Helen Maria Brice, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Helen Maria Brice

London W1G English
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Helen Maria Brice, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Helen Maria Brice

London W1G English
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My Approach

Metaphorically speaking, I sit side-by-side with you, exploring your world view, working from your own experience and understanding of how you make sense of life in the here and now. This is Existential Psychotherapy: an overtly philosophical approach that allows me to venture deeply with you very quickly, and has an impactful and lasting effect, whether time-limited (anything from eight weeks) or long term (thirty weeks or more).

Incorporating Existential-Phenomenology as well as skills-based therapy can help facilitate change, which can be useful when habitual responses are no longer effective. This proves most effective for musicians and creatives experiencing so-called Imposter Syndrome, crises of confidence and performance related anxiety, and is usually short term (about 10 weeks, depending on funding).

DBT and RO DBT are prescriptive behaviour therapies, and have set treatment programmes, as well as bespoke individual sessions, and may include out-of-hours skills coaching on a case-by-case basis.

For those who prefer to stay out of the therapy room, I create individualised Mental Fitness Programmes at your home.I work with couples and individuals aged 13 years old and upwards, who are based in the UK and overseas. I also specialise in immediate, short term, intensive or brief intervention Psychotherapy & Skills Coaching for teens; and "Damage Limitation" directive therapy sessions for couples.

I am affirmative with Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity (GSRD), unconventional lifestyles and relationships, and with neurodiversity (especially teens).

I co-created and run the Stimmung Therapy Programme for musicians with associate existential psychotherapist and musician Miranda Jackson.

About Me

I'm founder of Stimmung Therapy Services, offering skills coaching and therapy to musicians, performers and those in the creative field. I am a highly experienced psychotherapist for individuals, couples and those in non-normative relationship, and am passionate about the efficacy of my work. My experience comes from working in five different therapy settings: a London-based conservatoire for music and dance, the NHS, the prison service and young offender institution, private hospital, and private practice.

My expertise is in performance and generalised anxiety, work-related stress, depression, relationship problems, loneliness, trauma (PTSD and CPTSD), loss, identity issues. I also work in the field of diagnosis, especially chemical imbalance (Bipolar Disorder), and people who experience emotional instability as manifest in borderline and antisocial personality styles (EUPD), and with clients who are emotionally over-controlled, who have personalities that are avoidant, 'workaholic', obsessive compulsive, paranoid and also chronically depressed or have anorexia nervosa.

I am intensively trained in standard Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and Radically Open DBT (RO DBT). I founded RO DBT Clinics UK with associate Clinical Psychologists Dr Alex Fowke and Ian Wootton, and we run the only private RO DBT programmes in the UK.

I am also fully trained in DBT (for BPD) and RO-DBT (for symptoms of over control).

I have a calm and active presence, am attentive, challenging when needed, and practical where desired. I work intuitively, and change the way I work with every client. As a musician, former music producer and artist manager, and having worked in the Arts for many years, I have unique attunement with my creative clients, and an understanding of the workings of the music, film and theatre industry. I work flexibly around performance, writing or tour commitments.

I am always willing to liaise with other professionals in your care, if that is your requirement. Some people find the use of diagnoses helpful, whereas others find it particularly unhelpful. I'll work with you whatever diagnosis means to you, and whether you have a diagnosis or not.

Sessions take place in person in my quiet, accessible room in London west end's Golden Square, or via online video, or on the phone, whichever platform suits your lifestyle.

I have a passion for the Arts, and an affinity with those in the creative field including musicians, dancers, actors, singers, artists, writers, DJs, theatre practitioners, artist managers and backstage crew.

I work with

  • Companies
  • Couples
  • Individuals
  • Private healthcare referrals

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 work with clients from the age of 13 upwards, whether you have a diagnosis or a suspicion that you have ADHD/ADD. An over-arching theme with my adult clients with ADHD is an inability to feel satisfied, or content, which impinges into relationships, life goals, work and can result in depression. With my younger clients there can also be identity issues and self harm behaviour as a result of emotional leakage. I work existentially with my clients, and by introducing behaviour therapy tools if desired.
I offer RO DBT (Radically Open Dialectical Behaviour Therapy), a prescription behaviour therapy, to those who are recovering from or managing anorexia or disordered, restrictive eating. I also offer a full treatment programme if required through my associate practice RO DBT Clinics UK. EDs are a symptom of Over Control, and are often accompanied by fear of failure, maladaptive perfectionism, over working, inability to make decisions, inadvertently keeping people from connecting with you, and hence loneliness. We can work existentially and/or prescriptively RO DBT-informed therapy, with new skills training/coaching to form new habits, break old ones and create new neural pathways on a route to happiness. If you are governed by rules, rehearsal, regulation and planning, if you are uncomplaining yet unhappy, lonely, distrustful, perfectionistic, workaholic, emotionally restrained in the extreme, then Radically Open DBT is for you. RO DBT was born out of standard DBT and developed by Professor Tom Lynch for people with treatment resistant depression, and symptoms of emotional over-control, which include problematic restrictive eating, obsessive behaviour, and traits or diagnosis of autism. It comprises individual sessions and skills classes. I co-facilitate classes online via Zoom with Clinical Psychologists Dr Alex Fowke and Ian Wootton. We are the only providers of full-package RO DBT in the country, and we have both been trained by the developer of Professor Tom Lynch.
Identity issues are varied. They can be existential, so perhaps you have retired for teaching, and are asking, "Who am I when I'm not a teacher?"; or during lockdown, "Who am I when I 'm not a performer?". Identity issues can involve questions about your gender, sexuality, relationship or culture/heritage; they can also be a result if you have a feeling of not belonging, of not fitting in. Whatever prompts your "Identity Problem" I will provide space to explore your questions, and for self-enquiry, with the intention of finding an answer to who are are, or who you are becoming. Identity Issues often accompany Personality Disorders (in particular Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD), AKA Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). As a fully qualified Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) practitioner I teach skills to clients to help them to manage better their identity flux, and to regulate emotions so that they are not so extreme, and therefore not so destructive of relationships. I do this in individual therapy and out-of-hours telephone skills coaching. Skills groups are available via associate therapists, if the full programme is required. You can come with or without a formal diagnosis to receive this treatment.
If you are having problems with living, with stress, work, insecurity, loneliness, grief, relationship problems, low sense of worth, confidence loss, identity crisis, emotions that are either out of control or suppressed, inappropriate anger, perfectionistic thinking, persistent low mood, difficulty in concentrating, harsh self judgment, or unhelpful thought patterns, you may benefit from long term or short term therapy. My clients receive bespoke therapy according to what I understand their needs to be. This sometimes includes practical skills, including mindfulness, but without the "Omm"! I have a specialism in working with neurodivergent young people from the age of 13 with Autisic Spectrum Conditions, including ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism, and Gender, Sexuality & Relationship Diversity. Whether it be performance anxiety, low self-esteem, loss of confidence, poor work performance, or any of the difficulties listed in the Individual Therapy column, then I can train you in skills. I will help you to build a repertoire of effective tools so that you can continue - or return to - work, and help you find fulfilment and meaning in your craft, whilst optimising your work performance. These skills will be individualised for you so that they may be used at home, at work, on the go, and - for musicians and performers - in your rehearsal or recording studio, back stage, on stage, off set, or on set, with flexible hours to suit your schedule. This method is useful for when you do have the time, or the inclination for trauma therapy.
"Relationships" includes work, home, romantic and professional connections; it includes family and friends related difficulties; it also includes the inability to acquire or maintain relationships. Relationship therapy will take the form of joint sessions (and intermittent individual sessions with the relationship in mind). Session duration is longer by 50% per session. People come to relationship therapy if there is a communication breakdown, if they don't see eye to eye any more, if they've forgotten how to listen to each other - or never could - or if they've fallen out of love, or have become divided by grief or by differing parenting and relationship styles, or there are difficult emotions being experienced by one or both/all. You may wish to stay together, or you may want to part in peace. You may not know. you may wish to explore GSRD. Short term or long term therapy with an experienced therapist can help clarify difference and guide partners toward resolution of recent or long standing disagreements. As a dialectician, I can help couples hold two apparently opposing points of view at once, whilst looking for synthesis. My speciality is to provide "Damage Limitation", emergency, therapy in 4 sessions to stabilise the relationship with immediate effect.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Existential Psychotherapist

What I can help with

  • ADHD
  • Eating Disorders
  • Identity Problems
  • Mental Health Issues
  • Relationships

Types of sessions

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

London Office

Stimmung
Harley Street Therapy Centre
1 Harley Street
London W1G 9QD
UK

View Map

London Office

Online via Zoom, WhattsApp, Skype, FaceBook Messenger, audio
London W1F 9JB
United Kingdom

  Wheelchair accessible View Map

Cost:

£150 net

Concession:

Working Musicians £125 net
Other concessions can be available on enquiry

UKCP College

  • Universities Training College (UTC)
Helen Maria Brice

Helen Maria Brice

London W1G

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