My Approach

Whether you are struggling with something in particular, or have a sense of something not being right that you can't put your finger on, I offer my presence and experience alongside you in exploration, and to work with you to bring about change.

Everyone is different and I tailor my approach to you. However, I’m interested in working relationally - a way of paying attention to repeating, often troubling patterns we hold onto from our early life. So I'll ask about your life today and in the past, particularly perhaps your childhood, and together we'll start to make sense of things. I'll pay attention to what you're saying, how you're saying it, and what you might be communicating in ways other than words. We'll talk, but also make space to notice what might be happening in your mind and body. We'll work with whatever feelings, thoughts, and beliefs arise. Therapy can bring about deep and lasting change, through exploring these beliefs and patterns together, and opening up space for new possibilities to emerge.

Coming to therapy can feel like a big step. It can be a complex and challenging process, and I’m always up for discussing how it’s going, and how we’re working together.

I welcome people of all identities, cultures, sexualities and faiths. I am committed to a non-discriminatory practice and to holding a confidential and non-judgmental space for you.


Outdoor work:
I offer outdoor therapy as an alternative to my indoor practice.

For some people, therapy in an outside space can open things up in a different way from talking face-to-face in a room. I also believe passionately in the benefits (for us as individuals, as a species and beyond) of paying attention to how we connect to the natural world we're a part of. The way I work opens up the possibility of exploring our relationship with the environment we are in, moment to moment, as well as reflecting on what might be happening inside us, or between therapist and client, as we might in a more ‘traditional’ setting.

Ecotherapy can enliven and deepen our understanding of ourselves, of how we connect to others (including but not exclusively people!), and of our relationship with the world we are moving among. It can feel vital, and vital-ising, to spend time tending to any or all of these relationships.

I work in a woodland area local to me, in which during a session we might walk and talk, but also allow space for pauses and quiet reflection, sitting or standing: how we spend the time is something we can shape together, in contact with what might arise as we go.

If you’re interested in finding out more about the where/how/when etc, please feel free to contact me via email.


Accessibility (indoors):
Please note - there are a small number of steps (up and down) on the way into my therapy space.

My indoor work is in a garden office. There are a small number of steps up and down on the way in, and there is no access to a toilet at these premises. I am near a high street with several cafes and am happy to advise on alternative local facilities if necessary.

Please let me know if you have any other access needs - I am open to discussing ways in which I can reasonably accommodate these.

Please feel free to email me on chris[dot]elcombe[@]outlook[dot]com if you would like to discuss the possibility of working together.

About Me

When life is challenging, we can feel stuck, lost, disconnected or in pain. As a fully qualified relational psychotherapist, I can work with you to make sense of difficult experiences, deepen self-understanding and feel more comfortable in your own skin.

I offer short- and long-term therapy to individuals, both indoors and outdoors (see below for more on this). My practice is based in south-east London, in Sydenham (SE26).

I work with

• Individuals

Types of Therapies Offered

• Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• Addiction
• ADHD
• Age-related Issues
• Anger Management
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Chronic Illness
• Couple Issues
• Cultural Issues
• Depression
• Divorce
• Gender
• Health-related Issues
• Identity Problems
• Infertility
• Mental Health Issues
• Obsessions
• Parents
• Phobias
• Race Issues
• Relationships
• Separation
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Stress
• Transgender
• Trauma