Psychotherapy is a process that takes place between the therapist and the client using various verbal and non-verbal methods and techniques.
Psychotherapy is a process. It unfolds, grows and evolves between the psychotherapist and the client by means of a variety of verbal and non-verbal methods to help the individual change the way they understand themself, their emotions, their behaviour and their life. Over the course of regular meetings with the psychotherapist, the client gradually comes to think about themself – and therefore also the world – differently. This results in a sense of happiness and satisfaction with their life. The client-therapist relationship is based on attentiveness, mutual trust, acceptance and empathy. The therapist supports and guides the client, giving them all the space and time they need. It is extremely important that the individual has total trust that nothing they say in these sessions is wrong: whatever they say is absolutely fine.
The process is different for everyone and so every course of therapy is unique. It is tailored to the individual based on the complexity of their problems and needs, and their desire to improve their life. Everyone is a person in their own right, and therefore unique. Nevertheless, self-work is an ongoing process. Once we realise that we have been living our lives in a particular pattern, in a particular way, for many, many years, we can understand that it takes a long time to recognise and change those patterns. It takes time to delve into our innermost selves, but this is what ensures that the changes we make will be permanent. Awareness at the rational or cognitive level is only the first step. Learning to express our feelings verbally or non-verbally, and to transform them, takes longer. The ultimate goal of this process is to bring our rational and emotional selves into balance; this fills us with the confidence that we know ourselves and gives us the power to be ourselves, and express ourselves, to change the reality around us, and to be seen and heard.
We make time for personal growth.
Mental well-being should be our primary concern, for it affects all aspects of our lives. Psychotherapy is therefore for anyone, of any age, who wants to improve their quality of life, whatever difficulties they are facing.
Mental well-being should be our primary concern, for it affects all aspects of our lives. Psychotherapy is therefore for anyone, of any age, who wants to improve their quality of life, whatever difficulties they are facing.
Psychotherapy can help with any kind of problem, whether it be personal, relationship-related or psychosomatic, long-standing and chronic, or intermittent or recent.
Common problems for which individuals and couples seek my help include relationship difficulties; anxiety and panic attacks; feeling restless or trapped; depression; loneliness; sleep disorders; frequent anger, aggression, fear, sadness, etc. All these things have a negative effect on the individual or couple. Psychotherapy can also help with frequent headaches, breathing disorders, frequent heart palpitations, chest pain and other physical symptoms of non-organic origin. It has long been known that many physical problems are the result of mental issues rooted in unacknowledged or unprocessed psychological distress. Sometimes the individual cannot put their finger on what is troubling them but just feels the need to talk, and I can help with this too.
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There are several types of psychotherapy: individual psychotherapy, couples psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, training therapy and individual or group supervision.
Regardless of the type of psychotherapy or supervision, the end-point is generally not set in advance, but is based on the achievement of pre-agreed goals.
Sessions are held once or twice a week, either in the morning or afternoon. Each session lasts 50 minutes; double sessions of 90 minutes are also available if the client prefers.
Sessions are held once or twice a week, either in the morning or afternoon.
Sessions are held once or twice a week, either in the morning or afternoon. Each session lasts 50 minutes; double sessions of 90 minutes are also available if the client prefers. We start with an introductory session during which we introduce ourselves to each other and the client tells me about the issue for which they are seeking my help, I explain how I work and outline the course the therapy will take, and also explain the agreement we will enter into about how we will work together, confidentiality, fees and payment terms. By the end of this introductory session the client will normally have all the information they need to decide whether or not to proceed with psychotherapy; occasionally, however, either I or the client may need a little longer to decide whether or not to work together. All subsequent sessions are determined by what is happening within the client: their emotions, aspirations and reactions. The process is led by the client and what they want to talk about during the session (day-to-day events, feelings, dreams, dilemmas, etc.), guided and supported by me. The psychotherapy continues until either the client decides to stopor the goals set at the start of the process have been achieved. We generally then have up to three winding-down sessions. It is important that the client knows they can return and continue the process at any time.
Partner psychotherapy, like individual therapy, does not have a strictly limited duration, as the time is conditioned by the degree of difficulty of the relationship.
Couples psychotherapy starts with an introductory session, where the partners explain why they have come. I will want to know how you met; what your relationship was like in the early days; and when the problems began to arise. We will check your expectations and whether they are realistic. I will explain how I work and outline the course the therapy will take, and also explain the agreement we will enter into about how we will all work together. By the end of this introductory session the couple will normally have all the information they need to decide whether or not to proceed with psychotherapy; occasionally, however, either I or the couple may need a little longer to decide whether or not to work together. All subsequent sessions are determined by what is happening within the partners: their emotions, aspirations and reactions, and the dynamics of their relationship. The process is led by the partners and what they want to talk about during the session (day-to-day events, feelings, dreams, dilemmas, conflicts etc.), guided and supported by me.
Sessions last 90 minutes and take place either once a week or twice a month. Couples therapy is an open-ended process, and its duration is determined by the difficulties within the relationship. It ends once the goals set by the partners at the beginning of the process have been achieved, but this normally happens more quickly than with individual therapy. We typically agree on 12 sessions, which can be extended if necessary. We always have at least two winding-down sessions at the end. It is important that the partners know they can return and continue the process at any time
It is advisable for the partners to also attend individual psychotherapy alongside the couples therapy. Each partner should use a different psychotherapist for this.These individual sessions will enable them to deal in more detail with issues raised during couples therapy that cannot be explored there (e.g. conflicts with parents or siblings, problems at work, the death of a loved one etc.).
The approach I use is based on psychoanalytic theory, which says, among other things, that the word is the greatest medicine. But in addition to words, the way to our inner world is also opened by creative techniques such as drawing, fantasy travel, role-playing, etc.
The approach I use is based on psychoanalytic theory, which teaches, among other things, that words are the most powerful medicine. In “Mental Health and Hypnosis”, a paper published in 1890 when he was in the early stages of developing psychoanalysis, Freud wrote that words are an essential tool for healing the soul, a kind of magic, and that when we start using words to express the layers of our inner world – cautiously and perhaps even suspiciously at first, but then, as time goes on, more and more deeply and with more and more confidence – our mental apparatus relaxes, our tension eases and we feel better.
And yet, sometimes there simply are no words, because there is no experience from which they could be born. In such cases I might, with the client’s consent, use a variety of creative techniques to allow them to access their unconscious in non-threatening ways. These might include role-play, fantasy journeys, drawing, sand tray therapy and other ways of opening the door to feelings long ago repressed because the client was either unable or not allowed to express them and was unable to regulate them, but which can now be released to make room for new feelings, which the client can understand and regulate.
At the heart of this process is learning to breathe correctly. When we are born, we breathe with our whole body. Over time, however, many of us unintentionally and unconsciously start to repress our feelings because of the unresponsiveness of our primary object – usually our mother – to our needs in early childhood. Shallow breathing, or breathing from the top of the lungs only, is the result of repressed feelings awaiting our attention, which is why learning to breathe properly, from the diaphragm, is a key part of the therapeutic process. This allows us to slowly and non-invasively get in touch with our emotional world, which is located in the abdominal cavity and is supported by our enteric nervous system.
In individual therapy the client can either sit opposite me or lie down where they cannot see me, which gives them a greater sense of inner space and makes it easier for them to talk openly. The lying position deactivates our rational or cognitive processes and activates our emotional world. Either way, the process that unfolds is talking therapy. The client can talk about whatever comes into their mind, no matter how trivial it may seem. Since the aim of psychotherapy is to access the repressed feelings or memories that cause amnesia or memory holes and lead to dissatisfaction, I also use free association and dream analysis, which are effective tools for this. This helps the client to understand their previously incomprehensible emotional actions and reactions, and enables them to change them.
In couples therapy the approach is slightly different since the focus is on the dynamics of the relationship between the partners (and their children, if applicable) rather than on their relationships with others. The work is therefore more goal-oriented, which also makes the process shorter. When working with couples, I follow either the Gottman Method developed by Dr John Gottman and Dr Julie Schwartz Gottman on the basis of over 30 years of research or the Imago therapy developed by Dr Harville Hendrix and Dr Helen LaKelly Hunt. Most importantly of all, I also draw on the knowledge I have gained from individual and group therapies based on psychoanalytic theory, while also making use of my own personal experience of living as part of a couple.
Regardless of the technique used or type of therapy selected, having a safe space within which a trusting relationship can develop between the client(s) and me is absolutely central. It is this safe space that allows the individual or couple to open up and progress.
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