Miguel Fernandez-Arias, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Miguel Fernandez-Arias

Manchester M14
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Miguel Fernandez-Arias, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Miguel Fernandez-Arias

Manchester M14
Shortlist Share

My Approach

My work is grounded in Gestalt therapy, a relational and experiential approach that attends not only to what you say, but to how your experiences are held in your body, emotions, relationships and the wider conditions of your life.

I see distress not as something wrong with you, but as meaningful responses to your history, relationships and circumstances: ‘creative adjustments’ that once helped you cope, even if they now feel limiting.

I was an artist before I trained as a therapist, and it still shapes how I work. We might draw, paint, move, or use images and sound to give shape to what’s hard to say; no artistic skill needed. Many trauma survivors find this reaches what talking alone doesn’t.

We’ll go at a pace that feels manageable, with enough support to feel safe and enough challenge to grow. I take suffering seriously, but I also value humour and humanity. I’ve seen, including in humanitarian settings, how laughter and shared connection can heal.

I’m not able to offer crisis support or emergency interventions, or replace statutory mental health services.

About Me

Hi, I’m Miguel, a UKCP-registered Gestalt psychotherapeutic counsellor offering therapy in person in Manchester and online.

People often come to me when something has stopped working: a relationship, a way of coping, a sense of who they are or where they’re heading. Sometimes it’s anxiety that’s been building, or a low mood that’s taken hold, whether from a world that feels increasingly unstable or what’s happening closer to home; sometimes it’s harder to name. For others, it’s the lasting impact of what they’ve been through. Among the people I’ve worked with are survivors of coercive, cultic or religious abuse, and those affected by humanitarian work, military service, conflict and displacement.

I also offer personal therapy to Gestalt trainees. Having trained at the Manchester Gestalt Centre and assisted on training programmes, I understand the demands and discoveries of the training journey. I offer weekly sessions that can continue throughout your training, and can confirm hours for your course. We can talk openly about any overlap in the training community at the start.

I work in English, and welcome bilingual Spanish-speaking clients who’d like to move between both languages.

If something here resonates, I offer a free 30-minute video call to see if we’re a good fit.

I work with

  • Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

I have particular experience supporting survivors of coercive, cultic or religious abuse: making sense of what happened, recovering a sense of your own judgement and voice, and finding your way in life afterwards.
Whether it’s been building from a world that feels increasingly unstable or from what’s happening closer to home, we’ll explore what your anxiety is responding to, and find ways to steady yourself and widen what you can stay with.
Having grown up between English and Spanish, and working within humanitarian settings, I understand what it is to live across languages and cultures. I welcome bilingual Spanish-speaking clients, and people navigating displacement, migration or belonging.
When low mood takes hold, life can feel flat, heavy or far away. Rather than treating it as something to simply get rid of, we’ll gently explore what it might be protecting or responding to, and find small, manageable ways to reconnect with energy, feeling and the people and things that matter to you.
I’ve worked with people affected by humanitarian work, military service, conflict and displacement, including recent work alongside humanitarian teams. I pay close attention to pacing and safety, and creative, embodied approaches can help when experiences are hard to put into words.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Gestalt Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

What I can help with

  • Anxiety
  • Bereavement
  • Couple Issues
  • Cultural Issues
  • Depression
  • Employment Difficulties
  • Family
  • Parents
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Relationships
  • Separation
  • Spirituality
  • Stress
  • Trauma

Types of sessions

  • Face to Face - Long Term
  • Face to Face - Short Term
  • Online Therapy

Manchester Office

Manchester Gestalt Centre
7 Norman Road
Rusholme
Manchester M14 5LF
England

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Cost:

£65 per session

Concession:

Reduced fees available by arrangement.

UKCP College

  • Psychotherapeutic Counselling and Intersubjective Psychotherapy College (PCIPC)
Miguel Fernandez-Arias

Miguel Fernandez-Arias

Manchester M14

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