My approach

I offer a supportive space in which, together, we can work towards insight, awareness, and self-acceptance. I aim to help you make meaning of your experiences and, if desired, to make impactful changes in your life.

I hope to communicate with openness and sensitivity, while giving you the time and space you need to express yourself. I will listen, without judgment, not only to what you say, but also to how you tell your story. Psychotherapy is not about giving advice, but about helping you to understand yourself and your relationships better, and offering tools that support you in living more authentically. I take an engaged and collaborative approach, sharing my thoughts and feelings and asking questions when I believe it is beneficial to do so.

Research consistently demonstrates that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the most important factors in determining a good outcome. I have seen this in action throughout my practice, and I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship can help us to develop our sense of security and self-worth, while providing valuable insight into our relational and behavioural patterns outside the therapy room. Because the relationship is so important, I offer a discounted introductory session so that you can get a sense of whether we might work well together.

Integrative therapy

Integrative psychotherapy brings together multiple modalities and techniques to offer a flexible approach to different presenting issues.

My practice is grounded in the core modality of Transactional Analysis (TA), itself an integration of psychoanalytic thought and Humanistic philosophy. TA offers an accessible model for exploring ourselves and our relationships and, quite unusually, combines cognitive, emotional, behavioural, relational, and even somatic ways of working. Suitable for both long-term and shorter courses of therapy, TA invites an open and collaborative approach that, while explorative, maintains a sense of purpose.

Practicing integratively means that I’m receptive to useful ideas from a variety of sources. While I might turn to psychodynamic theory to help examine some of the complexities of our relationships with ourselves and others, I’m equally comfortable drawing on the insights of contemporary neuroscience to aid in the regulation of feelings.

An integrative approach helps me to find the best way to work with everyone’s unique style of thinking and feeling. For instance, you may be someone who wants space to explore, or you may need more initial support or direction to help you gain the most from our sessions. While some people enjoy working creatively and benefit from using sand tray, drawing, poetry, or guided imagery, others may find it more productive to engage with theoretical models and diagrams. You might be someone who finds it helpful to think carefully about language and your choice of metaphors and images, or you may gain more from attending to your feelings and how they manifest in your body. In practice, we will often move between multiple approaches within a single session, but I find it helpful to have a range of ways into the therapy, and different options to move the work forward if things feel stuck.