If you choose to work with me then I will help you to be more in touch with your needs and feelings so that you're better equipped to manage the inevitable ups and downs life brings. How we achieve this will depend on the problem you would like my help with, what a successful outcome looks like and what's standing in your way. My private practice is based on an innovative and profound form of psychotherapy which emphasises the importance of experiencing core emotions in order to change. Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) has a well-established evidence base which draws from a number of approaches, including psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness and the latest in neuroscience and interpersonal neurobiology. ISTDP is more than a set of exercises or techniques, at its heart it encapsulates a way of understanding human nature which seeks to produce deep and lasting change.

ISTDP’s aim is to help expose your old coping strategies, also known as your defences, so you can experience previously denied feelings in order to heal. Feelings are central to ISTDP’s understanding of problem causality because in life we inevitably experience conflicts with others and when they occur, we naturally experience emotions. However, most who enter therapy do so because they cannot channel their feelings into effective action. Instead, they become anxious and as a consequence they use defences. And it’s these defences, and the anxiety which accompany them, which create a persons presenting problems and the reason why they suffer.

By working with me I would understand you do so because you no longer wish to suffer. So, when I notice you avoiding your emotions I will understand this perpetuates your problem and help you notice what you do instead. This becomes the heart of our work because once you come to realise the cost of your defences, and turn against them, then your healthy longings, feelings and memories are likely to rapidly rise to the surface. And as this happens your presenting issue will shift, you’re likely to become more honest about your needs, and new possibilities often appear. Many clients describe this part of therapy as liberating because it involves the creation of a new more caring, compassionate and honest relationship with themselves and others.

If you would like to explore working together then the best way to do this is by contacting me to arrange an initial and free of charge telephone consultation. You can then decide if you would like to arrange a meeting. My private practice is in West Didsbury and regular weekly sessions last 1 hour. Please email, text or call me for more details.