How can therapy help me?
Most of us will experience times in our lives when we need support. You may feel overwhelmed, lost, stuck or as though you are not right in yourself. You may have noticed that you feel particularly anxious or low in mood. Maybe you find yourself preoccupied by unresolved past experiences and losses, which are intruding into your present life. You may be struggling with significant pressures and stresses at work or in your home life. Maybe you have noticed that some of your behaviours feel harmful or destructive. Any of these would be good reasons to seek out therapeutic support.
Therapy can provide a non-judgemental, emotionally safe and confidential space to help you explore your problems and gain insight into the way you feel and behave. As your therapist, I have no agenda other than your support and emotional wellbeing and seeking support from someone outside your circle of family and friends can mean it feels easier to open up and be honest. Therapy can help you to deepen your awareness of who you are and better understand your relationships with family, friends, colleagues and romantic partners. Engaging in therapeutic work can also enable you to reflect on the challenges you are currently facing and to either find a way to resolve them, or to accept them and move forward.
Services
I work with individuals dealing with a wide range of problems and disorders. My areas of special interest and experience include;
Anxiety
Including social anxiety, panic disorder and OCD
Depression
Including all forms of low mood and distress
Stress
Including work or school stress and bullying
Adjustment
To transitional life events, diagnoses or life altering injuries
Disability
Managing long-term health conditions, chronic pain and future planning
Bereavement
No matter how much time has passed since the loss
Relationships
Couple therapy, relationship difficulties and family issues
Abuse
Supporting survivors of abuse or violence, managing traumatic memories
Women’s health
Including fertility counselling and perinatal mental health
Self-esteem
Including low self esteem and confidence, body image, eating issues and self-harming behaviours
Parenting
Supporting parents of children with emotional, behavioural or psychological issues
Addiction
Including alcohol, drug and gambling
What To Expect
I offer an initial phone-call to discuss your main concerns. This is an opportunity for you to ask any questions or discuss any fears you may have around beginning therapy. After this we will arrange a first session.
The first session will be an initial assessment session, which will allow us to talk through your current needs and reasons for attending therapy. I understand that meeting a therapist for the first time can be a daunting experience, as it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable and open up about experiences which may be painful or distressing. I acknowledge the courage it takes to begin this process and I will do my best to put you at your ease. We will also discuss which model of therapy might work best for you and whether short term or long term therapy might be most appropriate to address your needs.
It is essential that you feel comfortable with the person you choose as your therapist, so an important part of this initial session will be for you to determine whether we are a good fit as therapist and client and whether we both think that working together will be helpful for you. During this session, we will also agree on the administrative details, such as payment of fees.
There is no obligation beyond this first session, so if you feel that we are not a good fit or that on reflection this is not the right time for you to engage in therapy and you no longer wish to attend, then this is entirely fine and you can let me know via email.