Embodied Relational Psychotherapy

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  

Individual psychotherapy and clinical supervision are supsended indefinitely.

Somatic Movement Practices, Workshops and Community and Organisational Rhythm Circles are continuing. Please refer to their dedicated pages to find out.

Psychotherapy is a way of deepening your knowledge of yourself and understanding what you experience as a difficulty in view of change or resolution.  The therapist acts as a witness alongside you, offering space to safely look in, to resourcefully make sense of what might contribute to the problem and to activate the changes that might be possible. Much of our history and life difficulties may manifest in the present moment, and also in the working relationship with the therapist, in what emerges and is experienced there and then. This can become an opportunity to deepen your understanding and maybe unblock repetitive patterns and stagnant situations so that you may release or transform what holds you there.  This will be at your pace and at the level of depth you are ready to go.

How do we start?

I will meet you for a first assessment session, where we both decide whether we can work together. If we continue, I will offer you the next six sessions, at the end of which we can review our decision. After this we can work in an open ended way. Each session lasts an hour and the meetings are normally once a week. All information is kept in confidence. We will discuss this on our first meeting.

My approach

Although I work in an integrative way, my therapeutic style is strongly influenced by Embodied Relational Therapy (ERT). This has its roots in the work of Whilelm Reich, Psychodynamic theories,  and further along in Process Oriented Psychology (Arnold Mindell).

This model looks at how we have learnt to relate to ourselves, others and the
environment and how we also manifest our history and relationships in our bodies.

The work of Carl Jung especially with regards to the existence of a collective unconscious, the role of archetypal figures in our psyche, dream work, the use of imagination as a portal to access the language of our body/mind world and the psychic tendency to fulfil a relationship with the transpersonal, are also very influential in m y approach.

I believe that what we experience as a difficulty or problem is a signal of new emerging needs and an attempt to  change. A symptom, in this sense, may be seen as carrying both the meaning and the direction of the process that is trying to manifest, an attempt to self-heal.
I believe the therapeutic relationship is about creating the conditions of safety and space to follow this process and allow it to express itself – so it can be understood in our own way, integrated, possibly completed, and change made possible.

We may explore this through talking, movement, creative expression, body work or grounding contact with nature, depending on what emerges and feels safe and appropriate at each stage.

I also believe that ‘expertise’ and ‘wisdom’ lie within the individuals, within the field of which they are a part and in their body, although they may seem more or less accessible.  Trust in this and that we are innately resourceful is fundamental to the way I work.

More information specifically on ERT can be found on www.erthworks.co.uk

Clinical Supervision

I offer supervision to those counsellors, psychotherapists or body & somatic therapists who believe that my approach is compatible with theirs and that we can benefit from learning from each other. Supervision is also open to those working in health or education who might benefit from support in understanding and dealing with the interpersonal dynamics of their role.