About Psychotherapy

The terms ‘psychotherapy’ and ‘counselling’ are often used interchangeably. However, I tend to think of psychotherapy as a dialogue which takes place over a longer period of time, perhaps structured in an open-ended way rather than for a fixed number of sessions. You may find that the issue which initially brought you to therapy opens up into a broader self-exploration, and that now is the time you would like to think more deeply about what is going on for you. Psychotherapy requires commitment from both client and therapist.

Therapy is a chance to explore, reflect and be heard

Psychotherapy with me is a shared undertaking to make sense of your experience. I think of myself as a companion and facilitator in your exploration, and together we will try to work towards a deep understanding of your experience and look at the situation from different perspectives and new angles. I provide a warm, wholly supportive and non-judgmental environment; sometimes just hearing yourself say out loud the things you have been feeling can bring relief and clarity. I won't give you advice or tell you what to do; I believe that you are ultimately the expert on your own life. Therapy with me is first and foremost a safe and confidential space in which to share how you are feeling, and be heard.  

Therapy can be challenging

The way I work is concerned with exploring the choices we make in our lives, the meanings we ascribe to aspects of our world, and the ways in which we can become stuck with our ways of being. Together we will look at your personal value systems and consider how they inform the way you live your life; you may begin to challenge your feelings and the assumptions you make about your life, and gain some clarity about where you are, and where you want to be. Therapy is an opportunity to explore how you relate to the people in your life and to the experiences you have; a space in which to reflect upon the decisions you are making and the possibilities which may lie ahead.

My approach to therapy

My approach to psychotherapy is called existential-phenomenological, which is a lot more down-to-earth than it sounds! It means that the therapy has its roots in philosophy, and has at its core an exploration of how you are living your life right now; I will not shoehorn you into any theoretical category or model, and together we will focus on whatever emerges as important for you.

Though therapy with me is primarily existential-phenomenological, I also have training in CBT and integrative therapy, including psychodynamic and person-centred models, and I draw on these when I feel they may be helpful to my clients. I also have a particular interest in Attachment Theory and the effect that early experiences can have upon our adult relationships.