How I can help

I offer long-term individual and group psychotherapy. In psychotherapy with me, you can expect a change in the pace from the bustle and busyness of everyday life to a more thoughtful and steady approach.

Individual Psychotherapy

As a  clinical psychologist, I draw on different psychotherapeutic models  in my work. However, it is the psychodynamic approach, which is based on psychoanalytic and group analytic principles, that is central to how I work.

Fees:

Initial Consultation over two sessions of fifty minutes each: £ 120.00

Individual Psychotherapy: £ 65.00 per 50-minute session. I offer a sliding scale for individual sessions, so please do not hesitate let me know  of your personal circumstances whilst arranging our appointments.

How I work

  • Understanding the issues that lie beneath pain and distress:  I believe that most problems are related to difficult experiences, especially within the significant relationships of our early years. In my experience as a psychotherapist, I have found that working on these underlying issues is the most helpful way of addressing them.
  • Sometimes we may not even be aware of what is causing our distress.  Some experiences, thoughts and feelings, particularly if they are painful and distressing, can remain unacknowledged and unprocessed in our minds. These can then express themselves in symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder etc. or even in a sense of deep unease within ourselves in relation to others. Through psychotherapy I can help you to gently explore and understand these thoughts and feelings that are consciously and unconsciously experienced, and to integrate this awareness into the other aspects of your life. 
  • Developing coping strategies : Understanding what lies beneath the pain and distress will help us to together recognise it’s meaning in relation to your current distress. Here, every experience and relationship in your life matters, including the one between you and your therapist. This exploration and understanding can be a highly effective way of alleviating the painful feelings that have so far remained  unrecognised. It can also lead to a better sense of one’s self and identity, and through that help you to find a way of bringing change in your life.

The  process of psychotherapy is often not easy or comfortable, but the guidance and support of an experienced psychotherapist can help make any changes be more meaningful and enduring

Group Psychotherapy

What is Group Psychotherapy?

Group Analytic Psychotherapy, is a powerful model of psychotherapy  where members of the group come together to explore and work through their difficulties and distress with the help of a group analyst. Group analysts typically undergo at least five years of intense training, which includes their own personal therapy in a group.

Benefits of Group therapy

There are many benefits group therapy provides that individual therapy may not.

  • Finding comfort that you are not alone: Sometimes people can feel overwhelmed and can come to believe that they are the only ones struggling with relationships and emotions. Group Psychotherapy gives you the opportunity to speak to someone else who is going through or has been through similar experiences.
  • It is also more affordable: Group therapy costs less than individual therapy
  • Providing a much needed support network: Group therapy can empower you to be open and can help you to build your confidence in relating to others with the support of the other members and the therapist.
  • A safe space: If you experience groups as scary and unsafe places, then perhaps it is time you consider joining a therapy group. The group can be a place for you to work through what it is you struggle with in terms of relationships with others, self-confidence, communication and a sense of belonging.
  • Offering perspective and overcoming difficulties to move forward: The opportunity to build relationships within the safe space of a therapy group, to have the experience of feeling understood by others and to be able to hear their perspectives on your distress and experiences can provide a strong base from which to find and experiment with new strategies to bring about change in your life.
  • Finding your sense of self in relation to others: A group is the best place in which unhelpful patterns in relationships in everyday life can be identified and explored. The safe space of the group provides the ideal opportunity to experiment with being different with others in a way that is more authentic and empowering.

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Difficulties that group analysis can be particularly helpful for:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Relationship difficulties ( personal and within the workplace)
  • Adjustment difficulties
  • Feelings of isolation and a sense of ‘not fitting in’
  • Feeling that life has lost its sense of meaning and purpose

How do I know if I am ready for a group?

Before the start of a group, I always meet with people a few times on an individual basis, so we can get to know each other as well as prepare them for their experience in the group.

Most people are understandably anxious about being in a group. We can discuss your difficulties in some detail and address any fears and anxieties you might have about joining a group.

I will help you to think about how you might use the group to work through your difficulties before we decide together when might be the best time for you to begin in the group

Current group therapy vacancies:

 I have spaces available in a long-term psychotherapy group starting later this year, and welcome enquiries related to the group

Fees:

Initial Consultation:

£ 35.00 for a group session of an hour and a half.

 

Extended Consultation

If you would like to find perspective on what you are going through and are seeking help to figure out what your next steps should be, I can offer an extended consultation over a few sessions to assist you in this endeavour. The frequency of these sessions can be arranged by mutual agreement based on what you may be seeking.

If you are uncertain what form of therapy might be best suited to you, I am part of a network of professionals who work across different therapy models to whom I can refer you after we have discussed your needs.

Supervision/Training

Supervision :

I offer individual and group clinical supervision. 

I am an experienced supervisor, having supervised therapist colleagues as well as trainees and members of multidisciplinary teams for several years.

As a group analyst, I am trained in exploring and understanding group and organisational dynamics in the workplace and how they permeate clinical work. I am, therefore, able to offer a reflective space for individuals and teams, which may be in-house or at my workplace.

Training: 

I have delivered training to psychologists and psychotherapists in the UK, India and Belarus. I am currently involved in the Foundation Year training for Group Analysis in north England, where I conduct experiential groups and lead on seminars . I also support the Qualifying Course for Group Analysts at Group Analysis North, Bolton, besides teaching on the doctorate courses in Counselling and Clinical Psychology at Manchester University.

I can provide half-day and longer training sessions on understanding common mental health difficulties for people who may be unfamiliar with them, and more advanced training on similar issues as well as on psychotherapy and group dynamics. I have a special interest in issues of diversity with specific reference to race and culture in psychotherapy.