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Sarah Tomley

Ipswich IP1
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Sarah Tomley

Ipswich IP1
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My Approach

I offer a transformative type of therapy known as IFS (https://ifs-institute.com), which works with every part of the personality. If you find that some part of you is trying to control another (perhaps a part who wants to drink/gamble/go online shopping), or the whole system is being flooded with uncontrollable emotions that stop you from living the life you want to lead, this form of therapy can help every part to achieve what it wants, and end inner conflict.
I specialise in working with anxiety, D.I.D. (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and problems stemming from multi-generational addictive behaviours.
UKCP: This member has completed UKCP Covid-19 Online Working Guidance.

About Me

I am an IFS therapist (Level 3, 2019) and integrative counsellor based in the UK. I have also written several books, including 'What would Freud Do?" (now available in 14 languages), the 'Children's Book of Philosophy' (DK) and 'Instant Psychology' (Wellbeck 2021). In 2020 I was privileged to be asked to write the introduction to a new edition of Freud's 'The Interpretation of Dreams' (Capstone, 2020).

I work with

  • Couples
  • 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.

Through the IFS lens, addiction is an attempt to self-medicate against pain. We don't view the parts of you that want drugs/alcohol/sex/work/food/shopping as 'bad', but as trying to help solve a problem. When it's possible to safely reach the parts of you that have been badly hurt in some way, those parts that fiercely refuse to let you suffer can relax, as can those parts of you that have tried so hard, for so long, to control those impulses. IFS offers a non-judgemental, interested and transformative approach to healing from addiction.
Anxiety is a debilitating condition that responds quickly to IFS therapy, which is able to tease apart the many strands of the personality involved, and bring hope and healing backing the system, part by part, until there is a greater sense of ease. The therapy itself is friendly and safe, and clients often find the sessions both calming and strangely enjoyable.
If you find yourself lurching between feeling out of control and needing to impose structure, there's a way to dive beneath those two impulses to find out what's driving them. By unlocking the key to what's driving these behaviour swings and argumentative thoughts, it's possible to bring the mind and body back to a calmer, easier way of being.
I work with clients internationally and have been offering online sessions since 2018, so am very familiar with this format. I will do all I can to help you feel at ease no matter what crops up, whether that's digital hiccups or emotional distress. It is possible to experience safe and stable sessions online, and there is no loss of therapeutic effectiveness.
If you're struggling to find or stay in relationships, or continuing to struggle with members of your birth family, I offer a safe and careful way to untangle what's happening - both with your family and inside yourself. Even if you feel that 'It's always been like this', change is possible, whether it feels like the problem lies with them or you.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Psychotherapeutic Counsellor

What I can help with

  • Anxiety
  • Bereavement
  • Depression
  • Domestic Violence
  • Gender
  • Relationships
  • Sexuality

Types of sessions

  • Face to Face - Long Term
  • Face to Face - Short Term
  • Online Therapy

Ipswich Office

The Hub Business Centre
2 Civic Drive
Ipswich IP1 2QA
UK

  Wheelchair accessible View Map

UKCP College

  • Psychotherapeutic Counselling and Intersubjective Psychotherapy College (PCIPC)
ST

Sarah Tomley

Ipswich IP1

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