My approach
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP). I have completed a four-year training in attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Bowlby Centre. As well as my private practice, I also work as a psychotherapist within the NHS.
I see clients once or twice weekly – or on a more frequent basis, if appropriate.
I usually work on a long-term open-ended basis, meaning that therapy lasts for at least six months and goes on for as long as you wish to continue.
My work is particularly informed by the following:
Attachment
The attachments we form with our primary caregivers as children can have an important influence on our adult relationships -- including our relationships with ourselves. Sometimes, we find ourselves repeating harmful patterns with friends, partners, colleagues and family.
In attachment-based psychotherapy, we explore our models and experiences of relationships with others and the ways in which these might serve us or get in our way. In doing so, we can learn to create more satisfying connections -- both with others, and with ourselves.
Attachment theory tells us that we will not progress in therapy if we do not feel safe. Therefore, creating a collaborative and boundaried relationship with my clients is at the centre of my work.
Trauma and the body
Trauma happens when our mind, body and self are overwhelmed. Sometimes, life experiences are too painful or disruptive to process. Our nervous system goes into overdrive, we can feel constantly under threat, we may find ourselves "numbing out" (sometimes referred to as "dissociating") or we may be tormented by flashbacks.
Trauma can be the result of a single event, for example a bereavement, a life-threatening injury, or an experience of war. However, trauma can often be more complex and ongoing, resulting from repeated exposure to neglect, abuse or violence.
Trauma is at the root of an array of physical and mental health issues, from anxiety to depression, from chronic pain to addiction. I am trained to work sensitively and carefully with trauma. I deploy techniques from mindfulness and body-based approaches to help my clients process trauma, reconnect to their bodies and start disentangling past and present.
Psychoanalysis
Many of our most important thoughts, feelings and desires are kept out of our conscious awareness. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy seeks to bring these hidden parts of ourselves out into the open. In doing so, we get to know ourselves better and can gain new choices and freedoms – liberated from the need to keep repeating our past.
Whereas some more traditional forms of psychoanalysis position the therapist as a detached and impartial observer, this is not how I work. I draw on a “relational” psychoanalytic tradition, seeking to establish an authentic and compassionate connection with my clients.
Power and oppression
Emotional distress cannot be separated from social, political and economic reality. Poverty, oppression and discrimination can be deeply traumatising, shaming and painful.
Many individuals, including people of colour, people from LGBTQIA+ communities and people on lower-incomes, can find themselves struggling to access and benefit from therapy. Sometimes, people’s identities have been pathologised and stigmatised by therapists or other mental health professionals.
I aim to tackle these forms of marginalisation and exclusion. I prioritise the impact of power and oppression within my clients' lives and within the therapy relationship. I am mindful of my own position as a white man and the ways in which this shapes my work. I aim to be an ally to those whose power, identity and humanity have been undermined.