Welcome to my website.
I am an experienced UKCP-registered psychoanalytic psychotherapist, based in the centre of Teddington.
In Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, we explore how early relationships with significant others contribute to the way we relate in our present relationships. Internalized patterns are shaped which we need to bring into awareness in order to make them susceptible to change.
It is not easy to change these internalised patterns. The process of change can be painful and long-winded as we tend to hold on to what is familiar to us. Once we try new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving, we may experience a new sense of freedom. New possibilities will open up for us.
Our early relationships with significant others are determined by a number of factors. In this context, we examine the impact politics, economics, class, religion, sexuality and gender may have had on the choices we make in our lives. We look at possible trauma, either in the shape of a unique, overwhelming event, or as an accumulation of smaller injuries from not being seen, recognised and validated.
When trauma overwhelms us, we may need to find ways how to deal with the emotional overload. If people cannot regulate all of their emotions, they often try to find some outlet for the "too much" of affect. In therapy, we may explore this choice of outlet and the way it helps or hinders your personal wellbeing and sense of freedom.
Psychotherapy is not a quick fix. The analytic therapy process can last between a few months and several years. The first meeting is an opportunity to get to know your therapist and ask questions. Even if you decide not to continue, the first session can offer important insights and help you to establish whether talking therapy is the right treatment for you. It also helps us to establish if we are able to work together.
To begin with, I strongly recommend weekly sessions. Once a therapeutic alliance is established, I am happy to reduce to fortnightly or less frequent sessions.