Many people feel anxious about coming to see a psychotherapist and what that would involve: making the first step takes courage.
People come to psychotherapy for many reasons. We may be quite clear about what has brought us to therapy or simply have a sense that something is just not quite right. Other times we may have a desire to explore more general questions such as “Where am I going in life?” or “Why do I react the way that I do?”
Life throws a few curve-balls on our journey through it, we may have relationship problems within our family, with friends or loved ones, we may lose someone close to us, experience difficulties at work and situations that cause us to feel alone and isolated. Whatever is going on for you, however large or small it may feel, embarking on therapy can help you arrive at a different perspective by talking to someone who is objective and who can help you find answers or discover parts of yourself that you did not know existed. Therapy can enable you to feel less helpless, hopeless, out of your depth and out of control.
I struggled for many years, feeling as if I was missing the tools on how to navigate this life, before I decided to seek help through counselling & psychotherapy. After some years of my own therapy, I decided to train in the integrative approach: working in a flexible way, using a variety of approaches to suit the particular needs of each client.
I have a Masters in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy with an emphasis on the use of the arts, metaphor and creativity. Added to the arts, I draw upon developmental and relational perspectives and have a postgraduate diploma in Attachment based Therapy. I am also a Somatic Experiencing practitioner, and pay particular attention to the body as we can hold a great deal of mental anguish within it. I believe that there are many ways to see oneself, the world and how we relate and connect to others. By integrating these approaches, together we can begin to untangle childhood issues, current relational struggles, or whatever may be troubling you.
After one session we can usually tell if we are a good fit and can work together on the issues you may bring. Once we begin the journey together, there is no limit to the amount of sessions I offer. For some people, six to twelve sessions are enough to help them, either out of a crisis, or on their way with some new perspectives. Others choose to have therapy for a number of years. There is no 'one size fits all'.
Training, qualifications & experience:
I have an MA in Integrative Arts Psychotherapy, a postgraduate diploma (PGDip) in Attachment based Therapy and have recently trained as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. I am accredited with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and I have been in Private Practice since 2006.
Alongside my Private Practice, I worked in a substance misuse residential treatment centre delivering individual and group psychotherapy for three years. I spent a year volunteering at Kids Company, at a primary school, offering counselling services to parents, guardians and teachers.
My work at Richmond Counselling & Psychotherapy Services, offering low cost 1:1 therapy spanned, 6 years with an additional four years co-facilitating a low cost therapeutic life skills support group.