Our Team
The Equilibrium team is a group of compassionate, qualified counsellors and coaches united by a shared commitment to genuine connection and meaningful change. We each bring our own experiences and approaches, yet our work is grounded in the same belief, that people thrive when they feel truly heard, supported, and empowered to grow.
Emanuel Maxim
Founder / Therapeutic Coach
Emanuel is a counsellor and coach with a deep commitment to truth, growth, and genuine human connection. With over twenty years in business, working across multiple industries, leading teams, and building companies from the ground up, he discovered what mattered most: people. That insight became the turning point that led him to this work, and it continues to shape how he supports every client he meets.
Guided by strong intuition and a finely tuned sense of insight, Emanuel helps people cut through the noise and reconnect with what truly matters. He brings a calm, steady presence that allows others to feel safe, while never shying away from the real questions, the ones that spark honesty, courage, and meaningful change. Naturally curious and deeply compassionate, he takes time to understand who people are beneath the roles they carry and the stories they tell themselves.
At Equilibrium, Emanuel integratively counselling and coaching into a programme focused on building resilience. Grounded in the belief that people thrive when they feel empowered and supported, his work helps clients develop emotional steadiness, inner clarity, and practical strategies to navigate life’s inevitable ups and downs. The goal is not just insight in the moment, but confidence, agency, and strength that lasts long after the work together ends.
Emanuel’s passion for growth, his own and others’, sits at the heart of everything he does. Whether he’s helping someone untangle what’s been holding them back or walking beside them as they step into a braver, fuller version of themselves, his approach is honest, grounded, and deeply respectful of each person’s capacity to change.
With equilibrium as his guiding aim, Emanuel doesn’t position himself as an expert above others, he works alongside his clients, tuned into their unique stories, offering support, challenge, and encouragement as real change unfolds.
Emanuel is committed to ongoing professional development and ethical care. He has completed extensive formal training to complement his lived experience, is a member of the relevant regulatory bodies, and engages in regular professional supervision to ensure the highest standard of practice.
Claire Bertram
Counselling Partner
Claire is a warm, grounded, and empathetic counsellor who believes deeply in the power of genuine connection and the importance of being truly heard. In partnership with Equilibrium Counselling and Coaching, she offers a welcoming, confidential space where people can bring whatever they are facing and feel supported as they explore it.
Guided by Carl Jung’s words – “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are” -Claire understands that this journey is rarely walked alone. At times, we all need someone to guide, support, challenge, or cheer us on as we take the next steps forward.
Claire works integratively, drawing from person-centred, psychodynamic, CBT, and existential approaches. She weaves in creative and practical tools where they feel helpful, tailoring her work to each individual. Her approach is trauma-informed and rooted in authenticity. While much of her skill has developed through years of accompanying people through deeply human moments of change and challenge, she has also formalised her training to support this work to the highest professional standard.
Claire is a member of the relevant regulatory bodies and is committed to ongoing Continual Professional Development to ensure safe, ethical, and effective practice.
Angela Maxim
She has been married to Emanuel for over twenty years, and together they share two wonderful children. Angela’s care, kindness, and commitment to people sit at the heart of Equilibrium’s welcoming and supportive ethos.
In his therapeutic work, Jamie offers the kind of space he once wished people had in those earlier settings, a place where they can take their time, feel genuinely heard, and explore what matters most to them without judgement or hurry. He brings a calming, steady presence that invites clients to settle, reflect, and reconnect with themselves at a pace that feels safe and supportive.
Working integratively, Jamie draws on person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive approaches, incorporating practical tools when they’re helpful. His work is guided by curiosity, respect, and a deep appreciation for each person’s individuality. He pays close attention to relational dynamics and views the therapeutic relationship as something created together – an honest, trusting space where clients can speak openly and feel supported in meaningful change.
Jamie has formalised his passion for this work through professional training and is a member of the relevant regulatory bodies. He engages in ongoing Continual Professional Development to ensure his practice remains safe, ethical, and effective.
Jamie Firth
In his therapeutic work, Jamie offers the kind of space he once wished people had in those earlier settings, a place where they can take their time, feel genuinely heard, and explore what matters most to them without judgement or hurry. He brings a calming, steady presence that invites clients to settle, reflect, and reconnect with themselves at a pace that feels safe and supportive.
Working integratively, Jamie draws on person-centred, psychodynamic, and cognitive approaches, incorporating practical tools when they’re helpful. His work is guided by curiosity, respect, and a deep appreciation for each person’s individuality. He pays close attention to relational dynamics and views the therapeutic relationship as something created together – an honest, trusting space where clients can speak openly and feel supported in meaningful change.
Jamie has formalised his passion for this work through professional training and is a member of the relevant regulatory bodies. He engages in ongoing Continual Professional Development to ensure his practice remains safe, ethical, and effective.