Jonny Ward

Hi, my name is Jonny Ward AKA The Anxious Fireman. Full time I am a watch officer with The Fire and Rescue Service. Part time I am a qualified and practicing psychotherapist and mental health instructor. I fell into the mental health world following my own problems with anxiety. I started having panic attacks due to stress. These panic attacks became something I started to fear, which led to what is diagnosed as panic disorder with agoraphobia. A simpler way of looking at this is fear of fear. It took me some time to overcome and come to terms with my own anxiety and led me down the road of examining myself, my past, my upbringing, my feelings towards myself as a man and as a person. I never planned to become an instructor but as a started talking more openly and more publicly about my experiences I was sort of dragged further and further down the road of teaching and training. I trained to be a psychotherapist and a mental health first aid instructor. What I believe I can bring is first hand experience, academic knowledge and an ability to get over complex information in a manner that is understandable. I also work in the 999 services, in a male dominant environment and I feel this gives me a unique insight into that world. I am pragmatic, honest and very open on my courses, I do not bring any false hopes. I practice and teach in a person centred and existential way, looking at individual experiences.