Íø±¬ÃÅ

I generally work Mon-Fri with most availability during the day although evening sessions do come up from time to time. 

I work as a psychodynamic counsellor and psychoanalytic psychotherapist.  I am also a clinical supervisor.  I have worked for some 30 years in the NHS and the voluntary sector as well as in private practice.  For many years I was Director of a community-based counselling service in Waterloo, London which I was very involved in setting up and developing.  I currently see people at my practice in Shoreditch.

I offer an initial assessment to meet new clients and to see whether working together would be a good fit.  I provide mainly long-term psychotherapy, although I also offer more targeted short-term, focused therapy.

Having started my career in mental health work after coming out of University, I trained as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and psychoanalyst.  I initially trained at the Tavistock Clinic (London) in both the adult and child departments (MA Psychoanalytical Observational Studies).  I went on to train at the Institute of Psychoanalysis (London).

Although I trained as a Freudian psychoanalyst, I work in more open, independent model.  Whilst much about the analytic model I find very helpful and it remains the core aspect of my work, I also draw more broadly on other ways of working as I find this works best for me and my clients.

In my practice I work with a traditional model of 50 minute sessions, usually once weekly or more frequently if that looks as though it could be helpful.

People contact me by phone/email or text.  Usually we begin with an initial conversation to establish whether my way of working would suit them. Generally I want to establish whether someone suits the exploratory style of my work.  If someone has a very specific issue, or they are seeking a more directive/behavioural style of work, I would usually suggest they seek a therapist who works that way. If my approach seems appropriate, I would suggest an initial consultation meeting.

My aim is to help people with their present lives by providing a safe and confidential setting in which together we can begin to understand more about their emotional lives and what might be causing emotional difficulty and stuckness in life. The work we do can take some time because we need to understand more about the roots of current difficulties and begin to see the patterns that have formed which are getting in the way of a more satisfying life.  Often the patterns we are seeking to understand are not obvious and in that sense it's helpful to think about what might be going on unconsciously. Over time in the therapy these patterns become clearer (more conscious) and new ways of thinking and relating become possible.  Therapy is a commitment and an investment but one well worth making in my view.

Clients might come to me with doubts and concerns about whether therapy will "work".  My answer to that is that whist I can't make any promises that there will be great changes in their lives, I can nevertheless speak from experience of working with a wide range of people who, generally speaking, have found that their experience of therapy has been beneficial and often life-changing.  It may help to know that I myself have found psychotherapy to be a life-changing experience which, whilst challenging, can also be enriching (and even enjoyable).

I think of the first session as a mutual assessment in the sense that both I and my prospective client are working out together in our conversation whether we are "a good fit".  In that first meeting I ask more questions than I would usually do because I want to get a general understanding of the reasons why someone is coming to therapy and understand that in the context of their life generally. So, I will ask questions about childhood, family and their experience in school and education, in work and in relationships.  The aim here is to approach the issues that bring them to therapy in the context of their whole life experience.  We are formed, in my view (and here the body of knowledge and research in the psychoanalytic/developmental model is tremendously helpful), by our early childhood experiences and the experiences we have as we grow and develop.  These experiences shape us and therapy helps us to see in what ways that shaping may have led to areas of difficulty which need understanding and attention to enable positive change.

At the end of the initial session we would usually discuss practicalities such as the fee, times to meet and agree on frequency of sessions.  In terms of my fees I like to offer something of a range of fees currently around £70-90.  I do this to take into account what a protective client might be able to afford. In some cases I may offer a reduced fee, although I hope that people understand that I have to be realistic in what I charge as this is my income.

As a supervisor in private practice I offer regular psychodynamic supervision, usually weekly, fortnightly or monthly.  

As I trained as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist, my approach is within this model, although I work primarily as an independent psychotherapist, influenced mainly by the independent school of psychoanalysis.  My main influence has been Patrick Casement whom I have worked with for many years.

I provide supervision from my practice in Calvert Avenue, Shoreditch E2.  I also work on line as necessary.

I am happy to discuss my supervision style with any prospective supervisee.

I have worked for many years in community mental health as Director of Waterloo Community Counselling.  I have supervised many students from trainings such as Birkbeck, Greenwich, Goldsmiths, Tavistock, Regents College and Manor House.  I have run a private practice myself for over 25 years.  I am currently a tutor and supervisor on the Manor House Centre for Counselling/Psychotherapy Diploma course.

I would suggest we set up a series of trail supervision meetings and work from there.