Individual Therapy

What has prompted you to consider individual therapy is going to be unique to you. For some people it can be difficult to make the decision to commence therapy, and feeling some initial apprehension is common.

I work using a framework called Intensive Short-Term Psychodynamic Therapy (ISTDP). In this model, we understand anxiety and defences as being the source of emotional suffering and in some instances, health problems. These processes may be completely unconscious, however can lead to problems such as relationship difficulties, physical symptoms, chronic pain, substance misuse, and a range of other psychological difficulties including anxiety and depression.

The treatment therefore focusses on bringing awareness to the anxiety or defence patterns. We then seek to understand what emotional conflict might be underlying this. This approach is experiential, and specific to each person and their set of experiences.

In helping to bring what has been out of your awareness into awareness, the aim is that the therapeutic effects can continue between sessions, and ideally well after we have finished treatment, leading to lasting change.

While this area of psychotherapy is a particular area of interest to me, I also understand that no approach or modality has all the answers. I may also draw on my training in other therapeutic modalities such as emotion-focussed therapy, family systems, attachment-based therapy, and various cognitive informed therapies.

Feel free to get in touch, I’ll try to answer any questions you might have.