What to Expect
What is Psychodynamic Counselling?
Psychodynamic counselling is rooted in psychoanalytic theory, and therefore has at its heart a focus on how our desires, fears and ways of coping develop from when we are very young. These patterns shape and influence how we relate to the world and each other - but they can be buried, messy and difficult to make sense of, impacting our lives in the present without us necessarily realising it.
The counselling room is a safe, confidential and boundaried space where we can explore not only the current issues or symptoms that may bring you here, but also how they may be linked to these deeper underlying patterns.
I work with respect, curiosity and empathy, as well as gentle challenge, to help you gain insight. Counselling is unlike any other relationship and allows space for you to really explore and reflect, without the usual societal pressures or demands. Over time, it can help bolster your sense of self, improve understanding of your processes and help empower you to effect change.
First Steps
Making the decision to begin counselling can be daunting and bring up many emotions - it’s important that you feel a good fit with your counsellor in order for you to be open to working through what may be difficult topics. The client-counsellor relationship will also reflect some of your underlying, unconsicous processes - and it is through the relationship that some of the deepest therapeutic work can happen.
If you’re interested in beginning counselling, we would typically have at least one, possibly several initial meetings in person. This allows an opportunity to explore what’s brought you to counselling now, begin to hear your story and get a sense of whether a psychodynamic approach and my style feel right for you. I can offer a brief introductory chat on the phone first, if you prefer.
If we do decide to work together we would then arrange to meet once a week for 50 minutes, at the same time each week, on an open-ended basis.
My fee is £60 per session.