Counselling in Mayfair, London

Do you struggle with anxiety, depression or traumatic experiences? Do you have a psychiatric diagnosis? Can't you work out why you feel so unhappy, confused or helpless? Want to improve your confidence or build a more resilient way of living? Want to stop addictive behaviours or just need someone to help you through disturbing or a crisis? Are you met with enough understanding and encouragement?

I have been working in psychotherapy since 2003. My background encompasses both private mental health sectors and NHS Mental Health Trusts, working both 1:1 and in groups, and includes working in a cutting-edge therapeutic community. I have seen a diverse range of clients from many differing backgrounds and cultures, and with a wide range of presenting problems. I continue to enjoy working with a wide variety of clients and presentations, from personal development goals to mental health spectrum based work. I also work as a clinical supervisor, and head up Beverley Blackman Associates (please see website for more details).

Something isn’t quite right. It may be that you can’t stop yourself from worrying. Or you are compulsively avoiding things (places, people, certain situations). Perhaps you find yourself flying into a sudden, uncontrollable, panic. It may be that you are feeling down: you can’t shake the sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness in your life. You may be feeling worthless and guilty too. It could be your relationships that aren’t working (partner, friends, family, boss, or colleagues). Perhaps past experiences are haunting you so that you lose your connection to the present and the people in it. Perhaps it's all of the above.

“We almost always have choices, and the better the choice, the more we will be in control of our lives“. In my counseling sessions, I am committed to create a safe, warm, non-judgmental and confidential space within which you can freely address life's difficulties in a creative and meaningful way. My approach is integrative, derived from different therapeutic methods including third-waves cognitive therapy (such as schema therapy and ACT) and Mindfulness-based therapy. I also apply psychoeducation in order to optimise the effectiveness of my therapy sessions including self-awareness, anger management and stress management skills.

I am a fully qualified, experienced and accredited psychotherapist, specialist in psychosexual & relationship therapy, couples therapy, and the treatment of compulsive sexual behaviours. I am a clinical traumatologist specialist in providing therapy for survivors of sexual abuse. I offer clinical supervision to psychotherapists, psychologists, counsellors and other mental health professionals. I hold a full professional insurance.

We could all do with help sometimes. I get it. Our world is imperfect and challenging and there is no way to know what life throws next. You may have experienced a loss or trauma and others around you cannot grasp its magnitude. Or you may have resorted to ways of coping that harm you and cannot break free. Or perhaps you are tired of recurrent disappointments, rejections, criticism that have affected how you feel within yourself and your relationships. Forming a genuine connection with each other in therapy will hopefully make it possible for you to work toward changes or make what you cannot change easier to bear.

I firmly believe that we are fundamentally relational beings, ones that need security, understanding & care above all else. Real change comes not from trying to fix thinking patterns, self-concepts or the past, but in shifting relational dynamics in the here and now and finding new ways of being with another. This is what I focus on in therapy with my clients, and I draw on my background and experience in modern relational psychoanalysis, developmental theory, and in depth study of phenomenology & existential philosophy to look at what emerges and how that can inform meaningful change in your life.

I can help you become the person you want to be. Move forward from a trauma or loss. Rediscover the joy in your relationships. Accept the Negatives - Rediscover the Positives. Understand and change your unhelpful patterns. Perhaps you are going through a difficult time in your life and are not sure where to turn? maybe things seem impossible or unbearable? or has someone has suggested that you "need to talk to ? Whatever your situation, I can offer you Time and Space in a Safe Environment, where I hope you will feel secure enough to begin to unload your burden.

Do you suffer from home and work-based anxiety, stress management, workplace performance, grief/bereavement and/or family conflict? Clients seeing me want help to succeed at work, help with achieving work/life balance from COVID-19, and help resolving communication difficulties with co-workers and family members. Clients who see me come for solutions to problems, not drawn out therapy or coaching. My aim is to help you in a minimal amount of time, for an affordable price that beats out most psychologists and coaches.

Therapy works whatever the presentation when the connection with the client/patient is a positive one and it becomes a mutual endeavour to feel better and work in goals. The majority of clients present with wanting help with relationships and/or sex. Therapy helps deepen both physical and sexual intimacy and invariably better understanding of relationships. Many of my clients want to improve sex and their relationships. People want to be understood and not shamed for their thoughts, actions feelings

Welcome! My therapy approach comes from perspectives of holistic, systemic, and trauma-informed. In Systemic Therapy I examine patterns of interactions and behaviours to determine why the issues are presenting themselves, and support you in making changes. The aim is to help the individual, couple or family gain a better understanding of self not only from an individual level but a relational perspective as well

In a therapeutic relationship we need to feel safe, where there is trust and unconditional acceptance, to allow us to explore difficult and challenging experiences. I am able to offer you a safe environment which is non-judgemental and a confidential space, this will allow you to explore your experiences to gain better insight. Life can often make us feel that we are unable cope, therefore we can become isolated, alone or set apart from society. I am here to share your exploration, supporting you to access better self-awareness; allowing you to implement good patterns of behaviours, leading to a healthier you.

I work predominantly with adults who have experienced trauma or negative life experiences which have impacted on their sexual functioning, mental health, emotional well-being and relationships. I offer both short and long term therapy for clients wishing to gain a better understanding of their lives and experiences and provide strategies and interventions to enable my clients to live the lives they want to live. I work with people who have sexual problems and who wish to achieve a happy and healthy sexual identity.