Technique Is Nothing Without An Authentic Relationship

Yes, of course you need to be fully trained in a particular technique or approach. (I personally have trained in two, psychodynamic and cognitive). But that, on its own does not make you an effective therapist. You need to be able to create a safe, effective working relationship. Without that, no amount of technique will help.

No One School Has All The Answers

Psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have historically devoted huge amounts of energy to feuding with each other over the correctness or validity of their different schools and approaches. I completely reject this. Human beings are infinitely complex, and no one approach has all the answers. Together with my core training in psychodynamic and cognitive methods I apply elements of the third wave approaches such as mindfulness, acceptance and commitment and compassion-based therapy.

It’s About More Than Solving The Problem

Freud once said that the most one could hope for from psychoanalysis was to “replace neurotic misery with ordinary unhappiness.” I’m going to disagree with the great man. Of course we need to resolve your immediate problem. But that usually happens quite quickly, and it is after that that things become interesting. That is because the ultimate promise of psychotherapy is for you to understand your own uniqueness. To realise who and what you are that goes beyond your family background, the plans that others made for you and the social milieu in which you grew up. To be able to assert your uniqueness and use it to do something useful for yourself and the world.

It’s Philosophy As Much As It Is Science

There’s a lot of emphasis placed at the moment on “evidence-based” therapy – it has to be scientifically proven. The evidence-based therapy par excellence is cognitive therapy, and that is what I tend to use in the early stages. After that, though, other questions come to the fore. Who am I, really? What really matters to me? What was I put on earth to do? What was my psychological problem trying to tell me?

These are questions of meaning and purpose, best dealt with philosophically. I originally intended to study philosophy at university, and have in fact taught the subject. I changed to psychology not because I changed my mind about what I wanted to do, but because psychology seemed a better way of dealing with the question that really interested me: how do I make sense of the world, and how can I help others make sense of the world?

What To Do Next?

If this is making sense for you, look first at About You. This will tell you the sort of people who usually do well with me. If you recognise yourself in that, then How I Work will give you an idea of what to expect.

After that it’s like – and I’m not saying that this is a good thing – online dating. You can look at as many profiles, send as many messages as you like but, if you want something to actually happen you have to – gulp – go on a first date.

Actually, it’s not as hard as a first date. Firstly, you don’t need to dress up or worry about your hair. It is considered good practice for psychotherapists to change out of their pyjamas for sessions, but for the client it’s optional.

Secondly, if you get that “Oh my God why am I here can’t I just be at the dentist enjoying some nice relaxing root canal work?” feeling, you don’t need to slip the barman £10 to call you, pretend to be your brother and tell you that your father has just had a heart attack or your mother has been arrested by Special Branch. You just hit the big friendly red “End Call” button and you’re home free. I won’t be upset and I certainly won’t be stalking you.

So over to you…click here to see available appointments.