What conditions do I treat?

Below is a list of some of the areas where I may be able to help you with psychotherapy/counselling. It’s not an exhaustive list but it gives an idea.

It’s important to keep in mind that every potential patient is different and the question of whether I will take someone into therapy will depend on various factors. For example, is the person psychologically-minded? Are they motivated? Could they tolerate the painful feelings and memories that may be stirred up in therapy? But another important factor will be the severity of the condition in question and whether an alternative form of therapy with another practitioner might be more appropriate either as a method of treatment generally or as a preliminary to analytic therapy. I will assess your needs on a case-by-case basis and recommend the best course of action for you.

Addictions would be a good example of where an alternative or preliminary alternative type of therapy might be valuable. If an addiction is significant, it needs tackling on two levels. First of all, the particular behaviour needs to be halted and the abstinence needs to be maintained. A therapy like Integrative CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) might be particularly useful in achieving this. At that point, the person might wish to explore the underlying causes of their addiction and deal with them. That’s where analytic psychotherapy could come into play. I would need to be sure that anyone interested in therapy had been free of their behaviours for a year or so.

Some examples

With those caveats, here are some of the areas where psychotherapy could potentially be beneficial:
The effects of abuse (physical, emotional, sexual), addiction, affairs and betrayals, ageing, anger and assertiveness issues, anxiety and panic, attachment disorders, avoidant behaviour, bereavement, bi-polar disorder, body dysmorphic disorder, borderline personality disorder, bullying, living with cancer, career and vocation, chronic fatigue syndrome, confidence, stifled creativity and frustration, dependency issues, depression, dissociation, family issues, guilt, histrionic traits, HIV/AIDS, hoarding and obsessive-compulsive behaviour, identity questions, loneliness and isolation, low self-esteem, masochistic (self-defeating) behaviour, feelings of being overwhelmed, paranoia, passive-aggression, personality disorders, personal growth and fulfilment, complex post-traumatic stress disorder, redundancy, relationship difficulties, schizoid (withdrawal) traits, self-harming, separation and divorce, sexuality, psycho-somatic illnesses, spirituality, shame, stress, terminations, trauma and work-related problems.

More detailed examples

Some conditions, of course, are more common than others. On the various pages in this section I go into more detail about some of the things that people frequently consider getting help with.