How I Work
My Approach
I believe that therapy is ultimately a process of change and transformation. Sometimes this can happen through seeing things differently, gaining a new perspective on a long-standing situation or issue. On other occasions, it may well require actively taking a stance and doing something new for the first time.
Whatever the work may be, this process can only really happen by getting a better understanding of yourself and this is something I aim to help you achieve. My goal on this page is to give you a flavour of how I work. My hope is that once you have read this, you will be in a far better position to know whether I might be the right therapist for you or not.
Starting Point
I begin by encouraging you to tell me what’s brought you to see me. My aim early on is to gradually build rapport with you since without this you would quite rightly not be willing to open up and tell me anything much about what’s going on.
I try to understand your experience as best I can by actively listening to what you’re telling me and by reflecting back to you by summarising and paraphrasing what I’m hearing. This way, we can start to build a picture of what’s going on.
I firmly believe that understanding your difficulties can be achieved in this way and because of this, I prefer to build a picture from the ground up without bringing in unnecessary theoretical concepts or techniques. The way forward will gradually reveal itself through talking together and it will soon become evident to both of us what the work is for you.
I will help you to make whatever changes you feel are necessary to get your life back on track once again even when at times doing so does feel daunting.
How This Connects to My Specialities
My specialities show how my particular form of existential thinking illuminates four of our most common struggles, as I’ve come to understand and work with them. These struggles, anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties and self-esteem highlight some of the most challenging areas of our experience.
I will draw upon this thinking to help make you make more sense of what’s going on in your life and in doing so, we will inevitably encounter difficulties you may be having in these very areas of your own life.
For instance, you may be struggling to live authentically in alignment with your core values or searching for a stronger sense of meaning. Alternatively, you might be frustrated at your inability to find the necessary courage to end a long-standing relationship or ask a potential partner out on a date. So often we fail to embrace our potential freedom because of the anxiety we experience making choices that require us to step into the unknown.
If you come to see me for personal therapy, we will explore the various themes as they crop up in your own life and this will help you to gain a better understanding of your own personal situation.
Two Ways of Working
One thing to think about before booking an appointment concerns your expectations of the sessions you intend to have.
Long-Term Therapy
You may prefer to begin without any end date in place and just see how thing go and that can work really well. We can do periodic reviews to gauge how sessions are going and when the time is right, pencil in a final session when you are ready to end.
Time-Limited Therapy
Alternatively, you may prefer to work with me for a set number of sessions in which the end date is pencilled in from the very beginning. If this is the case, then I have found that 12 sessions work really well and provides the opportunity to do a great deal of work.
Sessions Fees and Availability
I aim to meet you wherever you are in your life and during an initial session, we can explore together what you feel the work is that you would like my help and assistance with. An initial session is an opportunity to tell me about the difficulties you are currently experiencing and additionally, to ask me any questions that you might have about my professional background and how I work. It would then be very much up to you to decide whether you would like to have further sessions with me or not.
Fee: £85 per session (50 minutes)
This includes the initial session. I am available weekdays Mondays through to Thursdays from 9am up until 8:30pm.
Sessions take place at my practice in High Barnet. I also offer online therapy via Zoom, for those who prefer this or aren't able to attend in person.
I would also like to stress that I work with individuals eighteen years plus on a one-to-one basis only.
Get in Touch
If you would like to arrange for an initial session to discuss the possibility of working together, then do click the get in touch button below which will take you to my contact form which you can complete.