Therapy

Finding what works for you

You may have a good idea of what is troubling you — or you may simply know that something isn't working and you want help making sense of it.

Either way, you don't need to know in advance which type of therapy you need.

My approach is pluralistic, which means that we work together to find the way of working that is most useful for you. Rather than assuming that one therapeutic model will suit everyone, we can draw on different approaches according to your needs, preferences and goals.

A range of therapeutic approaches

Depending on what you want to explore, our work may draw on:

Person-centred therapy – providing a supportive, accepting space in which you can explore your experiences at your own pace.
Psychodynamic therapy – exploring how earlier experiences, relationships and unconscious patterns may be influencing your life today.
CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) – looking at the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviour and developing different ways of responding.
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) – helping you make room for difficult thoughts and feelings while moving towards what matters most to you.
DBT (Dialectical Behaviour Therapy) – developing practical skills for managing intense emotions, relationships and difficult situations.
EMDR – helping to process traumatic or distressing experiences so that they have less power over your present life.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) – exploring the different parts of yourself and developing greater understanding, compassion and inner balance.
Transactional Analysis – exploring patterns in relationships and the different ways we may respond to ourselves and others.
Gestalt therapy – bringing attention to what you are experiencing in the present moment, including thoughts, feelings, relationships and bodily responses.
Brief Solution-Focused Therapy – focusing on your strengths, possibilities and what you would like to be different, rather than spending lengthy periods examining the problem.
Single-session therapy – focusing intensively on one particular issue, decision or difficulty when one focused session may be what you need.
Clinical hypnosis – using focused attention and relaxation to support therapeutic change where appropriate.

We don't have to choose just one approach. Your therapy may naturally move between different ways of working as your needs change.

How Much Therapy Do I Need ?

There is no requirement to commit to long-term therapy.

For some people, one focused session can be valuable. Others find that several sessions give them the time and space to make sense of something and begin making changes. Some people choose longer-term psychotherapy because they want to explore deeper or more longstanding patterns.

We can review how things are going as we work together.

The aim is not simply to keep you coming to therapy. It is to help you develop greater understanding, choice and confidence in your own life.

You don't have to know exactly what you need before you get in touch.

The free 15-minute conversation is a chance for us to explore whether I might be the right therapist for you and, if so, what way of working might be most helpful.

Which Therapy is Right For Me ?

The right therapy is the one that works for you.

Choosing a therapist or deciding which type of therapy to try can feel confusing. You may have heard of CBT, EMDR or other approaches, but not know which would be most helpful. Perhaps you have tried counselling before and found that it didn't quite meet your needs.

The good news is that you don't need to work this out on your own.

I offer a pluralistic approach to therapy. This means that we recognise that different people benefit from different ways of working, and that what helps one person may not be right for another.

Rather than asking you to fit a particular therapeutic model, we start with you: what is happening in your life, what you hope might change and what you feel ready to explore.

Different approaches for different needs

Here are some of the approaches we might consider together.

If you want to understand yourself more deeply

Person-centred, psychodynamic, Transactional Analysis and Gestalt approaches can help you explore your experiences, relationships, emotions and recurring patterns. They can offer a deeper understanding of how your past may be influencing your present.

If you want practical ways to manage difficult thoughts and feelings

CBT, ACT and DBT offer different ways of working with anxiety, stress, overwhelming emotions and unhelpful patterns of behaviour. They can help you develop practical skills and greater freedom in how you respond to life's challenges.

If you are struggling with the effects of trauma

EMDR can help you process distressing experiences that continue to affect how you feel and respond in the present. Psychodynamic and other relational approaches may also help you understand the wider impact of difficult experiences.

If you feel pulled in different directions internally

Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a way of exploring the different parts of yourself, including those that seem to conflict with one another. It can help develop greater self-understanding and compassion.

If you want to focus on solutions and moving forward

Brief Solution-Focused Therapy and coaching approaches concentrate on your existing strengths, possibilities and the changes you would like to make. Sometimes a single-session approach can provide a useful opportunity to focus on one particular issue or decision.

If you would like to explore a different way of working

Clinical hypnosis can be incorporated where appropriate, using focused attention and relaxation as part of the therapeutic process.