Isobel May, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Isobel May

Bristol
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Isobel May, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Isobel May

Bristol
Email Therapist
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My Approach

Thank you for coming onto my profile and taking time to read my information. Initially my approach would be there to help you identify whether a systemic/relational approach is the right one for you.
I am informed by my training in Systemic and Family Psychotherapy, I will draw on many approaches within the psychotherapuetic field, and will meet you with kindness and compassion to enable us to work together towards a change within either yourself, your relationship or your family. I am trained in Non Violent Resistance and specialise in working with parents who’s children are communicating how they feel violently. This can happen for many reasons and can feel paralysing. NVR is a recommended treatment for supporting parents and families to rebalance the dynamic and support parents to feel like parents again.
I am currently only working online, which can give lots of flexibility but from April 2024 I will return to face to face work.
Initially I am happy to offer a free 15 minute consultation to see whether my approach is suitable for your needs, we will then make a plan of how we will work together and what is needed from me.
I tend to work with what is brought to each session, I can set work outside of sessions if this is helpful and feels appropriate, but also I believe that change happens the most in between sessions. Communication is very important to me and how I work, it is often the unsaid things that cause the most difficulty for us in relationships.
I can offer long term work, but also find that short term can be as affective, but always take a client led ethos.

About Me

I am a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist that can work with individuals, couples and families to address a number of presenting difficulties to support positive change. Finding the right therapist is an important part of the journey, and one that I hope I can support with.

I have live in Bristol and work across Bristol, Bath and Salisbury. Over the last 10 years, I have in a number of settings; Specialist education college for young adults with additional needs; Social Care working with teenagers and their families and in the NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service.

I work with

  • Children and young people
  • Couples
  • Families
  • Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

I also work with people in relationships at different life stages, and in different dynamics, and know first hand how life can really affect how we relate to those closest to us. Seeking support to help reestablish that bond, work through communication difficulties, understand each others actions is really important and can lead to a much happier dynamic.
Family Psychotherapy is rooted in communication theory, and focuses on what is and isn’t communicated in different dynamics in the family. Often problems occur in families during life cycle changes, this is when families/couples/relationships go through predictable or unpredictable changes. These can cause stresses on families and children and can result in some, all or one person’s, mental health declining. By supporting the whole family when these difficulties occur means that everyone works together to support the person that needs to feel well. Communication is opened up and a different type of listening is needed to really hear what is happening. I see it as my job to help and support families in these difficult places and help them see that change is possible when they work together.
As I mention in my profile I am trained in NVR, this is a particular type of very structured therapy that can help parents with children who are displaying very violent and out of control/controlling behaviour. The work is very specific and structured and is often time limited, although we would continue until things felt like they were better in the home. But often with weekly sessions change happens within 3 months.
I have support people who are suicidal and used to work with the Listening Place in London with people who struggled to see how life can continue in the same way. I have also worked with people who have lost someone to suicidal, and know that it is a different kind of grief that needs specialist support at times to get through.
I have worked with lots of transgender, gender questioning people and hope that I can provide a space if needed to talk about issues of identity, gender and sexuality, both in and out of relationships.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Family and Systemic Psychotherapist
  • Family Therapist
  • Systemic Family and Couple Psychotherapist
  • Systemic Psychotherapist

What I can help with

  • ADHD
  • Adoption
  • Anxiety
  • Autism
  • Bereavement
  • Couple Issues
  • Cultural Issues
  • Depression
  • Disability
  • Family
  • Gender
  • Identity Problems
  • Mental Health Issues
  • Parents
  • Race Issues
  • Relationships
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Suicide
  • Transgender

Types of sessions

  • Online Therapy

Bristol Office


Bristol
UK

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Cost:

£65 Individual psychotherapy
£70 Couples Therapy
£80 Family Psychotherapy

Concession:

I will be implementing a means tested approach as well, whilst I feel it is important to charge a competitive rate, I also believe strongly in accessibility.

Bath Office


Bath
UK

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Cost:

£65 Individual psychotherapy
£70 Couples Therapy
£80 Family Psychotherapy

Concession:

I will be implementing a means tested approach as well, whilst I feel it is important to charge a competitive rate, I also believe strongly in accessibility.

Salisbury Office


Salisbury
UK

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Cost:

£65 individual psychotherapy
£70 Couples Therapy
£80 Family Psychotherapy

Concession:

I will be implementing a means tested approach as well, whilst I feel it is important to charge a competitive rate, I also believe strongly in accessibility.

Clevedon Office


Clevedon
UK

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UKCP College

  • College of Family Couple and Systemic Psychotherapy (CFCSP)

Working with Children

For more information about therapy for children and young people, visit our info page.
Isobel May

Isobel May

Bristol
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