What to expect?
People seek therapy for many reasons and you don’t have to be at your lowest point to approach a therapist. Counselling and psychotherapy can be helpful in tough times and when you feel stuck, and talking to a trained therapist can in itself bring relief – it will give you the opportunity to share all your thoughts and feelings with someone outside of your daily life and being listened to with attention and compassion.
Therapy offers you the space and time you need to work through whatever has brought you here. We will think about things together and work to make sense of your feelings and experiences. It is a deeply individual process that responds to what you personally need and what emerges in the therapeutic relationship between us.
I have experience of working with a variety of issues, including:
- depression and persistent low moods
- anxiety and overthinking
- difficulties in relationships with a partner, family or friends
- loneliness and difficulty forming relationships
- identity related issues
- feeling a lack of purpose or loss of direction in life or feeling stuck
- low self-esteem and not feeling “good enough”, or perfectionism that means nothing you do feels good enough
- issues around self-confidence and self-image
- adjusting to a new life situation
- cultural identity, cross-cultural issues
- stress and work related issues including redundancy, retraining and running your own business
- loss and bereavement
- suicidal thoughts
- neurodivergence (ADHD/autism including making sense of a new diagnosis)
- emerging adulthood/young adulthood – your twenties can be a time of finding your feet in a time that is often full of changes and choices that can feel difficult to navigate alone.
It’s also OK if your reason for wanting to come to therapy is less specific. You may feel like you’ve lost yourself, have feelings of disappointment or a sense that you are not living up to your full potential. Therapy can help you explore what you really want in life, and connect with your own creativity and sense of purpose in order to live a more fulfilling life. Having therapy can help you maintain your emotional health and wellbeing in the same way you take steps to maintain your physical health.
Working with me
My approach is psychodynamic; it’s a type of therapy based on psychoanalysis and has an emphasis on unconscious and relational dynamics. There is a growing evidence base that supports its effectiveness.
Therapy is about making sense of your thoughts, feelings and behaviour. I believe we are all influenced by our early experiences and significant relationships from childhood. I also believe there are aspects of us we are less conscious of but which nonetheless influence us. Understanding these patterns of thoughts, behaviour and relating to others can help you gain more clarity and help you move forward with a fresh outlook. As each person is different, your therapy will also be a very individual process.
The therapeutic relationship we form between us will be of utmost importance and acts as a kind of microcosm of your other relationships so that we can understand more about your internal world and current difficulties.
I’ll be an active participant in the process. I will not give you advice or tell you what you should do, nor will I set you tasks or set the agenda for your sessions; instead, I’ll help you feel more in touch with your own thoughts and feelings so you feel more empowered to live life in your own way and feel more fulfilled. Addressing the root causes of your problems often leads to lasting change. It can be a longer process but it is also a real investment in yourself and your future. Your sessions are a space for you to talk about anything that comes to your mind – including thoughts and feelings you may feel you can’t express anywhere else. While I aim to provide a safe and non-judgemental space, I don’t take it for granted that you’ll feel safe or want to share everything right away – trust and safety are built over time.
The first meeting and ongoing sessions
Sessions last for 50 minutes each, and take place on the same day and at the same time every week. Occasionally it may be helpful to meet for sessions twice a week. I generally work in an open-ended way and mainly longer term. I only offer minimum weekly sessions (not fortnightly or ad hoc) as I believe the frequency is needed to work at depth and to have sufficient space and time for the process to unfold.
When you first contact me, we’ll arrange a brief phone call (free of charge, of course) to discuss your needs and to together decide if it would be helpful to meet for an initial consultation.
The initial consultation is a full length session (or sometimes two, a week apart) a chance to think together about what has brought you to therapy at this time, and an opportunity to decide if we want to continue working together. I understand coming to therapy can feel daunting and I aim to make the initial session as comfortable and welcoming as possible for you. The initial session is not a commitment to further sessions. If we decide another type of help would be more useful for you or that I’m not the right therapist to help you, I may also suggest a referral to a different service or to a colleague, if this is what you would like.
Fees
My fee for the initial consultation is £70. Fees for ongoing sessions are set depending on the time/day and your circumstances, and are generally are in the range of £70-80 per session. I keep a few lower cost spaces available during the daytime for people on a low income and students – please contact me to discuss this option if you genuinely wouldn’t be able to afford my full fees.
Private counselling and therapy in Shoreditch, London EC2A near Hackney, Brick Lane and Liverpool Street, and online.