It’s time to stop the past dictating your present, so that you can look forward to your future.
It’s time to stop the past dictating your present, so that you can look forward to your future.
✨ Please note that currently I have no availability for Psychological Therapy until early 2022 ✨
Are you feeling stuck in life? Is it difficult to feel joy in the present? Maybe it’s hard to think about what the future might hold?
You might be feeling anxious, low in mood, or lacking in confidence and self-esteem. Perhaps you had a difficult childhood – maybe your needs weren’t met by those who were supposed to care for you. You might have experienced abuse of some kind, and feel that no one ever really listened or supported you.
You may have feelings of loss and grief. This might be due to the death of a loved one, or could be due to the loss of a job, a home, or a significant relationship.
I know what it’s like to have the past cast a shadow over the present. It takes the enjoyment away from the here and now, and can keep you stuck and unable to move forward.
Although the past will always be a part of you, imagine how it would feel to be able to leave it behind. Your childhood may not have been what it should have been, but how would it be to cut the ties that are holding you back? To feel confident in yourself again?
How would it feel to truly enjoy life in the here and now? To be able to be present with the people around you, savouring your time with them?
What would it be like to look toward the future with a sense of hope? To make plans about places you want to go and things you want to do?
Through psychological therapy your experiences will be heard and validated. You’ll be supported to process your thoughts and feelings, so that you can begin to focus on life in the here and now.
How I work
During the first 1-2 sessions of psychological therapy we’ll explore your present difficulties and what you’d like to be different. These sessions will help us develop a deeper understanding of the factors in your past which may be contributing to the present difficulties; any events which might have triggered your current problems; the factors which might be stopping you managing your difficulties; and the strengths you possess which may help you to manage them.
We’ll then discuss the psychological approaches which will be most appropriate to address your current difficulties. I work integratively (i.e. using a range of therapeutic approaches) and the approaches I use include:
Person-Centred
This approach underpins all my work with clients. I see you as the expert of your own experience and that my role is to support you to find the answers already within you, through empathy, validation and a non-judgemental attitude.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Our minds are powerful and have evolved to look for threats. As a result, we can often get caught up in unhelpful thinking habits which lead us to believe things which often aren’t true. CBT focuses on how your thoughts affect how you feel and what you do. It also explores what you believe about yourself, others, and the world around you and how this influences your thoughts. CBT can be effective if you have self-limiting beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” or “I’m a failure” which are getting in the way of you living life or causing difficulties in your interactions with others.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is an approach which combines mindfulness and the practice of self-acceptance. It encourages people to be open to experiencing their thoughts and feelings, rather than struggling with them. For example, you may feel anxious in certain situations. ACT can help you explore this anxiety, accept its presence, and develop ways of grounding yourself in order that you can go ahead with what you want to do despite feeling the anxiety. Rather than challenging unhelpful thoughts, ACT encourages acceptance of these thoughts and a commitment to move forward despite them.
Your investment:
✨Your investment is £100 per 60 minute session.
Although I do not prescribe a set number of sessions, I usually suggest we work to an initial six sessions and then review to agree on the next steps.
Frequency of sessions:
You may wish to have sessions on a weekly basis at the beginning in order to build and maintain momentum of the therapeutic work, or you may request that sessions are less frequent. The frequency of sessions can be negotiated when we start working together and reviewed regularly to suit your needs.
As well as self-funding clients, I also accept clients who are referred via their private health insurance provider. These providers usually authorise a set number of sessions, although there may be the opportunity to extend the number of sessions if this is felt appropriate and if agreed by the insurer. In the event that your insurance provider cannot cover the full cost of sessions, you will be required to pay the difference.
Book your free call to see if Psychological Therapy is a good fit for you
I’m Jo, a Psychologist, Coach, and NLP Practitioner and have worked in the mental health and wellbeing field since 2008.
I work with people presenting with a range of experiences including loss and bereavement, childhood sexual abuse, employment issues, and relationship difficulties.
Because of these experiences many of my clients struggle with such issues as anxiety, depression, low confidence, and low self-esteem. Often these issues get in the way of my clients being able to live their lives fully in the here and now.
For a long time I was unable to live life fully in the present, because my thoughts and feelings about the past were getting in the way. Over the years I worked in therapy to help me explore and understand the impact of my past, so that I could begin to move forward with my life.
My experiences in therapy inspired me to train as a counsellor, and later as a psychologist, so that I could help others achieve the same emotional freedom I had.
Who is this for?
Therapy is a safe place to explore your experiences with someone who is not connected, and therefore impartial, to your situation. This can often make it easier for people to talk about their difficulties.
As much as people might like it to, therapy cannot change your situation. Instead, it aims to empower you to make the changes for yourself. As a therapist I see myself as a facilitator of change through exploration of your presenting issues; however, the motivation to change has to come from you, the client.
As a psychological therapist, I don’t give advice on what I think you should do. I help you explore the presenting issues in order that you can decide on the steps you wish to take.
I understand that making the decision to engage in therapy may feel daunting. It can bring up difficult memories and emotions, and you may feel worse before you feel better. You might also be unsure about putting aside the time and money to focus on things which might be painful to explore.
Having worked with a number of therapists, I can attest to the fact that therapy can be difficult emotionally. However, I’ve come out the other side with greater understanding and compassion for myself, with the emotional freedom to focus on the present and on what I want for my future.
It has been one of the best investments I’ve ever made, and continue to make, in myself.
Book your free call to see if this package is a good fit for you
FAQ’s
How will you work with me?
I believe that you are the expert of your own experience. I’ll work with you to try and understand your issues from your perspective, without judgement. I may use different therapeutic approaches if I feel these would be an effective way of exploring your presenting issues.
What will we work on in sessions?
Much of this is guided by you. People come to therapy for a variety of reasons. They may have suffered a bereavement, or be having difficulties at work. They could be going through relationship issues, or experienced a traumatic event. This is why I recommend having a discovery call before starting therapy.
What’s a discovery call?
It’s important that both you and I feel we can work together. The discovery call is your opportunity to discuss what you’d like to explore in your therapy sessions. It’s the chance to see whether you and I are a good “fit” for one another.
How long does each therapy session last?
Each session lasts for 60 minutes, and will take place on a mutually agreed day and time.
Are sessions confidential?
Any information that you discuss may only be shared outside of the sessions in exceptional circumstances. If you disclose that you, or someone known to you, may be at risk of harm then confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Therefore, this information may need to be shared with a third party. Any disclosures of illegal activities by yourself, or someone you know, will need to be shared with the appropriate agencies.
To maintain ethical practice I attend monthly clinical supervision. Information relating to your sessions may be shared with my supervisor to support me with my practice. These supervision sessions are confidential, within certain limits, and more information is given in my therapy agreement which I ask clients to sign prior to working with me.
T&Cs
Prior to your first session will receive a comprehensive set of Terms and Conditions which outlines considerations such as confidentiality, fees, and contact between sessions.
If after booking you decide you no longer want to commence therapy, you will need to cancel 24 hours prior to the prearranged date/time to receive a full refund. If you cancel less than 24 hours before your prearranged session the full fee will be retained. Refunds are not given for sessions attended.