My Approach

At the heart of my approach is the humanistic belief that people are naturally oriented towards health and growth. I see my job as one of supporting my client’s natural change process through increased awareness.

This is a specific attitude towards change- it rests on the belief that natural and long-lasting change comes from within, rather than being imposed from the outside. I’ll try to explain this more fully below:

People are very good at doing the best they can with what they’ve got. As we navigate our way through childhood, through socialisation, into adulthood, we generally manage life as best we can.

Difficulties often arise due to unaware value systems, fixed patterns of relating to others, lost potential, ways of being that are responses to adverse childhood relationships, or societal prejudice and discrimination.

Behaviours such as avoidance, perfectionism, over-working, depression, self-criticism, addiction, and so forth are often creative responses to life’s difficulties. Feelings such as anxiety, fear, shame, anger, low self-esteem, depression, and so forth are often responses to, or attempted solutions to life's problems.

By exploring, understanding, increasing awareness, we can facilitate long-lasting, non-coercive change. Problematic feelings and behaviours subside when their meaning is understood and necessary change is accomplished.

The above is essentially a description of the main principle of humanistic counselling and psychotherapy- a warm and engaging approach. Initially trained in Gestalt, I now work in a humanistic / integrative manner, having been influenced by person-centred therapy, body work and trauma therapy.

I strive to follow the four 'H's' for therapy- Honesty, Humanity, Humour and Humility.

To locate myself- I'm a white heterosexual man with pronouns he/him. I am committed and engaged in the life-long work of raising my awareness around equity, diversity, and inclusion. I strive to be ever-more affirmative and ally to minority and oppressed people.

About Me

Hello, I'm Rob French.

I'm an integrative therapist working with individuals, couples, and groups. I also teach humanistic counselling at the Gestalt Centre in Kings Cross.

I've been practicing for over fifteen years and have lots of experience working with a diverse range of clients on many types of difficulty.

I also work with trainee counsellors / therapists and people who experience no particular difficulty, but are interested in therapy to support living a full and satisfying life.

I work with

• Couples
• Families
• Groups
• 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

• Gestalt Group Psychotherapist
• Gestalt Psychotherapist