About Dr Brett Hayes

Most of the men I work with are capable, often senior, the sort of person other people rely on, and from the outside things look fine. Underneath, they are starting to wonder if constantly holding it together is just what life feels like now.

As a man, I understand burnout from the inside, so I can offer a clear, structured way back to feeling like yourself again, not just coping, but actually enjoying the life you've built. Clients often tell me it's the most productive work they've done for themselves.

I build every plan around what's actually driving your burnout, not a fixed template, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and EMDR, both practical, well evidenced approaches focused on what's maintaining the difficulty day to day, not abstract analysis. I offer sessions online and in person.

Because I work almost entirely with men who've never sat across from a therapist before, I know how to make the first conversation easy rather than something to brace for. Clients often tell me it's the first time they've felt able to say things out loud without being judged.

If any of this sounds familiar, here's some of what it can look like:

• A mind that won't switch off, even when your body's exhausted
• Snapping at the people you love, then feeling terrible about it after
• Not feeling rested, even after time off
• Feeling flat or numb even when things are going well on paper

A little about my background

I have worked in mental health for many years, across a range of clinical and specialist settings, supporting people through low mood, anxiety, and trauma, and I am also trained to deliver workplace wellbeing interventions. My qualifications are BSc (Hons), MSc, and DClinPsy, I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council under registration number PYL043819, and I am a trained EMDR therapist.

Published research

Alongside my clinical work I have contributed to peer-reviewed research in psychology, including:

Rameswari, T., Hayes, B., & Perera-Delcourt, R. (2021). Measuring therapist cognitions contributing to therapist drift: a qualitative study. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 14.

Gregory, J., Graham, T., & Hayes, B. (2023). Targeting beliefs and behaviours in misophonia: a case series from a UK specialist psychology service. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy.

Hayes, B. (in preparation). Problematic smartphone use, psychological flexibility, and quality of life in the general population.

Taking the first step

If this sounds like you, you do not have to keep managing it on your own. Fill in a short screening form, it takes about three minutes, and I will read it myself and reply within twenty four hours.