Therapy can at times be a life saver, at other times an incredible resource to navigate through life's many challenges. It shouldn't be mysterious or frightening, but many often assume it's not for them. This is a great shame.
We all face times in our lives when we feel stuck, overwhelmed or interested in finding a new direction. When it's right, therapy is a space to address these questions and concerns, to explore and grow. It is that rare place where you get to say anything and everything on your mind.
What is your approach?
I am an Integrative Psychotherapist. This means, among other things, that I see that many approaches can offer valuable contributions to the field of psychotherapy and to our work together. My training has encompassed a range of these models: Psychodynamic, Attachment based, Person Centred, Existential, Transpersonal, IFS, and Body psychotherapies as well as Mindfulness and CBT. How we work will depend upon your needs and goals.
Key assumptions in our work together:
- You are coming to therapy because you think professional expertise and support could be of value. Part of my job is to listen to you and figure out what could be of benefit and to offer ideas and interpretations to support your exploration
- I am an active participant in our sessions together, my style can be quite conversational with space for humour, at other times I may offer silence and challenge if it feels more appropriate
- We are both engaged in trying to understand you. I have expertise and experience to offer but this process is mutual, therapy is a collaborative effort.
- My experience, as well as the research base, tells me that there is not only one way of understanding people. There are many models for understanding people and psychological difficulty.
- I may use tools from approaches such as CBT, IFS, DBT, EMDR in our work but fundamentally view the therapeutic relationship and alliance as the most important vehicle for change
Where do I start?
Finding a qualified therapist to address these issues can be hard work, the variety of models and accrediting bodies can be confusing. There are a wide range of approaches to therapy but broadly speaking the most reliable predictor of whether any therapy will be useful for someone is whether they feel an alliance with the therapist they are working with. It's worth looking around and investing some time in exploring who and what feels right for you, and checking the credentials of possible therapists. I offer a free consultation session to see if working together feels like a good fit.
Next steps
After you've made contact with me we'll set up an introductory session where we'll explore what you're looking for, what's troubling you, your expectations and so on. If we decide to go ahead we'll then agree on the terms for our working relationship, such as whether we'll work together for a fixed term or open ended period, when we'll review our progress, how we'll manage cancellations etc.