In re-discovering our core self in relation to a loving other, we learn to trust and to share our deepest emotions with them
A Place of Acceptance and Healing
I understand that life can sometimes be challenging. You may feel like the difficulties you face are insurmountable. These issues could be rooted in the past, in our relationship with caregivers or loved ones, or in traumatic events that have unexpectedly altered the course of your life. Such unresolved issues can manifest themselves in many ways, from anxiety to depression to anger. Often we develop coping strategies that only reinforce the original problems even though they were effective at the time we developed them and seemed the only way ahead. I am here to help you discover for yourselves new opportunities and ways of being, ultimately bringing you to a place of greater peace and understanding while also learn to accept and being kinder with your past.
Want to know more about the particular issues I can help with as a counsellor and psychotherapist in West Hampstead, Central London, and online? If so, please see below or just give me a call.
Anxiety, Stress, Panic Attacks
You might feel constantly stressed, suffer with anxiety, or experience panic attacks from time to time. If this is the case, I am here to help you. Stress is something we hold inside of us, and it ends up coming out in different ways, leading to a sense of feeling overwhelmed and overall discomfort in your mind and body. Our work will involve engaging with these feelings and, by increasing your awareness of them, enable you to have more power over them in the future.
Depression
If you are experiencing depression, I know it can feel like things will never improve – that your situation is hopeless. But I am here for you, providing a warm, kind, empathetic space to work through these feelings in a way that makes sense to you. Together we will reflect on your thoughts in a compassionate way and develop more supportive thought patterns with a view to strengthen your mood. My expertise covers clinical depression, depression associated with bipolar disorder, as well as post-natal depression.
Loss and Bereavement
Everyone responds to a loss or bereavement in a different way. There is no correct way to grieve, and it takes time to recover. It is not always a linear process. The severity of your grief can alter from extreme to light almost randomly, and an important part of our sessions is for me to accept, understand, and validate these feelings and give you a totally non-judgemental space to process your emotions in any way you need to.
Difficulty With Emotional Expression
I understand that, for some people, expressing their true feelings can feel impossible. Over time we bury certain pains and traumas, making it hard for us to let emotions out. When this happens, we often resort to maladaptive behaviours, such as addictions or closing oneself off. In our private, confidential, non-judgemental space, I will work with you to explore your emotions in a gradual, compassionate, personalised way, giving you the support you need to vocalise how you feel going forward.
Developmental Trauma
Together we will explore, in a way that is comfortable to you, the impact of trauma that occurs in a child’s early life with their important relationships – either parents, caregivers, or siblings. These traumaswill remain with us throughout our lives if we don’t engage with them in a compassionate, curious way, and that is precisely what we will do. Walking through trauma isn’t easy, but doing so over time, in a loving way, is such an important part of the healing process.
LGBTQIA+ and Gender Issues
I work closely with people who are struggling with issues relating to LGBTQIA+ and gender, giving them a welcoming space in which to explore what they are facing in the present moment. You may be experiencing a mixture of confusing feelings about your gender or sexual identity and need to talk them through with a confidential professional, or you might suffer from the pain of being rejected, disrespected, or misunderstood by family, friends, members of your workplace environment, etc.
Whether you identify as transgender, non-binary, gender expansive, genderqueer, gender fluid, agender, don’t use labels, or feel unsure about your identity, I learn about you as an individual and use different approaches, such as humanistic and Gestalt, to help you work through challenging present-day issues like identity struggles, relationships, marriage, and parenting.
Work-Related Issues
I understand that people can run into a number of issues with their work environment. Through relational Gestalt psychotherapy, we will build a clearer picture of how you relate to others in your office, how you orient yourself and your feelings in this work context, and navigate any particularly difficult relationships you are experiencing. Many people also work exclusively from home, which presents its own unique set of challenges, and I give you a supportive environment to talk them through in a way that feels right for you.
Anger
Anger is often never the primary problem, but rather a sign of a deeper problem. Anger might emerge when we can’t express, or properly understand, our feelings, so our sessions will be about helping you deepen your knowledge around the emotions that lead to anger. Having that increased awareness of the energies and environmental factors that underpin your anger, make it much easier to manage these emotions going forward and communicate your emotions in a healthier and more relational way.
As a psychotherapist and counsellor in West Hampstead, Central London, and online, I also provide bespoke couples counselling. Take a look at my Couples Therapy page to find out more.
