THE CANTERBURY & FOLKESTONE HOPE FOUNDATION
“Chris supported me to safely come off antidepressants after 20 years. He understood the blackness that came before. I’ve never felt so professionally supported — gently but firmly — to make that leap.”
“Chris showed an ability to adapt in the moment to my state of mind, week by week. He never missed a beat. His work was methodical, deep, and consistently professional.”
“He was always responsive, always on time, and flexible enough to accommodate the realities of my life (including bringing my baby to sessions). That kind of professionalism is rare and invaluable.”
“Chris has deep clinical knowledge and insight. He integrates psychoanalysis, philosophy, lived experience and real care. You don’t feel like a number in a system — you feel known.”
Welcome to the Canterbury & Folkestone Hope Foundation. Initially established in 2015 as The Canterbury Hope Foundation Ltd, we were founded to help people and families struggling with personal issues, relationships and associated emotional, psychological and mental health challenges. We have now moved to Folkestone and a stunning location up on the North Down, where we continue to support clients from the Canterbury, Folkestone and East and Mid Kent. We also work extensively further afield using virtual technology in support of our further-a-field clients.
We offer highly effective qualified independent counselling and psychotherapy services to individuals, couples, families including children, adolescents and children. We are strictly non-discriminatory and non-judgemental. From a broad expertise and experience base we specialise in working with neurodiversity including autism (ADS) and ADHD. We are experienced and knowledgeable in the field of PTSD, domestic abuse, narcissism and narcissistic abuse recovery, trauma, anxiety, depression, grief and the relieving of emotional pain. We also have considerable experience in treating sexual abuse, phobias, work place trauma and family matters. We have a broad conceptual knowledge and experiential practise including to master's degree level in Psychoanalytic Studies and including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy (Including Freudian, Jungian and Lacanian approaches), Person Centred Therapy, Personal Relations Therapy (Guntrip), Gestalt and Existential Therapy. Finally, we always consider how your emotional and psychological symptoms are affecting your physical self and what that might tell us about your challenges.
“Chris helped us restructure our marriage into something far better than ever before—stronger, more open, and built on deeper understanding.”
“We’d seen other counsellors before, but Chris was the first who really challenged us—kindly, intelligently, and with real insight. It changed everything.”
“He didn’t take sides. He saw the dynamics between us, named them, and helped us grow together rather than drift further apart.”
“Chris gave my partner the courage to open up in a way I’d never seen before. It changed the way we relate, and we’re closer than we’ve ever been.”
What to Expect
The key driver to our work is to be effective and efficient in your treatment. Evidence tells us that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is the key element to successful outcomes therefore, before we commit to work together it is essential that we understand what you want to achieve and that we both have confidence that there is likely to be a strong therapeutic relationship.. We also need to get a strong sense of the unconscious elements that might be bringing you for help and a clear plan moving forwards.
We know that often the root of your challenges are not fully understood, even by yourself and so seeking help can be frustrating. Our initial consultation is Comprehensive and designed to give you a really good understanding and analysis of the issues. This insight provides you with the confidence and trust that we know how to treat you effectively and ethically. If we decide not to work together the assessment can really help you having the knowledge when deciding on other routes.
If requested , you will be provided with a comprehensive written assessment and a provisional treatment plan for you to discuss, alternatively, just come and talk in confidence. Your time with us is regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure your therapy journey is productive, ethical and relevant. For in-person sessions, you can expect a warm welcome and fabulous facilities from our meeting spaces, including parking. Our environment is discreet, comfortable and large enough to support families. Sessions may also take place virtually where you remain in an environment safe and familiar to you whilst communicating with us through video or phone link.
Safeguarding is our priority and our work with you is governed by strict rules of confidentiality, data protection and ethical principles meaning will be able to feel confident in our contracting around how we work together.
“Sessions with Chris aren’t just about problem-solving—they’re about becoming more honest, more connected, and more aware as a couple or family.”
“Chris doesn’t just mediate—he helps you understand the emotional systems at play, and how to heal them from the inside.”
“His approach is gentle but forensic. He brings clarity, even to messy situations.”
Counselling Psychotherapy
Family Therapy
Couples Counselling
Children and Adolescent Therapy
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Existential Psychotherapy
Therapy in Canterbury
Are you seeking therapy in Kent? Get in touch with us about our various therapy sessions and services.
Meet Chris
About The Canterbury Hope Foundation
Chris brings together more than ten years’ experience in counselling and psychotherapy with 19 years of service in the Metropolitan Police and Kent Police. This combination has given him extensive experience of people, relationships and the complex realities of personal and professional life.
He holds a Master’s degree in Psychoanalytic Studies from Birkbeck, University of London; a First-Class Honours degree in Philosophy and Religious Studies from the University of Kent; and a Diploma in Therapeutic Integrative Counselling.
Alongside his therapeutic work, Chris works at a senior advisory level, including as Special Advisor to a director at the Gates Foundation. He also provides private coaching, mentoring, tutoring and consultancy. These different perspectives inform an approach that combines psychological depth with practical understanding and sensitivity to the complexities of real life.
Chris’s work is grounded in psychoanalytic, philosophical and relational thinking. He supports people experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, questions of identity, and periods of uncertainty or transition. Rather than attending only to immediate symptoms, he helps clients explore the deeper experiences and recurring patterns that may shape how they feel, relate and respond.
Chris welcomes people from all backgrounds and has a particular interest in working with autistic people and those with ADHD. He also works with complex relational difficulties, including the effects of emotionally harmful, controlling or narcissistic relationships, and with people experiencing longstanding patterns of emotional and interpersonal distress.
His aim is to offer a thoughtful, confidential and non-judgemental space in which difficult experiences can be understood, new perspectives can emerge and meaningful change can become possible.