A Little More About...
Counselling and Psychotherapy
My ongoing training is in existential-analytic psychotherapy. Put simply, this form of therapy is concerned with helping you explore and analyse your existence. What it means to be you, in the world; here, now. There is no formula; no right or wrong. How can there be? Only you know what it is like to be you. However, finding the space to really look at how you exist in the world, what you truly feel about your experiences and why you act and react the way that you do is a complicated process. Because life is complicated. Therapy aims to offer a space and a guided relationship through which that complex process of self-understanding can take place.
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Although rooted in a humanist tradition the existential-analytic approach, as the name implies, draws on various philosophies and therapeutic ideas from the last 100 years and, in that sense, it is truly integrative.
My Approach
Be it online or together in a room, my style is relaxed, patient and non-judgmental. My job is to come alongside you and share your journey of exploration. As far as possible I aim to understand your experiences from your perspective, see the world through your eyes. Only by doing that will I be able, over time, to maybe spot things that don't add up and help you look at yourself more honestly. We cannot become different people, we cannot be reborn, but with honest reflection and increased self-awareness, we can gain greater clarity about who we are, what we really value and how we want to live our lives.
If this sounds like a fraught and delicate process, it certainly can be. Which is why all studies into the efficacy of therapy have shown that, regardless of the form of therapy, the relationship between the client and the therapist is the single most important factor. For this reason, before we commit to a programme of therapy, it is important that we have a brief meeting, either virtually or face-to-face to ensure that we both feel we can work together. Therapy can be an intense and highly personal journey.
My Background
I have spent my life in the creative arts. I trained as an actor in the 1990's, receiving a BA Hons in drama, speech and movement. Since then I have worked as a comedy writer, actor and voiceover artist.
As the famous masks opposite imply, human emotion, experience - the creation of believable, organic characters and the exploration of the motives behind the actions of those characters are central to drama and literature. Perhaps it is therefore no surprise that I have always felt drawn to psychotherapy. In many ways I believe they are two sides of the same coin. Theatre and literature, at their best, reflect human behaviour back at us, inviting us to consider where those behaviours may originate and whether they are healthy. Reflection is at the heart of psychotherapy which aims to help people identify their true feelings and deeper conflicts, reflect upon the impact of these and find positive ways forward.
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