A calm and safe space ... to explore your thoughts and feelings

Working with me

The foundation of my approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy. The aim is to make sense of current difficulties by exploring the thoughts and feelings surrounding them. Often situations in the present have roots in the past. My role, as a therapist, is to help disentangle these and support you in paving the way towards living your own life with greater awareness and emotional freedom.

My guiding principle is always, what is in the best interests of my client?  Therefore, at times I may include techniques from other modes of psychotherapy such as, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Cognitive Analytic Therapy (CAT) or Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).

I deal with a wide range of problems such as: anxiety/panic attacks; loss and bereavement; stress; coping with change; family issues; lack of confidence or low self-esteem; depression; traumatic events; mood disorders; relationship issues; sleep problems; behavioural difficulties; emotional impact of poor health; dependency issues; abuse; loneliness; work-life balance. This list is not exhaustive.

The duration of the therapy will depend on your needs and the outcome of our initial discussions. Clients who wish to work at a deeper level, or have more complex needs to explore, may find that open-ended therapy is their preferred approach. Others who want to focus on a specific issue may feel that short-term therapy is the best option for them.

Long-term psychotherapy can be particularly helpful in dealing with deep seated problems as it provides the opportunity to explore recurring patterns of behaviour. By recognising triggers and understanding how we are drawn to repeating old patterns, we gradually develop greater insight into our own feelings and behaviour.

Short-term psychotherapy takes one specific focus, agreed at the beginning of the therapy. We then work on understanding its origins, the current impact on your life and possibilities for effective change.

All enquiries are treated in total confidence.

A GP referral is not required.

Getting started
Once you have made that initial step of contacting me, we will arrange a consultation session to explore your needs and expectations and whether therapy might be useful for you. Taking the decision to embark on therapy is a significant one, and the need to feel safe and understood is vitally important.

The relationship between you and the therapist is central to this and, ultimately, to the success of the therapy. It is for this reason that I suggest we meet for two initial sessions before a decision is made to go ahead. If you feel that I am the right person to help you, then we will continue to meet on a weekly basis – same day, same time – for regular 50 minute sessions.