My Approach

There are many ways of practising Existential Therapy. I see it as involving both a particular way of being as a therapist and a way of approaching issues. I like to be genuine, open, non-judgemental and warm, yet I am prepared to challenge you. I do not impose interpretations, nor do I label.
I try to understand without pre-conceived ideas what a specific issue means for you, and together we can explore its context (present and past) and its possible impact on the future. At the same time, I bear in mind the universal existential issues which may offer a broader backdrop to the presenting issue (eg mortality) or open up vistas (e.g. freedom of choice).
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, in line with neuroscientific research and other trauma therapies, holds that memories, sensations and feelings can lay dormant in the body for decades until some event suddenly reawakens them - e.g. bullying at work. The body can also hold powerful unspoken beliefs about ourselves and the world.
As we learn to communicate with our body, we learn to understand the emotional charge and the associated beliefs which it is holding and facilitate their expression. We can also learn to develop embodied resources, discharge pent-up states, as well as gain a new sense of mastery. If you want we can integrate a number of exercises derived from Sensorimotor psychotherapy. These do not necessitate the use of touch.
There are times when a person’s problem somehow does not make sense, does not feel as if it belongs to the person alone, or seems to be part of a broader picture. Sometimes complex family dynamics need reflecting upon from a new perspective. In such situations I might ask you to use cushions from my sofa, or, if online, objects in your room to get a visual and embodied sense of the context. This can be surprisingly enlightening.

My book The Heart of Therapy: developing compassion, understanding and boundaries (Routledge 2023) offers futher details and numerous examples.

About Me

I am an Existential psychotherapist and supervisor (UKCP Reg, ; BACP senior accredited; in Europe: EAP) with around 25 years experience. Further training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (I&II) and Systemic Constellations has added new dimensions to my practice. For almost 20 years, I ran two specialised psychotherapy services in an NHS hospital - for cancer patients and their carers, and for post-Intensive Care patients.

I now work privately from home in Lewes and my private work is general. I enjoy working with whatever issues you bring, while also bearing in mind the broader context: the general existential context that is part of the human condition, but also your broader historical and familial context. I have a strong interest in the way we carry in our bodies developmental issues, past traumas as well as the stresses of everyday life. I also consider and work with familial patterns and burdens that can be handed down the generations. You can choose to come either for a few sessions, over a number of weeks or months, or else on a longer-term basis.
Fee: £60

I work with

• 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.

Types of Therapies Offered

• Existential Psychotherapist

What I can help with

• Abuse
• Age-related Issues
• Anxiety
• Bereavement
• Chronic Illness
• Cultural Issues
• Disability
• Health-related Issues
• Identity Problems
• Infertility
• Parents
• Post-Traumatic Stress
• Private Practice Issues
• Relationships
• Sexual Abuse
• Sexuality
• Spirituality
• Stress
• Supervision
• Telephone Counselling
• Terminal Illness
• Trauma