About Mark Mahoney - Counsellor in Bromley & Peckham
I know what it feels to carry something you can't talk about.
When I was 10 years old, my father was diagnosed with early onset dementia. He was 43. What followed wasn't the quiet sadness you might imagine. His moods shifted. There were angry outbursts. He told me I was stupid, I loved him but didn't understand what was happening to him, and slowly without really choosing to, I began to resent him.
He died when I was 21. It took years after that before I could see it clearly, that the man who hurt me with his words was a man trapped inside a condition he couldn't control. He loved me. The dementia spoke, not him. But by the time I understood that, I'd already spent a decade carrying shame I didn't know how to put down.
My Teenage Years Were Hard
I was depressed and isolated through most of them. I struggled to make friends. I was bullied. partly because of how I looked, ears that stuck out and made me an easy target. And I spent a long time feeling I like I was on the outside of something everyone else seemed to understand naturally.
I didn't talk about any of it. I didn't know how and I carried all of this in my head. In my twenties, something shifted. I'm not sure I can fully explain what changed but I came through it and the experience of having been in that place never left me.
Why I Became a Counsellor
I came to counselling training in my 40s. Not as a career change but as something I finally gave myself permission to pursue. Something I'd known for a long time I wanted to try. The moment I started training, I knew I was in the right place. Not because it was easy, but because watching someone have a realisation, seeing something genuinely shift in a person felt like the most meaningful thing I'd ever been part of.
That's still true today.
Who I Work With
I work mostly with men. Men who are under pressure and don't know where to put it. Men who are holding everything together on the outside while something heavier is building underneath. Men who were (and are) told, directly or indirectly that struggling isn't something you talk about.
I understand that man. I was him.
I also work with women and welcome anyone who feels my approach might be the right fit for them.
How I Work
My approach in a first session is deliberately unhurried. I'm not here to assess you or move through a checklist. I want you to feel, from the moment you walk in, that the pressure is off, that this is genuinely a space where nothing you say will be too much, and nothing you feel will be judged.
I'm an integrative counsellor, which means I work with what you bring rather than following a fixed method. Some people want to understand the roots of what they're experiencing. Others want practical ways of managing what's happening right now. Most want something in-between. We work at whatever level is most useful to you, at your pace, always.
Outside The Therapy Room
I'm a regular at Parkrun, a long suffering West Ham supporter, and someone who despite recently entering his 50s genuinely believes there is no better place to lose yourself than a moshpit at a live gig.
I grew up mostly around women, and I think that shaped both my empathy and my instinct to listen without judgement. I'm not here to tell you to toughen up or push through. I'm here to help you understand what's actually going on, and to make that process feel as human as possible.
Working With Me
I offer in-person sessions in Bromley and Peckham, and online sessions across the UK. Sessions are 50 minutes and cost £65.00.
If you'd like to get a sense of whether this feels right before committing, the easiest way is a free 15-min introductory call. No obligation, just a conversation.
Call or text 07903 722341 or email markmahoneytherapy@gmail.com