About Bill Petrie
I work with thoughtful adults, mostly in midlife and beyond, who are functioning outwardly, yet finding that familiar ways of coping, striving, or orienting to life no longer function in the same way.
Many people reach this point without crisis or drama.
Life may look stable on the surface, but inwardly there is a growing sense of unease - a lack of motivation or of direction or meaning, even a sense of depletion.
There is a feeling that something essential needs to be re-examined before the next phase of life can take shape.
I understand life transitions not simply as changes in circumstance, but as periods where familiar internal reference points fall away. In these inevitable life phases, clarity is often temporarily lost as the psyche struggles to find a new way.
Rather than rushing to solutions or reinvention, I have seen great value in meeting this in-between period with steadiness, reflection, and discernment. When approached carefully, transitions allow life to reorganise around what has now become true, allowing a gradual restoration of authenticity, alignment, and internal authority.
How I work
I work online, one-to-one.
The work is reflective and deliberate.
The emphasis is not on ‘fixing’ or pushing for change, but on supporting the emergence of meaning, direction, and sustainable functioning as life enters a new chapter.
The work is, however, not endless.
It is time-limited and contained.
What this work is — and is not
This work is not crisis support, trauma processing, or open-ended therapy.
It is not motivational coaching, performance optimisation, or problem-solving under pressure.
It is most suited to people who are functioning outwardly, psychologically minded, and ready to engage thoughtfully rather than urgently.
What experience matters here
My work is shaped by more than 35 years of professional experience working with people at moments of change, transition, and re-orientation.
Over time, this has taught me the value of restraint: knowing when to intervene, when to wait, and when clarity needs space rather than pressure.
Much of the work I do now is informed less by technique than by experience — by the understanding and witnessing of the passage of so many people’s lives.
Who this work tends to suit
This work tends to suit people who are reflective, capable, and outwardly coping — yet inwardly sensing that something essential needs to change.
Many have already done some inner work.
What they are seeking now is greater clarity, steadiness, and confidence in their own internal authority.
Personal note
Outside of the bounds of my professional life, I am very fortunate to be living with my wife, the artist, Trish Mitchell, in the endless beauty of the English Cotswolds.
Photography is my creative joy, offering a way of coming into presence, thereby revealing the magic of light, form and stillness.
Professional background
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A comprehensive professional training in clinical psychology that included in-depth instruction in counselling and psychotherapy. My Master’s thesis was on an understanding of wilderness experience from a Jungian point of view.
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A two-year post-graduate part-time training in a form of psychotherapy that integrates a spiritual perspective with more traditional psychotherapy.
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An intensive year-long part-time training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – a practical form of psychotherapy that is particularly useful in dealing with anxiety issues and depression.
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A year-long part-time training in psychotherapy supervision.
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This is the two-part practitioner training in a form of psychotherapy (EMDR) that is extremely effective in putting any traumatic memory to rest. Most types of psychological difficulty are caused or precipitated by a trauma of some sort. Both of these trainings were with the originator of EMDR – Francine Shapiro.
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Both EFT and Matrix Reimprinting use a combination of eastern medicine and western psychology to treat traumatic memories. Matrix Reimprinting is an extremely effective development of EFT. I was fortunate to train in both methods with the originator of Matrix Reimprinting – Karl Dawson.
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A vision quest is psychological and spiritual process during which people fast in a natural environment after careful preparation and under proper supervision. The vision quest is a very powerful ritual that is frequently life-transforming. I was very lucky to be trained in the USA by the late Steven Foster and Meredith Little, exceptional teachers in this tradition. Since then, I have run many vision quests both in Africa and in the UK.
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This arduous training as a traditional healer took more than five years to complete. Although I no longer practice as an African healer, I have integrated very valuable elements from this training into my work.
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This was my first graduate qualification and was followed by employment in Microbiology, Medical Biochemistry and Industrial Chemistry laboratories. I later returned to university to study psychology. I am very grateful for this training because it affords me a deep understanding of the scientific perspective - its great value and its limitations.
Working together
All work is offered online, one-to-one, in blocks of four sessions at a time.
This approach allows the work to remain focused, reflective, and contained.
Fees
Fees reflect seniority, depth and the finite, contained nature of the work.
The fee for each four-session block is £880, payable in advance of the first session.
Sessions are 50 minutes, held online, and arranged at intervals that suit the work, typically a week to a fortnight apart.
After 35 years of practice, I take on relatively few clients, and the time-limited structure means each block is used carefully.
There is no charge for the initial 20-minute exploratory conversation, and no obligation to continue.
Exploratory conversation
Before any commitment, I offer a 20-minute exploratory conversation.
This is a calm, practical discussion — not an assessment or obligation — intended to:
clarify what brings you now
check whether this way of working fits your situation
decide together whether working together feels appropriate
If it is not a good fit, I will say so openly.