Gordon Birnie

Gordon Birnie is a Sex and Relationship therapist working in private practice at The Awareness Centre in Tooting. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy and has additionally undertaken further online study in the Developmental Model of Couples Therapy with The Couples Institute (USA). He is accredited with the NCPS and registered with the College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists (COSRT).

He is an integrative therapist, meaning that he tailors his approach to the needs of the client or couple, drawing upon a variety of skills and techniques that best align with whatever issues the client has. He offers both short term therapy (6-10 sessions) as well as longer, open-ended work depending on client preference.  

 Gordon aims to provide a space where the client or couple (or multi-partnered relationship) will feel safe to explore whatever is causing distress. He believes therapy is about supporting the client to change, and along with change comes personal growth. He realises how challenging it can be to admit that help is needed with a relationship, and that sexual issues can feel especially difficult to talk about. He puts his clients at ease by offering an affirming therapeutic environment where problems can be talked through in a supportive way. He is positive about the breadth of diversity in human sexuality and has worked extensively with LGBTQIA+ clients both during training and since qualification, and this has included transgender clients, those seeking support with navigating non-monogamous relationships, asexuality, as well as many traditional couple relationships across all age brackets. Before undertaking his specialist training, Gordon worked in an NHS service counselling clients presenting with anxiety and depression, so he appreciates how mental health can have a detrimental impact on people’s sex lives and quality of relationships.

Research has consistently shown that couples and individuals tend to delay seeking help with relationship and sex issues, and frequently suffer in silence for too long for fear of what therapy will be like. Clients appreciate Gordon’s down-to-earth style, combining empathy and pragmatism, and he will support you in getting to a better place, improving the quality of your relationships.