Are you struggling with anxiety, depression or in an important relationship. Or how you’re dealing with conflict, loss, fatigue, or pursuing what you want from life.
Whatever you’re going through and no matter however difficult things might seem, making the decision to work together could help bring about change you hope for.
Tom Keely, BACP Counsellor & Psychotherapist, South Manchester.
My private practice is based on a powerful and innovative form of therapy called Intensive Short Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP).
Opposed to offering understanding or coping strategies, ISTDP attempts to address the root cause of a person’s problem so they can be freed from destructive and self-defeating patterns of behaviour.
The expression of our core feelings / emotions is central to ISTDP’s understanding of problem causality. In relationship with ourselves and others we can experience interactions where our longings, hopes and or emotions seek expression. However, when these become too hard or painful to bear, we can easily find ways of unconsciously avoiding them or pushing people away. These temporary strategies can be helpful in the short-term, helping us to survive difficult points in our lives. However, with time these coping strategies tend to be damaging and often leads to emotional and/or physical suffering. Most importantly they prevent us from reaching our potential and living life to the full.
To summarise how I work – I understand a person wants my help because they’re struggling somewhere in their life. As we explore this and examples of when it arises it’s likely they’ll struggle to express their true feelings. This is likely to play out through often deeply ingrained habits which will appear in our relationship. My role, as their ally, is to make these defensive processes be known so that together we can see its effect and how it links to the issue that led them to see me.
Once revealed these self-defeating processes become the heart of our work. Once my clients come to understand how they’re treating themselves then their healthy longings, feelings and memories are likely to rise to the surface. And as this happens their presenting issue start to shift, they’re likely to become more honest about their needs, and new possibilities start to appear. Many clients describe this phase of the work as liberating because it involves the creation of a new more caring, compassionate and honest relationship with themselves and others.
ISTDP is a highly relational form of therapy which draws from several different approaches including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamic and mindfulness. It has been shown to help with a wide range of difficulties including, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, self-criticism, chronic fatigue, relationship issues, performance anxiety and symptoms without a medically identifiable cause. Clients who’ve worked with a therapist before quickly come to realise I take an active, yet compassionate, role in helping them change rather than that of a neutral observer. This includes empathy, encouragement, challenge to take responsibility, and confrontation when I sense they’re resisting change.
Fundamental to working successfully together is the building of a safe space in which my clients feel able to explore healthier ways of dealing with life’s challenges. Their needs are at the heart of how I work, and rather than giving advice, I’m here to help them find their way. Ultimately, what happens is done together but the work is always decided by them.
I appreciate entering therapy for some may bring with it a sense of trepidation as well as anxiety, because of this I always suggest any potential first meeting be a trial session to explore if how I work could be of benefit.
If you’d like to explore working together then please email, text or message me to set up a free 20-minute telephone consultation.
powerful
I’ve always had more than a passing interest in well-being and mental health. Some years ago I chose to make this interest my profession when I left a corporate career to become a counsellor and psychotherapist. During my training, I was able to work with a broad number of approaches and observe which produced the best outcomes. I chose to specialise in ISTDP because I found it capable of producing lasting change, effective where past therapies may have failed and flexible enough to work with a wide range of presenting problems.
My professional development is important as it ensures I offer the knowledge and skills needed to deliver a professional service to my clients. As a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) I’ve met the strict standards required to be on the accredited register approved by the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care. I’m also a member of IEDTA (International Experiential Dynamic Therapy Association) and have completed a comprehensive 3 year IEDTA Certified Core Training in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy with the ISTDP UK Institute.
My practice is based in West Didsbury, Manchester.
Qualifications
• Counselling Concepts.
• Counselling Skills.
• MA Counselling, University of Manchester.
• 3 year IEDTA ISTDP CORE Training – ISTDP UK Institute (2018)
• Advanced CORE Training – Josette ten Have-de Labije (at present)
Therapy is not the only way to make changes in your life, however a therapist is likely to offer an alternative perspective to your family/friends as they're not directly involved in your life. Therapists are also trained to look at the "bigger picture" and therefore work to help you to address the cause of your problem rather than the effect of it.
Rather than resolving your problem directly, I will instead support you to explore the feelings that are associated with your problem. As you turn towards these feelings you’re likely to see an alleviation of the issues that brought you to therapy, the development of a more coherent sense of yourself, and the removal of the barriers that have been stopping you from creating change in your life.
This is a difficult question to answer as it depends on what you want to achieve and what you would like to focus on; it’s something we can discuss when we first meet. Often clients agree on a set number of sessions which we review together as the sessions develop. On the whole the greater the personal development you wish for, the more time you may require. Some people undertake a short course of 12 sessions. This is enough time to develop insight and to generate some strategies for managing your problems. Those wishing to address their underlying issues at a deeper level may require longer.
If you come to work with me then I would understand you want to learn about yourself and your internal process, to explore new ways of relating to yourself and others, and to have choices in how you cope, express your feelings, opinions and longings. I would also understand you are willing to make changes in how you relate to yourself and others, and you would like to approach yourself from a position of love, care, compassion, and honesty. Finally, and perhaps most importantly is my personal commitment to working honestly and respectfully.
If you would like to read more about the approach I use then please click here .
I run my private practice in West Didsbury which is conveniently situated close to the M60 and M56 as well as Manchester's Metrolink and bus network. If you would prefer to work via video conference (Zoom) then I’m able to offer this as an alternative to meeting face/face.
As with all therapies confidentiality starts from your initial enquiry. As a Counsellor & Psychotherapist, I discuss my clinical work with a qualified supervisor who is also bound by the rules of confidentiality specified by the BACP. This is to maintain standards of practice and ensure your best interest. However, as a professional I would need to break confidentiality in rare circumstances if I believed you or another person was at serious risk. In such a case I would aim to discuss this with you before I made contact with the relevant people.
Meeting for the first time is an opportunity to explore working together and for me to understand the problem you would like my help with. It's a chance for you to understand & see how I work and for us to potentially contract working together over an initial number of sessions.
If you would like to explore working together then the best way to do this is by contacting me to arrange a free of charge 20-minute telephone consultation. This way I can come to understand the problem you seek help with, it also allows you the chance to ask questions about working together. If at the end of this call you feel comfortable in meeting then we could look to arrange a first session.
Sessions cost £80 and last for 1 hour – I offer a reduced rate for those on low income.
I offer an initial free and confidential 20-minute telephone consultation so you can explore working with me. Note details of this call and all information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Please contact me via the enclosed form, telephone, text or email – details are below.
The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I change."
"“We crave intimacy but fear vulnerability - you can’t have one with out the other.”"
(Carl Rogers)