Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
UKCP
I am a psychoanalytic and psychodynamic psychotherapist with over thirty years experience. I am also a supervisor of the clinical work of both trainee and qualified psychotherapists and have carried out a considerable amount of teaching for psychotherapy trainings. For ten years I was chairman of the trustees of the Squiggle Foundation, an organisation that studies and disseminates the work of the late Donald Winnicott, one of the most influential of British psychoanalysts.
QUALIFICATIONS
I am a professional member of AGIP (The Association for Group and Individual Psychotherapy), a member emeritus of the AIP (The Association of Independent Psychotherapists), and a member of The College of Psychoanalysts UK. I am registered with the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy).
MY APPROACH
We cannot always control our moods and feelings. In fact, if there was too much control, life would be the duller for it. There are times, though, when the feelings control the person, and for some this happens far too much in a life. There can be anxiety, anger, frustration, confusion, obsessive thoughts and ideas, and also the lack of much feeling at all, as in depression. Sometimes too, the aftermath of a bereavement can have severe and lasting effects.
Psychotherapy aims to help with these problems. There are different kinds of psychotherapy. My own orientation is the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic. In the confidential and safe environment of the therapy room the therapist can facilitate an exploration of the factors that have caused the symptoms that can be so distressing. It is often the case that the original causes have been withheld from memory as they are too painful. The therapeutic work is to bring about an understanding of these factors, ones that can have such a negative effect on relationships and that can prevent a sense of wellbeing in the world.
The first step is to have an initial consultation. This provides an opportunity for the psychotherapist and the seeker of therapy to look at the problems as they present themselves and to see whether the psychotherapy that is offered will be the most helpful approach. If so, a regular time is arranged for one or more sessions a week. The duration of the therapy is usually left open ended to allow for the therapeutic process to fully develop. Each individual is different and their experience of psychotherapy will be personal and unique to them.
