Psychotherapy, also known as talking therapy or counselling is a process where a trained therapist helps you understand and manage your thoughts, feelings, experiences and behaviors.

There are many different approaches, for example you might have heard of CBT, Freud, or intergenerational trauma. All approaches work differently but have the same core aim which is to improve your mental health, well-being and self-knowledge by addressing emotional difficulties and psychological issues through structured conversations and therapeutic techniques.

Therapy can be used to address a huge range of issues including anxiety, depression, stress, relationship problems, trauma, grief, self-esteem issues, and more.

I hold a Level 7 award (PGDip/MA equivalent) in Counselling and Psychotherapy.

I am currently completing my MA in Integrative Counselling.

I also hold a PGCert in Counselling and Interpersonal Skills.

I am an registered member of the BACP (membership No. 00995380) and a member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation.

In a word, yes.

Honouring your privacy and confidentiality is very important to me.

I work in accordance with the BACPs Ethical Framework which stresses the need for confidentiality and privacy for all clients.

However, there are some situations in which confidentiality may need to be broken. For example, if a safeguarding concern arises.

I will provide more details on my commitment to, and the limits of confidentiality if we decide to work together.

Therapy is for anyone who feels they may benefit from having a regular, confidential and non-judgemental space to explore their thoughts and feelings. You may have an issue in mind or you may be unsure what you want to talk about but feel curious to just give it a go.

Either way, everyone is welcome in my therapy room. Come as you are and we will figure it out together.

How we experience therapeutic change will be different for everyone. For some it may be a slow and steady change that is hard to notice at first, for others it might be incredibly striking. 

Sometimes in therapy, we can start to feel worse before we feel better. This is often because we are beginning to look at painful and challenging parts of ourselves and our life experience more closely than we have before. 

Although this is a common experience, it can understandably feel counterintuitive and may make us feel the therapy is not working. Realistically, who wants to spend their time and money to feel worse?! 

Although it might feel uncomfortable, this is just part of the process and personally I think it signifies that change is happening. 

Other times you may leave sessions feeling like a weight is lifted, or confused or even angry at me or others. All of these are normal responses. 

I would recommend journaling alongside therapy to try keep track of changes to your mood, how you feel about situations and people as this may help you notice if the therapy is working for you or if you feel it isn’t helping you. 

I regularly schedule check ins with clients to discuss how we are both finding the work. This gives us a chance to reflect and consider what change might have been experienced so far, and gives us an opportunity to shift gears if you aren’t feeling satisfied with the experience.

The simple answer is, whatever you want to! It is up to you what you bring each week. I won’t push you to talk about something you don’t want to, though I may offer some gentle challenge at times if I sense something important is being avoided. 

Some people come with a set goal or issue in mind which becomes the focus of the work, other people may not. Having an issue in mind isn’t necessary to benefit from therapy, but it can be helpful. 

If you are unsure what you want to talk about, I may be able to offer some suggestions, or an activity to help bring something to mind but it is important that you feel agency in this process.

Honestly, it depends who you ask. Some people say they are different names for the same thing, whilst others are adamant that psychotherapy involves far more skill and methodology.

My personal take is that counselling is a very focused and active way of listening to someone that promotes reflection, and allows us to reconsider and reframe situations we have been in or are currently dealing with. It can help us deepen our understanding of self and identify changes we want to make.

When we start bringing in different theories and models such as attachment theory, or looking at our threat system I believe we are using psychotherapy. This tends to happen when we find ourselves looking towards our childhood/past as well as our present and future. Counselling is still happening here, but perhaps with additional depth.

I use the word “therapy” as a catch all term for what I do, but it is ultimately up to you to decide what terminology you prefer.