Approach
Hilma af Klint - The Swan No. 13
As an integrative and relational therapist, I draw from a range of different modalities and philosophies, depending on what feels most helpful for you. We’ll discover what that looks like together, with the understanding that a genuine, present human connection is at the heart of meaningful therapy.
In the early sessions, I’m interested in getting to know you and understand what has shaped your experience. We may explore your family history, relationships and the events that have brought you to therapy. This is an opportunity to begin to slow down and tune in to yourself.
I’ll ask questions and offer honest reflections to help you make sense of you thoughts, feelings and behaviour patterns. We might explore your inner world through dreams, guided visualisations or parts work. I’ll encourage you to notice what is happening in your body to create space to connect with emotions.
Over time, we can begin to recognise the ways you have adapted to life's circumstances, honouring the strategies that once helped you while exploring new possibilities that feel more aligned with who you are now and how you want to live. For more detail on what informs my approach, see the definitions below.
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Rather than taking an ‘expert’ position, I believe you are the expert in your own life, with a capacity for healing and growth. The conditions created in therapy are there to support and facilitate your growth.
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The therapeutic relationship provides a space to explore and experiment with how you relate to others. This can facilitate greater awareness and positive change in your other relationships.
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I may invite you to reflect on your early experiences and how they have shaped your current thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, bringing greater awareness to where you might feel stuck in certain patterns.
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We may consider your relationships with your caregivers and how these have shaped your current relationships and emotional regulation. This might include ways you adapted to stay connected or feel safe.
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Therapy can be an opportunity to slow down and listen to the wisdom of your body, noticing how bodily sensations connect with your thoughts and feelings. We might explore how breath and movement can support you in being with difficult emotions.
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I recognise the importance of pacing. We will work gently and compassionately when exploring past traumas. I can help you to understand how your body responds to trauma and offer techniques to help regulate your nervous system.
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I consider how social categories such as gender, sex, sexuality, race, class, disability, neurodiversity and age create a unique experience of privilege, discrimination and oppression. We can explore how these systemic factors might have influenced your sense of self and wellbeing.
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I believe we are made of many parts that each carry their own feelings, memories, and wisdom. By listening and connecting with them, you can bring understanding, compassion, and unity to your inner world.
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I encourage reflection on how you are living in the here and now, including how you navigate the realities of life, the choices available to you, and what brings you meaning. This can help foster a greater sense of hope and agency.
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I recognise the importance of your relationship with the more-than-human world, including plants, animals, and the land. Exploring these relationships can support a deeper sense of belonging and connection.
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I recognise the importance of your connection to the spiritual or transcendent aspects of the human experience. You may have had experiences that are difficult to explain ‘rationally’ but feel meaningful. You are welcome to explore these here.
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We may explore your unconscious and inner world through dreams, archetypal symbols, and guided visualisations. This can help bring different parts of yourself into greater awareness, supporting a deeper sense of wholeness.