My approach
Finding the right therapist can be a challenge, particularly when lots of therapists say and use similar words and phrases on their profiles. As a response to this, I have tried to break how I work down as simply as possible, however, if after reading the below you’d like to hear more about how I work or it clarifying, please do get in touch to discuss this further and I’d be happy to share more with you.
Integrative. Humanistic. Relational.
I am a trained integrative therapist meaning that I use a range of therapeutic approaches and skills and I use these in a way that works for you based on what you are presenting with. I draw on a range of therapeutic approaches primarily Transactional Analysis (also known as TA), Existentialism, attachment theory and Gestalt. More core modality is TA, this means that this is the theory I draw most on and centre the majority of my work upon. I often work creatively with clients using sandtray with figurines, guided imagery, poetry, story and art. If we decide to work creatively together, this is always done in a way that you guide the experience and we work with a method you are comfortable with.
You are at the heart of the work we do together and working integratively allows me to tailor my approach to your needs. My approach is humanistic and relational meaning the therapeutic relationship between us as two humans interacting is at the fore of the therapy and this is key to our work together. It is important that you feel I am the right therapist for you and that you are comfortable with me. You are the expert on you, it is my job to sit alongside you to help you explore yourself, not tell you how you are.
I work from a place of honesty, openness and curiosity. I am friendly, straight talking and enjoy humour in the therapy space- therapy is not just a space for the challenges and difficulties in your life; it can also be a place to celebrate and share your successes. I am an advocate of not bamboozling you with therapeutic jargon, so I aim to make therapy accessible and understandable. I am certainly not a ‘blank screen’ type of therapist - I, like all of us, have lived experiences which make me who I am. I use my extensive therapeutic training and lived experiences to guide and inform my practice, and my therapy is richer and more rounded for it.
For some entering into therapy can feel scary, or you might’ve had therapy before and have a clear idea of what you want, so my philosophy is underpinned by the desire to meet you where you are, for who you are. Just bring yourself, however you are, and we can move forward together.
It’s all a conversation
Between day and night
Between mist and clarity
Darkness and light
-- Lemn Sissay, Let the Light Pour In