What is therapy?

Is it for me?

In short, Yes. It is for you! The only qualifying feature is yourself.

Therapy takes the shape of a very special kind of conversation. It can provide an opportunity to make sense of how we got to this point in our lives (at times, despite our best efforts), and can help to make sense of what would otherwise feel like a difficult, challenging, and confusing reality.

By helping to “make sense”, therapy provides emotional relief and supports us in the process of learning new ways of being in the world. Some people seek therapy to address specific problems, and others when life just doesn’t feel quite right. It can also be an opportunity for personal development. 

Services offered & the process of therapy

Within the broad spectrum of mental health and well-being, many people encounter psychological, and interpersonal difficulties. For example, some of my clients experience anxieties, distress, and an overwhelming sense of dread  in their personal and/or occupational life and relationships.

To address these stressors and difficult feelings we would seek to explore and develop insight into how conscious and unconscious thoughts and feelings that on the surface may seem ‘intangible’ often tend to be situated in earlier relationships and experiences.

My primary practice method is ‘psychodynamic counselling & psychotherapy’, however,  during and beyond  the assessment   I am fluid and adaptive  towards meeting the particular  needs of each individual client. This means being receptive to and carefully drawing upon an array of techniques and psychological methods that honour each clients uniqueness.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy does not provide a ‘quick fix’. Rather, it is a deeply invested, committed and enduring process. Psychotherapy aims to increase your self-comprehension, challenge maladaptive coping mechanisms, lower psychic defences, and liberate ones self toward enabling more informed choices.

Specialisations

Whilst I have a confident capacity to work with a range of psychic distress and challenges, I have some areas of specialisation which might be a particular focus for you as a potential client:

• Neurodiversity – Autism, ADHD, PTSD.
• Social class identity – ‘transitioning’ from working-class roots, impostor syndrome, fitting in, shame, humiliation, classism.
• LGBTQ+ matters- coming to terms with and coming-out, Identity conflict, Internalised homophobia, rejection, loneliness, self-esteem.
• Men and Masculinity – identity, toxicity, aggression, self-sufficiency, competitiveness, role conflict.

Psychotherapy or Counselling?

Counselling is not a diluted form of Psychotherapy.  The main differences are that it is shorter-term (usually up to 12 sessions) and focused on a specific area of concern or difficulty that you want to address.

In Psychotherapy, we meet once or in some cases twice per week for an open-ended period, which is regularly reviewed to measure progress.  Whereas in Counselling, sessions are once weekly and for a set period.

Booking your assessment

On the next page, you can contact me to book an assessment session.  In that meeting, we will explore the reasons for you seeking therapy at this time, what you hope to achieve from it and then some practical matters concerning, for example, confidentiality, boundaries, expectations, times, holidays, and the fee. As well as any other questions you may have.

I make every effort to make and keep therapy affordable for all. The assessment fee is the same as for a regular therapeutic session.  A session lasts for 50 minutes and the baseline fee (on the sliding scale) is £70. 

A sliding scale enables the practice to provide a low fee access rate. If you are low waged or unemployed, please contact me for further information.