Therapy is in a way simple – we just sit in comfortable chairs in a private room and talk about whatever you’d like to talk about. I will listen to you and understand you in a way that is rare. I will help you understand yourself better and feel compassion for yourself. Together we will strengthen your ability to cope with what life throws at you. Therapy is a complex and powerful process that is difficult to sum up in a few words. To understand it better, read my blog posts How does therapy work? and First time in therapy?

Therapy works on many different levels, including:

• providing a space where you can get things off your chest without being judged

• helping you get in touch with your feelings and clarify your thoughts

• strengthening your self-compassion

• teaching you how to counter your negative thoughts

• giving you validation and acceptance

• providing insight into your relationship patterns

• modelling how to set and maintain healthy boundaries

• building your ability to cope when things are tough.

To learn more, read by blog post How does therapy work?

There are many different styles of psychotherapy and it can be confusing trying to figure out which one will be best for you. I describe the main styles in my blog post Starting therapy: everything you need to know, but really you don’t need to worry about it too much. Research has shown that the type of therapy makes less of a difference than how comfortable you feel with your therapist, so the most important thing is that you can open up without feeling judged.

The other reason you don’t need to worry about the type of therapy too much is that you can choose an integrative therapist, like me. I am trained in the three main types of therapy – psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural and humanistic. I combine them as needed to suit each individual client, so you get the best of all worlds!

If you’re wondering whether to choose individual therapy, couples therapy or psychosexual therapy, that’s a question that I would be happy to help you with. You can contact me or book an introductory phone call.

I'm afraid that's impossible to answer. Everyone brings a different combination of issues to therapy and works at their own speed. I remind people that we're unpicking behaviours and ways of thinking that have been embedded over decades, so it's unrealistic to expect to sort it all out in a few weeks. That said, you can expect to feel some improvement within weeks.

I work in an open-ended way, which means you can come for as long as you want to and stop when you want. Often, clients come to therapy to talk about one issue then decide to stay longer to tackle other things. If you like, we can review things after a couple of months. That will give me a sense of how many sessions you might need, and you time to get a feel for the therapy and how far you want to take it. We can also put a limit on the number of sessions from the start, if you prefer, though that might mean we need to limit how many issues we tackle.

Everything you tell me is treated as confidential, with a few legal exceptions. I'll go through these with you when we start therapy, but they are so rare it’s unlikely they’ll affect you. The chances of me needing to break confidentiality are very slim and I wouldn't do it without consulting you.

Not much! "Counselling", "therapy" and "psychotherapy" are used interchangeably. Psychotherapy qualifications are sometimes more thorough than counselling qualifications, but that's not a hard and fast rule.

I have a lot of experience as a therapist, having seen individuals and couples for over 15 years. I have a broad theoretical approach, encompassing psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioural, humanistic, psychosexual and relationship therapy models. For many years, I have been Head of Therapy Services at a central London practice. That has given me a wealth of insight into what works for clients and what doesn't, and also means that I have a really wide network of therapists who I can refer you to if I'm not the right person for you. Above all, I would say I'm warm, understanding and not afraid to challenge clients when needed.

What issues do you work with?

There aren't many issues that I haven't worked with over the years, but among those I've worked with a lot are:

• relationship issues

• anxiety

• confidence

• family dynamics

• recovery from abuse or trauma

• self-destructive behaviour

• sexual problems

• gender identity

• depression

• anger

• bereavement

• ADHD

• infertility

• communication problems

• work stress

• disordered eating

• infidelity

• attachment issues

• sexuality and LGBTQ+ issues

• suicidality

• separation

• domestic abuse

• disability

• bullying

• parenting

• consensual non-monogamy

• being a carer

• health issues.

I'll answer this based on what clients have told me. The thing I hear most often is that I'm easy to talk to. Clients say they're surprised by how comfortable they are opening up right from the first sessions with me. I also hear that they know they won't be judged in therapy with me and that I have a gentle way of challenging them.

I'm not rigid or silent, like the therapists you sometimes see on screen. I'm friendly and welcoming. I'm also very organised! I will be ready to start our sessions on time to make sure you get every minute you've paid for. And I'm fussy on my clients' behalf, so I make sure the rooms we meet in are well soundproofed, comfortable and tidy so there are no distractions from your therapy.

I offer psychotherapy, couples therapy and psychosexual therapy (PST). 

PST is for clients who are experiencing sexual problems. It's similar to psychotherapy or couples therapy, but with added exercises for the clients to do between sessions. I offer it to both individuals and couples.

I work online and in person. Many clients choose a mix of the two - in person when they can, online when necessary.

I also offer single session talks, which are one-off sessions that you can use if you have a single issue you want to address.

If you're unsure which option to choose, or whether I'm the right therapist for you, an introductory phone call is a great first step.

All of the above can be booked here.

I am qualified in:

• Counselling and Psychotherapy (2009)

• Couples Therapy (2010)

• Relationship and Psychosexual Therapy (2015).

I also attend professional development courses every year.

I am a registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy. This is the UK's main professional body for psychotherapists and as a registered member I commit to abide by its ethical framework.

You have a few choices:

• contact me if there's anything you'd like to know

• book a free introductory phone call so that you can get a feel for me before deciding whether to book an initial consultation

• book an initial consultation which is a half-price 50-minute session after which you can choose whether to continue or not.

Not at all. Most of my clients come to me without a referral.

Yes, absolutely. I'm happy to talk on the phone so that you can get a feel for me before deciding whether to go ahead with an initial consultation. Just book an introductory call at a time to suit you.

I ask you to fill out a short form and then we talk - mostly about your life and what's bringing you to therapy, but I also want to answer any questions you may have for me. At the end, I ask you whether you would like to continue with therapy and if you do, we agree a regular appointment time.

There's more detail on what happens in the first session in my blog post Starting therapy: everything you need to know.

For the initial consultation I charge £50 for individuals (£45 if it's online) and £90 for couples (£80 if it's online). 

For ongoing sessions with individuals, I use a sliding scale based on your ability to pay. It ranges from £100 to £140, or £90 to £130 for online therapy. For ongoing sessions with couples, I charge £180, or £160 for online therapy.

Yes, definitely. There's never any pressure to stay in therapy with me if you want to stop.

That depends on the insurer. If your insurer is happy for you to pay me then them to reimburse you, that's fine. Some insurers have their own register of therapists; I'm afraid I don’t work for those companies.

Yes. Some of my clients choose to have all their sessions online; others come in person when they can and switch to online when necessary.

Most of my clients have their appointments weekly; some choose to have two sessions per week. I don't offer sessions less frequently than weekly. I've experimented with it but the therapy just wasn't as good!

If I haven’t answered your question here, please don’t hesitate to contact me and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours, and usually much faster!