Our work is based on a simple belief:

Therapy is not a production line. It is a human endeavour.

People need more than a standardised intervention or a list of techniques. They need thoughtful, compassionate professionals who will listen carefully, understand what is happening and help them move towards lives that feel more manageable, meaningful and fulfilling.

That is the kind of therapy we aim to provide, and the kind of therapeutic practice we aim to cultivate through our training and supervision.

A Small Independent Practice with a Human Approach

Openforwards is based in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter and offers both in-person and online psychological therapy.

We work with adults, young people, couples and families experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, trauma, emotional overwhelm, relationship problems and stress.

Our therapists draw on established psychological approaches, including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, EMDR, Compassion Focused Therapy and systemic approaches.

However, we do not believe that effective therapy comes from fitting every person into the same model.

We take time to understand you and the difficulties you are facing, the context in which those difficulties have developed and the changes you want to make.  From there, we work together to develop an approach that is evidence-informed, practical and personal.

Openforwards also provides advanced ACT training, supervision and professional development for therapists who want to become more flexible, confident and effective in their clinical work.

Although our therapy and professional training services serve different audiences, they are connected by the same purpose: helping people respond more skilfully to complexity, difficulty and change.

Why Jim founded Openforwards

Jim Lucas began working in private practice in Birmingham in May 2011, after previously working as a psychotherapist in the NHS.

Leaving secure public-sector employment was not an easy decision.

Jim had valued his work in the NHS, but he also recognised that he was moving towards burnout.

“I wanted to keep helping people, but I also wanted to stay well enough to be present, grounded and creative in the work.”

Shortly after Jim left, the psychotherapy service in which he had worked was closed and resources were redirected towards what was then known as IAPT and is now called NHS Talking Therapies.

Jim continued developing his private practice and officially founded Openforwards in February 2016.

The name reflected a wish to help people move towards their lives rather than remain defined by the difficulties they were experiencing. It also reflected Jim’s belief that therapy should help people become more flexible, resourceful and able to take meaningful steps forward.

Openforwards was created to protect the conditions in which good therapy can happen: time to listen, space to think, freedom to adapt and a relationship in which people feel understood and seen rather than like just another patient to tick off your list.

Therapy is not a production line

Psychological therapy has changed considerably since Jim began practising.

Online therapy has made support more accessible for many people. Digital tools can help people learn, reflect and remain connected. New technologies, including artificial intelligence, may also have a useful role in supporting education and care.

But technology does not remove the need for careful human attention.

People still need therapists who can sit with uncertainty, notice what is not being said, respond sensitively to emotion and make thoughtful professional judgements.

They need to know that the person in front of them is listening, not simply applying a script.

At Openforwards, a human approach means:

Seeing the person, not only the problem

A psychiatric diagnosis or symptom description may help us understand part of someone’s experience, but it never tells the whole story.

We want to understand your history, relationships, responsibilities, strengths, values and circumstances, as well as the difficulties that brought you to therapy.

Personalising the work

Evidence-based therapy does not have to mean soulless, rigid, formulaic therapy.

Our therapists use psychological knowledge flexibly, adapting the pace, focus and style of the work to the individual.

Working collaboratively

Therapy is something we do with people, not to them.

We aim to be clear about what we are doing, why we are doing it and how it relates to the changes the client wants to make.

Taking the therapeutic relationship seriously

Techniques matter, but so does the quality of the relationship in which those techniques are used.

We aim to create a space in which clients can speak openly, explore difficult experiences and test new ways of responding without feeling judged or rushed.

Helping people build lasting capacity

Our aim is not merely to reduce immediate distress.

Where possible, we want to help people understand themselves more clearly, respond more flexibly to difficult thoughts and feelings, improve their relationships and develop skills they can continue using beyond therapy.

Adapting without losing what matters

Running a small independent therapy practice involves continual change.

One of the most difficult periods in the history of Openforwards came during the Covid lockdowns.

Like many therapists, Jim had to move his work online almost overnight. At the same time, he was working from home with two young children while his wife, a keyworker, continued working outside the home.

Online therapy allowed important work to continue during an extremely difficult period. It also showed that many people could benefit from receiving therapy from home.

However, the experience reinforced Jim’s belief that in-person therapy still has an important place.

For some clients, travelling to a therapy room creates a private space away from home, work and relationships – the very places in which stress and emotional difficulties occur.

The period after the pandemic brought further challenges. The flow of new clients slowed while costs continued to rise. Jim had to make difficult decisions about the size of the team and the structure of the practice.

At first, those decisions felt like a failure.

Over time, Jim recognised that the greater failure would have been to continue in exactly the same way when the business needed to change.

That experience strengthened one of the values at the heart of Openforwards: adaptability.

We believe people and organisations need to be able to review what they are doing, respond honestly to changing circumstances and make difficult adjustments without losing sight of what matters.

That principle is central to our therapy and to the way we run the practice.

Why small independent practices still matter

The growth of large online therapy platforms has changed how people access psychological support.

These services can provide convenience, choice and accessibility. However, we believe small independent practices still have an important role.

At their best, they can remain personal, responsive and closely connected to the communities they serve.

At Openforwards, this means:

• taking time to understand what a prospective client is looking for
• helping people identify a therapist who is appropriately qualified and experienced
• offering both in-person and online options
• maintaining clear professional and ethical standards
• responding to individual circumstances rather than relying on a high-volume system
• allowing therapists to work thoughtfully and creatively
• remaining accountable for the quality of the service we provide

Being small does not mean thinking small.

It means being able to pay close attention to the people who contact us and to the quality of the work carried out in our name.

The People Behind Openforwards

Openforwards is made up of therapists with different areas of experience, training and professional interest.

Our team offers a range of psychological approaches, which helps us respond to different kinds of difficulties and client preferences.

When someone contacts Openforwards, we aim to consider more than availability alone.

Where possible, we think about:

• the difficulty the person wants help with
• the therapist’s relevant training and experience
• whether the person prefers in-person or online therapy
• practical availability
• the kind of therapeutic approach that may be helpful
• whether the therapist and client are likely to work well together

No therapist is the right fit for every person.

We therefore encourage prospective clients to read our therapist profiles, ask questions and use the initial consultation to consider whether the relationship feels helpful.

Our values

Human

We treat therapy as a relationship between people, not as a transaction or standardised process.

Thoughtful

We take time to understand what is happening before deciding where to focus.

Personalised

We adapt psychological knowledge to the person rather than forcing the person into a predetermined model.

Evidence-informed

Our work draws on established psychological approaches, professional standards, clinical experience and ongoing learning.

Collaborative

We believe clients should understand the direction of therapy and have an active role in shaping the work.

Adaptable

We are willing to review, change and improve what we do while protecting the principles that matter most.

Responsible

We aim to be honest about what we can offer, work within our professional competence and recommend alternatives when another service may be more appropriate.

Therapy and professional training

Openforwards has two connected areas of work.

Psychological therapy

We provide personalised therapy for adults, young people, couples and families experiencing emotional, psychological and relationship difficulties.

Our aim is to help people understand what is keeping them stuck, respond more effectively to difficult internal experiences and take practical steps towards the lives and relationships they want.

ACT training and supervision

We provide Acceptance and Commitment Therapy training, supervision and professional development for therapists.

Our training is grounded in the realities of clinical work, including uncertainty, complexity, therapeutic relationships and the challenge of knowing what to focus on from moment to moment.

We want therapists to move beyond relying on scripts and techniques so they can work with greater flexibility, confidence and effectiveness.

Experience, standards and professional leadership

Openforwards is committed to maintaining clear professional, ethical and clinical standards.

Jim Lucas is an experienced psychotherapist, CBT practitioner and ACBS Peer-Reviewed ACT Trainer. He has held professional leadership roles within the international Acceptance and Commitment Therapy community and has contributed to the development of therapist training and professional standards.

Members of the Openforwards therapy team maintain appropriate professional registrations, qualifications and insurance relevant to their roles.

We encourage prospective clients and professionals to review our therapist profiles, credentials and professional standards before deciding whether to work with us.

Trust should not depend on marketing claims alone. It should be supported by transparent information, verifiable experience and a willingness to answer reasonable questions.

What we hope people experience

Whether someone comes to Openforwards for therapy, supervision or professional training, we hope they experience the same underlying qualities.

We want people to feel:

• listened to rather than dismissed
• respected rather than judged
• supported without being patronised
• challenged without being pushed
• clearer about what is happening
• more able to respond to difficulty
• more confident about the next step

We do not promise that therapy or professional development will always feel easy.

Meaningful change often involves uncertainty, discomfort and sustained effort.

What we can promise is that we will aim to approach the work with care, honesty, professional responsibility and respect for the person in front of us.

Where would you like to go next?

Are you looking for therapy?

Learn more about the difficulties we help with, the therapeutic approaches we offer and how to find a therapist who may be right for you.

Are you developing your ACT practice?

Discover our ACT training, supervision, learning community and advanced professional development programmes.