How I Work
My Approach
My approach derives from the principles of psychoanalysis, which means that I will take an exploratory approach to your difficulties. The initial part of our work will involve getting a sense of your childhood and early relationships as a means of starting to develop an understanding of how you have become the person you are. It will also involve exploring your experience of various areas of your life such as relationships, your work, and your experience of day-to-day life. By building up an overall picture, we will establish a foundation from which to begin your therapy. This will normally take place through weekly sessions held at the same time each week. The regularity and predictability of the sessions are important, and form a framework within which the therapy can begin.
Having worked in the NHS for many years as a Consultant Psychiatrist specialising in the use of talking therapies for a wide range of moderate to severe psychological conditions, I also sometimes use techniques derived from other approaches, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or mentalisation-based therapy (MBT), depending on the types of difficulties you are facing. I also use conceptual frameworks derived from systemic family and couple therapy. I have found that using a flexible approach enables me to adapt the way I work in order to best meet your needs.