Getting Started

If you’re curious about beginning therapy, these questions can help you understand how the first steps work.

  • Yes. I offer a free 15-minute introductory conversation. This is a brief, no-obligation opportunity to discuss what brings you to therapy, ask any initial questions and explore whether this approach is likely to be helpful for your circumstances and what you are hoping to achieve through therapy.

  • The introductory conversation provides an opportunity to discuss what brings you to therapy and whether this approach is likely to be relevant to the difficulties you are facing and the changes you would like to make.

    Ultimately, the clearest indication comes through the therapy itself. During the first few sessions, we begin to build a deeper understanding of the patterns contributing to your difficulties and get a sense of how you respond to this way of working. This helps us determine whether the therapy is likely to support meaningful and lasting change.

Fees & Practicalities

Here you’ll find information about cost, scheduling and the structure of therapy.

  • Therapy sessions are £90 for 50 minutes or £135 for 75 minutes.

  • Most people meet weekly or fortnightly at a consistent time where possible.

    If you work shifts or have changing availability, we can usually arrange a more flexible pattern. In some cases, more frequent sessions may be considered depending on your circumstances and the nature of the work.

  • This varies depending on the depth and complexity of the patterns involved. Some people notice meaningful shifts within a few months, while others choose longer-term work to address more deep-rooted emotional and relational patterns.

    ISTDP is a focused approach that works directly with the underlying emotional processes that maintain difficulties, aiming for lasting change rather than ongoing supportive work without clear direction.

  • I require at least 72 hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed appointments, are charged in full.

About the Approach

These questions explain the therapeutic approach and what you can expect.

  • The approach I use, based primarily on Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), focuses on working directly with the emotional processes that maintain patterns such as low self-esteem, people-pleasing and perfectionism.

    By paying close attention to what is happening in the moment, therapy helps you recognise and work through the underlying patterns that shape how you think, feel and relate to yourself and others.

    The aim is not simply greater understanding, but meaningful and lasting change in how you experience yourself, your relationships and your life.

  • It means we focus on what you are experiencing in the moment — your thoughts, emotions, bodily responses and patterns of relating. This allows us to work directly with the emotional processes driving your difficulties, helping you break longstanding patterns and create meaningful, lasting change.

  • ISTDP can be particularly helpful if you understand your difficulties intellectually but still find yourself repeating the same patterns. It is designed to identify and change the emotional processes that drive difficulties such as people-pleasing, self-doubt, perfectionism and low self-esteem that can leave you feeling depleted or stuck.

    The aim is not simply to understand these patterns, but to change them so you can trust your own judgement more, relate without self-abandonment and live with greater freedom and self-direction.

    The best way to know whether ISTDP is right for you is through meeting and working together for a short period. An initial consultation and the first few sessions will usually give us a clear sense of whether this approach is likely to be helpful.

  • “Short-term” refers to the method’s focus and intensity, rather than a fixed length of therapy. The duration depends on your history, your goals and the pace that feels workable as we go.

Common Questions

It’s common to have questions or hesitations about starting therapy. These questions address some of the most common concerns people have when considering therapy.

  • Many people come to therapy after previous work where they gained insight but did not experience lasting change. In sessions, we work with emotional patterns as they emerge, allowing the underlying processes that maintain difficulties to shift.

  • We work at a pace that is careful and attuned to your capacity in the moment so that emotional experience can be worked with safely and effectively.

  • That sense of ambivalence is very common. We work with it directly, with curiosity and care, so you can get a clearer sense of what feels right for you and whether now is the right time to begin making changes.