Duncan Forbes - Ember Community Counselling

Over the last 25 years, I’ve worked as a youth worker, drug rehab worker, teacher, and pastor at a multicultural church on a London council estate. This work has given me the privilege of working with a wide range of people from different ethnicities and social classes. For the last few years, I’ve had a particular focus on working with trauma survivors, which has included facilitating therapeutic self-help groups. I like to use Judith Herman and Diane Langberg’s approach to Trauma to help survivors grow in their voice, power, thinking and relationships.

My first experience of counselling put me off therapy! But years later, a good therapist helped me work through my childhood trauma, and I saw how helpful good therapy can be. This has motivated me to train as a therapist to pass on the warm, safe experience my therapist gave me.

Having grown up in and lived around poverty, I’m keen to provide counselling for people who would not usually have access to it. My belief that each person is unique and immeasurably valuable inspires me to provide therapy for people of all faiths and none. I feel very comfortable working with people with different beliefs and try to work within people’s frameworks. My approach is to provide a warm, safe, non-judgmental environment where someone can be themselves.

When not seeing clients, I enjoy going to Richmond Park with my wife and four children, cooking and making music.

Qualifications

2024 Completed Counselling Trainee placement at Kairos Community Counselling.

2023-2025 Advanced Diploma in Counselling Practise at Counselling Pastoral Trust. NCPS Accredited, Level 5 equivalent.

2011-2018 Doctor of Ministry degree specialising in Urban Ministry, Westminster Theological Seminary, PA, USA.

2008-2011 BA HONS Theological and Pastoral Studies, Oak Hill College/Middlesex University.

2005-2008 DTLLS Teacher Training for QTS, Canterbury Christ Church University.

2005 Appointed as pastor of New Life Church Roehampton.

1995-1998 BSc HONS in Sports Studies from Chichester Institute of Higher Education.

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