Starting Therapy

Psychotherapy offers a confidential space to talk about and explore personal challenges. Each person is different and each therapy experience is also different.  I will adapt my approach according to your needs. 

In my practice it is important to me to acknowledge how the internal dynamics we carry can relate to the context we find ourselves in or may have come from. I believe these aspects are interconnected. I hold space for this dynamic relationship between our inner and outer worlds.

In our first phone contact, I will ask you some questions to get a sense of what you want to address in therapy.

It is courageous to choose to come to therapy, it is normal to feel unsure or nervous.

When we first meet, I will aim to further build an understanding of what we might need to address in your therapy and how we might approach this. Our first meeting is also chance for you to get a feeling for how I practice. 

We will decide on a time to meet regularly, usually once weekly.

Sessions last 50 minutes.

Therapy can be short-term from 6-12 weeks, or more open ended. 

Things I can support you with include:

Loss and grief
Worry/ Anxiety
Trauma
Shame
Harmful patterns
Relationships                                                           Sexual harm
Body/mind connection
Stress
Sadness and despair
Emotional regulation and overwhelming feelings
Self-esteem
Sexuality and sexual orientation
Adjusting automatic behaviours
Boundaries
Accepting what cannot be changed
Building self-compassion

How I work & how we will work together

While therapy can sometimes feel emotionally challenging or painful, it is important that you feel comfortable working with me.

You are free to decide whether or not you would like to work with me.  

My clinical approach is psychodynamic psychotherapy, which can assist you to explore the effect the past has on your present and help you a make meaning from your experience through building an understanding of your unconscious patterns. 

Often the unconscious part of our mind shows itself in patterns of behaviours, thoughts, or feelings. These patterns can also show up in the therapy. We can notice these patterns together and see if they are helpful or harmful to you. Becoming aware of your patterns can lend greater agency to your experience in life and can facilitate growth and positive change both internally and in your relationships.

I also have an integrative approach, which means I may draw on other therapeutic techniques or theories where appropriate.

In therapy with me you will find:

  • I will listen to you thoughtfully

  • Support you to adapt, grieve, or to make changes.

  • I will seek to communicate clearly and attune to your emotional needs. 

  • I will hold what we discuss with care and in confidence.