what is psychotherapy?
psychotherapy is a deeper process which happens over a longer term and addresses patterns developed in the past, often set early in life.
a psychotherapist will have engaged in weekly psychotherapy themselves over a period of at least 4 years
psychotherapy clients have often experienced adverse events as children or young people such as
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physical, sexual, and emotional abuse
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emotional and physical neglect
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living with a family member with mental health or substance use disorders
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witnessing domestic violence
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sudden separation from a loved one
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poverty
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discrimination
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violence in the community
adults who experienced any of these will also probably have developmental deficits; developmental tasks which could not be completed at the appropriate time; they may be unable to identify and manage emotions; may struggle to regulate themselves; may be hostile in relationships or shrink from them; may not think well of themselves; or have a good sense of who they are.
psychotherapy helps clients to
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process experiences that could not be processed at the time (trauma) because there was no one there for them who was emotionally intelligent and attuned to them
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explore their relationship patterns
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develop a balance of nurture and structure in their life
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identify feelings, needs and wants
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be more self-focussed if they are pre-occupied with others and less self-focussed if they are pre-occupied with themselves
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learn how to set boundaries in relationships to protect themselves
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strengthen their Adult ego state so are less affected by old, unhelpful parent messages and less likely to tumble into old, unhelpful patterns of behaviour
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working contract
​therapeutic process: i carry out an initial assessment interview to see if we both feel we can work together. We then agree on a specific number of sessions. At the end of this we jointly assess our progress and decide whether further sessions will be helpful. If we cannot work together wherever possible I will assist you by providing alternative contacts.
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sessions: are weekly at a regular time; they last for fifty minutes (or 1 hour for couples). If you are late arriving for a session we will terminate at the usual time to allow me to fulfil my other appointments for the day.
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contact: I have a telephone answering machine. If I need to contact you, I just leave my name and number. If this is not acceptable please let me know.
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confidentiality: I treat all information disclosed to me by you as confidential. However, if I believe that you are in danger of harming yourself or others, or that a child is at risk, I reserve the right to inform outside agencies but would not do, wherever possible, without discussing this with you first. If you disclose information about certain criminal or terrorist offences I have a professional obligation to tell outside agencies without informing you first.