Personal therapy for professionals
I have a broad range of experience understanding and treating peoples’ emotional difficulties across statutory mental health services, in Employee Assistance Programmes, in the charitable sector, as well as in my independent psychology and psychotherapy practice since 2014.
I have a particular interest in supporting people to reduce distress associated with professional life and to understand the interface between personal and professional identities.
Therapeutic Approach
My first priority is to provide a professional, ethical, and effective service.
I blend my professional and personal expertise as a mental health care professional to guide you to achieve the balance required to navigate personal and professional challenges with confidence.
Personal therapy can help you identify the links between your family of origin experiences and your choice of occupation. You may be familiar with assuming particular modes of reacting to issues such as conflict, perfectionism and criticism.
I can help you take notice of unhelpful relational patterns that feel automatic and perpetuate stress, worry and self doubt. I draw from psychodynamic and attachment theories within a Group Analytic framework to help you understand this more clearly. My approach will help you increase your self awareness and to understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviours in the context of the familial, relational, and organisational systems in which you operate. As therapy progresses, you will feel more able to respond to challenges with flexibility. This frees you up to think and act in a manner that serves your needs better and helps you achieve the sustainable balance you seek.
Untitled (Blue Divided by Blue) Mark Rothko,1966
What you can expect:
Therapy usually takes place weekly and begins with a period of assessment, lasting approximately 4 weeks, after which a treatment plan can be discussed. Length of treatment varies depending on individual need, goals and circumstances. As a simple rule of thumb, short term therapy can bring about short term change. Research supports the finding that sustainable change is more possible following longer term therapy with a professional you trust.
Issues that bring people to therapy:
Common issues that bring people to therapy include panic attacks, recurrent anxiety, “imposter syndrome”, insomnia, uncontrollable worry, or depression. People may seek therapy when they recognise feeling out of balance. Personal, parenting and/or professional relationships may be strained.
I provide space to enable individuals to make sense of painful and common behaviours we can all adopt at times to cope with life’s pressures e.g. dependencies on, or control of, relationships, food, sex, alcohol, work or technology.
It is very common to take work home - whether in one’s thoughts, feelings or actions. When people spend time in therapy they recognise the ways in which they also “take home into work”. These may be the less conscious personal motivations arising from family life and early experiences that drive the desire to succeed and can underlie habitual unbalanced work practices.
Enquiries are welcome from all. However an explicit invitation is extended to those who identify as being in a minority group by reason of disability, social status, race, diagnosis, gender or sexuality.
Reduced rates are available to health and social care professionals in training.
Get in touch if you would like more information.