PS

Philippa Smethurst

LONDON W1G English
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PS

Philippa Smethurst

LONDON W1G English
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My Approach

Underlying my approach is a belief in a person's capacity to grow and change. My psychodynamic thinking helps me understand that we are layered. My sensorimotor training brings in the integration of body and mind.

About Me

I am an integrative psychotherapist with 30 years experience of working with individuals and couples.

I have face to face practices in Banbury and London. I also work online. I have a long-held interest in trauma. My book: 'Connecting after Trauma: 20 ways through' will be published by Jessica Kingsley in 2024

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.

Abuse or violation of another person can come in many forms. At its heart, it creates pain and alienation from ourselves and from others. I am experienced in working with the effects of abuse on our sense of self and connecting ourselves up with safety and boundaries again.
Anxiety is often an indication of something that has overwhelmed us. Our minds and bodies respond in a protective way, using anxiety to predict and protect us from further harm. I am skilled in helping a person understand our relationship to anxiety, to study it and, through understanding, help it to soften and become less dominating.
So some of life experience can break our hearts. Sometimes, a deep loss can separate us from the person we were and from connecting with the world as we did. It can be helpful to weigh the losses we have suffered with another person who is skilled to understand them and help us heal.
Our relationship with others can help soothe us when life hurts us. Sometimes, our relationships with others can go array, so we learn not to trust others even though we need them. In offering a psychotherapeutic relationship with you, we can understand together how your relationships with others have been and what you need to recover and grow. Psychotherapy can be a wonderful balm for the wounds of life and can illuminate what we most need.
Thinking about trauma has been informed by neuroscience in recent years. Trauma disconnects us from ourselves and others and our capacity to trust our feelings. My approach is to offer psycho education about trauma symptoms. Through understanding trauma's ways, we can be helped to reconnect and trust ourselves and come to fullness of life step by step.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Integrative Psychotherapist

What I can help with

  • Abuse
  • Anxiety
  • Autism
  • Bereavement
  • Couple Issues
  • Depression
  • Health-related Issues
  • Relationships
  • Stress
  • Trauma

Types of sessions

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

LONDON Office

85, Wimpole Street,
LONDON W1G 9RJ
UK

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Banbury Office

Banbury Therapy Centre
Darwin House,
19, Parsons Street
Banbury OX16 5LY
UK

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UKCP College

  • Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College (HIPC)
PS

Philippa Smethurst

LONDON W1G

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