private practice.
What you bring into the room stays there. These sessions are private — completely separate from your day-to-day life, and from anyone in it.
There's no agenda, no pressure to reach particular conclusions. We go at the speed that feels right for you.
I don't follow a fixed script. How we work will depend on who you are and what you bring — not on a method I've decided in advance.
I draw on several therapeutic frameworks — not because I've gathered them as techniques, but because different ways of understanding human experience genuinely shed light on different things. Together they form a coherent way of working. How we work will depend on what you bring. I'll follow your lead.
At the heart of everything I do is a belief that you are the expert on your own life. My role is to offer genuine warmth, careful attention, and a space where you don't have to perform or manage how you come across. Carl Rogers called this unconditional positive regard — I think of it as simply being on your side.
We all carry different parts of ourselves — the inner critic, the anxious one, the part that shuts down, the part that keeps everyone else happy. IFS helps you understand these parts rather than fight them, and find a more settled relationship with all of them.
Some experiences leave marks that go beyond memory — they live in the body, in the nervous system, in the way we respond to things without quite knowing why. Informed by trauma research and polyvagal theory, I work gently and carefully in this territory, at whatever pace feels safe.
Rather than fighting difficult thoughts and feelings, ACT helps you change your relationship with them. It's about building the psychological flexibility to keep moving towards what actually matters to you, even when things are hard.
Where practical tools would be useful, I draw on cognitive-behavioural principles to help identify patterns of thinking or behaviour that might be keeping you stuck.
Each of these approaches integrates with the others to form therapy that responds to your whole experience. I'll follow your lead, drawing on whichever framework best serves you in the moment.
You might be dealing with anxiety that has settled in and won't shift. Or grief that's taking longer than other people think it should. A low mood you can't quite shake. A relationship that's run into difficulty. Confusion about who you are or where you're going. Whatever has brought you here, it's worth taking seriously.
If what you're dealing with isn't listed here, please do get in touch — it may well be something I can help with.
ADHD is an area I've engaged with seriously — through dedicated training and direct client experience. I can help you make sense of what you're experiencing and find approaches that work with how your mind actually operates. It's also worth knowing that ADHD traits and trauma can look remarkably similar, and sometimes sit alongside each other — something I'm careful to explore.
If your experience sits elsewhere within the broader neurodiversity spectrum, I'm happy to explore that with you — working from where you are, and learning alongside you where that's useful.
For some people, their spiritual or religious life is inseparable from who they are — and that matters in counselling. Whether you're coming from a Christian background, another faith tradition, or simply find yourself wrestling with questions of meaning, purpose, or something you can't quite name, I'm comfortable working within that dimension of your experience. You don't need to leave it at the door.
My path to counselling wasn't a straight line — but looking back, it feels like the most natural destination.
I spent much of my working life in corporate environments, leading teams and supporting people through the challenges that come with demanding professional lives. I also ran my own businesses, and I continue to play an active role in community leadership here in Ledbury. Along the way, I was shaped by compassionate colleagues, fellow leaders, and friends who quietly modelled what it means to really listen — to be present with someone rather than simply managing them. Those lessons stayed with me long after the work did.
It was through supporting employees and witnessing the profound transformation that counselling can bring about that everything clicked into place. I realised that bringing together my lived experience, my understanding of people under pressure, and a rigorous clinical education was not a career change — it was an arrival.
I now work alongside the team at Ledbury Health Partnership's GP surgery, and with the community counselling service at LEAF — work I find deeply rewarding. Meeting people where they are, often at their most vulnerable, never feels ordinary to me.
Private practice feels like the natural extension of all of this — a space where I can bring everything I have learned, both from life and from clinical training, to people who are ready to explore something different. If any of this resonates with you, I'd be glad to hear from you.
Starting therapy can feel daunting. Here's what to expect, so you can take that first step with confidence.
Contact me for a free, no-obligation initial conversation. This is a chance for us to briefly discuss what's brought you to counselling and to see if we feel like a good fit.
The first session is a chance for us to meet, talk about what's brought you to counselling, and get a sense of whether working together feels right. There's no obligation to continue.
Regular 50-minute sessions, usually weekly, at a pace that suits you. Therapy can be short-term or open-ended, depending on your needs and what we agree together.
I hold a small number of reduced-rate places for people experiencing genuine financial difficulty — please mention this when you get in touch and we can talk it through.
I see clients at my home study in Ledbury — a quiet, private space. I'll give you full details when we arrange your first appointment.
Payment is by bank transfer or cash. I ask for payment before or on the day of your session.
I ask for 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel. Sessions cancelled with less notice are charged at the full rate.
If you'd like to find out more, or arrange an initial appointment, I'd be glad to hear from you. You're welcome to email or call — whichever feels easier. I aim to respond within 24 hours.
I am Martyn Kyle, an integrative counsellor practising in Ledbury, Herefordshire. I am an Individual Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP No. 01010519).
When you contact me or become a client, I may collect:
I use your information solely to:
Under GDPR, I process your data on the basis of legitimate interest (for initial enquiries) and contractual necessity (once we begin working together). Health-related data shared in sessions is processed under GDPR Article 9(2)(h) — necessary for the provision of health care.
Under GDPR, you have the right to:
This website does not use cookies or any third-party tracking technologies. No personal data is collected through your use of this website beyond what you voluntarily submit through the contact form.
If you have questions about how I handle your data, please contact me at martyn@martynkylecounselling.co.uk or call 07712 155802.
Last updated: February 2026
← Back to main site