THERAPY APPROACH

Our approach is informed by developmental psychology and psychopathology, providing a structured understanding of how psychological difficulties develop across the lifespan and how they are maintained over time.

I work within a dual-modality therapeutic framework, applying different core approaches depending on the client's age and developmental stage.

ADULT THERAPY

In adult work, we combine Psychodynamic Therapy and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

This allows therapy to address both the deeper, often unconscious processes that shape the individual's internal world, as well as the patterns of thinking, emotion, and behaviour that maintain current difficulties.

The work may involve psychoeducation to support understanding of thoughts, emotions, and behavioural patterns, as well as exposure-based approaches where appropriate, particularly in relation to anxiety. Therapy may also include exploring unconscious processes, developmental stages, and how early experiences continue to influence present functioning. Attention is given to defence mechanisms and protective patterns, helping clients to recognise and understand how these have developed and how they operate.

CHILDREN THERAPY

In work with children (4-11), we use Play Therapy and Family Systems approaches, supporting developmentally appropriate expression while also understanding the child within their relational and family context.

In therapy with children, the process is adapted to the child's developmental stage. Sessions may involve drawing, play-based interaction, and imagination and symbolic expression to support communication and emotional processing. Where appropriate, family systems are engaged to understand the wider relational context and to support the child's development within their environment.

Sessions may involve drawing, play-based interaction, and imagination and symbolic expression to support communication and emotional processing. Where appropriate, family systems are engaged to understand the wider relational context and to support the child's development within their environment.

THERAPEUTIC PROCESS

The therapeutic process is guided by the relational model developed by Petruska Clarkson, recognising that different aspects of the therapeutic relationship develop over time. This includes the establishment of a working alliance based on trust and shared goals, the exploration of transference and countertransference as relational patterns emerge, the potential for a reparative relationship that supports developmental change, the presence of a person-to-person human connection enhanced by empathy and reflective listening, and a transpersonal dimension that allows space for meaning, values, and broader self-discovery.