Therapy
I offer both individual and group psychotherapy. We can discuss what would suit your needs best when we meet.
Individual Psychotherapy
Psychodynamic psychotherapy begins with the idea that our emotional lives are often more complex than we realise. The ways we relate to ourselves and other people do not appear out of nowhere. They develop over time through our relationships, experiences, and, the environments and the societies in which we grow up. Although these patterns can help us manage difficult feelings; others can leave us feeling stuck, disconnected, anxious, self-critical, or repeating the same difficulties despite our best efforts to change.
In individual psychotherapy we create space to think together about these patterns and what lies beneath them. There is no set agenda. It offers an opportunity to slow down and think about these patterns. Together, we pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, relationships, memories, and experiences, not in order to analyse them from a distance, but to understand how they continue to influence your life in the present.
The therapeutic relationship itself becomes an important part of this process. Feelings, expectations, and ways of relating that emerge in everyday life often find expression within therapy. Paying attention to these experiences can help us develop a deeper understanding of difficulties that may previously have felt confusing or impossible to change.
Psychotherapy is rarely a straightforward process. At times it can be challenging to think about aspects of ourselves that we would rather avoid. Yet it is often through this process that new perspectives become possible and lasting change can occur.
I offer a free initial 30 minute session so we can think about what you may need and whether I am best suited to help you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Fees: £60 a session.
(I have some concession places available).
Group Psychotherapy
Groups meet once or twice weekly for 90 minutes and usually include up to eight members.
Many of our deepest difficulties are connected to relationships. We may long to feel closer to others while finding intimacy difficult. We may struggle with feelings of loneliness, exclusion, self-doubt, or a sense of not being understood. Sometimes we find ourselves repeating the same patterns in relationships without fully understanding why.
Group therapy offers a unique opportunity to explore these experiences in the company of others.
A therapy group usually consists of up to eight people from different backgrounds who meet together regularly with a therapist. Members are encouraged to speak freely about whatever is on their minds, whether that relates to events in their lives, relationships, feelings, thoughts, or experiences within the group itself.
For many people, the idea of joining a group can feel daunting at first. It is common to worry about being judged, not knowing what to say, or feeling exposed in front of others. These concerns often become an important part of the therapeutic work. Yet members frequently find that hearing other perspectives, recognising themselves in others' experiences, and feeling understood by the group can be powerful and relieving.
As relationships develop within the group, familiar patterns of relating can begin to emerge. You may notice how you respond to closeness, difference, conflict, authority, dependency, or belonging. Exploring these experiences within the safety of the group can lead to new understanding and new ways of relating both inside and outside therapy.
Unlike many forms of group therapy that focus on a specific problem or programme, group analytic psychotherapy is interested in the broader emotional and relational patterns that shape our lives. The group itself becomes a place where these patterns can be observed, understood, and gradually transformed.
Group therapy can be particularly helpful for people who experience:
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Difficulties in relationships
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Feelings of loneliness or isolation
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Low self-esteem or self-criticism
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Social anxiety
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Repeated interpersonal patterns
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Questions of identity and belonging
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Difficulties expressing feelings
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A sense of disconnection from others
I currently have no group vacancies; though if you would like referral to a trusted local colleague, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
