Psychological therapy
"I just want to feel normal again"
This is by far the most common answer I get from my clients when I ask them what they want out of therapy. I know how easy it is for successful, resourceful people to fall into a “mental health manhole”. The problem is, we think that we should already have the skills we need to get ourselves out of these manholes, the same way that we routinely learn how to walk or how to chew our food. I am here to tell you that this isn’t true…if anything, it’s the opposite!
Whether from social media, workplace culture or the messages we heard growing up, we develop an expectation that unless we feel happy and content most of the time, something is wrong. When we find ourselves battling with worries about the future, thoughts of not being good enough or feelings like anxiety or anger, we think we are defective, and we criticise ourselves. We tell ourselves that it’s “ridiculous” or “pathetic” to struggle with these things. These reactions make us feel worse, not better, and they do not lead us to the solutions we need to help us to get back on track.
With the right help, there is always a way forward.
As a clinical psychologist (and a human being!), I know how awful it is to feel like things are getting worse, with no solutions in sight. I also know that there is always a way out of the manhole, but it is difficult to find this without the right guidance, knowledge and skills. I’m here to help you to find your ladder, so that you can climb back to the surface and start living your life the way you want to.
In therapy sessions, we will:
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Help you to make sense of why you are where you are, and what has kept you there
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Give you new ideas and perspectives to get you out of feeling so “stuck”
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Introduce new techniques to increase your repertoire of options in situations you are finding difficult
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Tailor our work to the goals that will help you to show up the way you want to with the people, situations and goals that really matter to you
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Consider how to make sustainable changes that will prevent you from ending up back where you were when we started our work together
Can I help?
I hope so! My approach works best for people who are:
Seeking a framework to help them to understand their problem and how they got to where they are
Willing to try new skills during and between sessions
Ready to learn practical tools and ideas to help them to move forward and make changes
Interested in being more present in the situations, relationships and goals that are really important to them.
Problems I can help with
As a clinical psychologist, I am trained in a range of approaches, allowing me to work with a variety of different presenting problems. A few of the problems I have helped people with are:
Anxiety-related problems
Social anxiety, panic attacks, generalised anxiety and overthinking, phobias, anxiety about health.
Problems relating to confidence
Low self-esteem, imposter syndrome, struggles with boundaries and people pleasing
Mood difficulties
Depression, and fluctuating or chronic bouts of low mood.
Physical health
Coping with chronic illness, managing physical symptoms that are medically unexplained (e.g. fatigue, pain, functional symptoms)
Stress and related issues
Burnout, workplace stress, stress-related physical symptoms, lack of motivation
Other problems
OCD, trauma-related issues, problems in dating or long term relationships.
If you don’t see your problem and want to know if I can help, fill in my contact form or schedule a 15 minute introductory call to talk about what you’re looking for. If I’m not the right person to support you, I will do my best to connect you with someone else who can help.