Contact Can I help you? About Me How Therapy Works Locations, Availability & Fees Home
There are times in all our lives when we could do with support. We may feel low, anxious or stressed. We may begin to wonder if we are suffering from a mental health problem such as Generalised Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or Depression. Or we may decide it is time to tackle a long-standing issue such as low self-esteem, procrastination, low self-confidence or overcoming a past trauma.
At these times it is important to find a qualified professional who can assess the nature of the problem and provide the right support. If you think you might benefit from therapy, feel free to contact me to discuss whether it could help you.
Amongst the problems I can help you with are :Decision-making
Procrastination
Low self-confidence
This list is not exhaustive, but it gives some idea of the sort of problems I have helped people with before.
If you are interested in getting help with any of these problems, please feel free to contact me now.
I have over 20 years of experience of being a counsellor and psychotherapist. I am a BABCP accredited CBT therapist, UKCP registered psychotherapist and registered member of the BACP.
My background was originally in philosophy (I got first-class degree from Oxford University in P.P.E). In my late twenties I trained in psychology, counselling and psychology at The School of Psychotherapy, Regents College and later at the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre.
I now combine working in private practice in Central London with (3 days a week) with two days in the NHS as a High Intensity CBT psychotherapist. I have written two books, Wise Therapy & Achieve Your Potential with Positive Psychology .
In addition I supervise other practitioners and run training courses.
I maintain a keen interest in philosophy and the ways in which philosophy and psychology can inform each other. I have recently been an invited speaker at international conferences on Modern Stoicism in New York (2016) and Toronto (2017) and Meaning and Purpose (London. 2017)
After you contact me I will reply as soon as I can, normally within 24 hours. I willl ask for more information about the areas you would like support with, and if it seems appropriate, ask you if have any further questions or would like to arrange an initial consultation.
The initial consultation usually lasts 50 minutes. It is a chance for us to get to know each other and to make a start at understanding the main problem you want to tackle.
We would then normally meet weekly, regularly taking stock of how the therapy is going and to what extent you are achieving your therapy goals. In these "middle" sessions you are gaining a new understanding of the problem, learning new skills to tackle it, and together we troubleshoot any difficulties.
In the last few sessions, we sometimes move to sessions every other week, and look back on what we have done and create a "blueprint" an understanding of what has helped most and how to maintain progress.It is not uncommon for people to express a wish to shift from tackling an acute problem (such as depression) to wanting to improve their life further to achieve more happiness and achieve their potential. In these cases it can be possible for me to draw more on my training in philosophical and positive psychology and the sessions, which are often then less frequent (for example bi-weekl;y or monthly) combine coaching with therapy.
It is very hard to say how many sessions will berequired. Sometines, for example if someone needs help with making a decision or with panic attacks, only a few few sessions are required (4-6). It is more typical for more sessions to be needed, especially if more than one problem is being tackled. For depression of recent onset, 8-10 sessions is typical. For low self-esteem and other lifelong issues, 18-20 sessions would be more usual.
My way of working is informed by many of the trainings I have undertaken in psychotherapy, counselling, coaching and philosophy. I draw extensively on evidence-based ideas and tools from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as well third-wave mindfulness based therapies, notably Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT). Practical philosophies such as Stoicism, Philosophical Counselling, Positive Psychology, Existential Counselling,and Life Coaching additionally provide theories and techniques that can be very helpful.
My view of therapy and coaching is that we work as a team. You know about yourself and what your want to get out of therapy. I know about therapy, the unhelpful patterns that people can get caught up in and what helps to alter them. Like two detectives working together, we can work out how best to solve the problem.
In the first or second session I will ask you to come up with some therapy goals, which allows you to have a large say in what we discuss and also means we can track progress effectively.
An important part of the work is what happens between sessions. Therapy means understanding things in a new way, so often I will ask you to keep a diary to help us gain more data - just like a detective trying to find clues.Later in therapy you will be learning new skills. Just as when you have learnt other skills - such as cooking, learning a language, or driving a car - you will proceed much faster if you practice these skills between sessions, so this is strongly encouraged.
Sessions are confidential, subject to the usual limitations,namely that like all other practitioners have clinical supervsion, and that in certain cases such as when you may be a serious risk to yourself or others, I am obliged to override confidentiality.
If you think this style of therapy could work well for you, please contact me now.
My private clinics are all in Central London, in the daytime and on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
I am in Pimlico, less than 5 minutes walk from the Victoria line tube station on Wednesdays and Fridays/
I work near the Royal Courts of Justice in the vicinity of Fleet Street and Chancery Lane (nearest tubes Temple and Chancery Lane) on Thursdays.
Sometimes Skype sessions are possible, though I have found its advisable to meet face to face first.
Unfortunately I am not available for evening or weekend clinics. However sessions are sometimes possible in the early morning (from 800 am) and at lunch times.
My standard fee is £90 per 50 minute session.
The initial consultation is charged at the same rate and also lasts 50 minutes. A limited numberof concessions are available, down to £70, for people for whom this is too much.
Payment is required by cash, cheque at the end of the session or by electronic transfer before the session.
I require a full 24 hours notice for cancellations, otherwise the full fee is payable.
If these times and locations work for you please contact me now to find out my current availability.
I am registered with AVIVA and WPA and so take psychotherapy and counselling insurance cases from those companies
I offer clinical supervision, specialising in CBT supervision and am happy to discuss your supervision needs and whether I meet I could help you meet them.