Frequently asked questions

FAQ

Common questions

What is therapy?

In many ways, mental health is just like physical health: everybody has it and we need to take care of it.

Good mental health means being generally able to think, feel and react in the ways that you need and want to live your life. But if you go through a period of poor mental health you might find the ways you're frequently thinking, feeling or reacting become difficult, or even impossible, to cope with. This can feel just as bad as a physical illness, or even worse.

Mental health problems affect around one in four people in any given year. The most common struggles are depression and anxiety.

What should I know before I start?

You’ll get the best results from your therapy if you’re open and honest with your therapist, say how you’re really feeling, and ask any questions you have.

Your relationship with your therapist is very important. If you’re to work effectively together, you should feel safe and able to take risks by disclosing and discussing sensitive issues. That includes being able to give them honest feedback on how you feel about your therapy and how you’re working together.

How does a psychotherapist’s training impact how I feel in the room with them?

I offer a unique blend of the below psychotherapy techniques and theories to suit what fits you and your needs.

Psychodynamic

This focuses on your history and childhood. There is often a lots of silence because you are leading the conversation and they are listening. You explore family as where you learned ways of being and thinking in the world. So, the work is reviewing the unconscious learnings from family or when you began telling yourself the stories you believe about yourself, others, the world and then updating that to the present - what you really believe now.

Relational

We are two people building a space of connection, therapist and client. It should feel warm, engaging, thoughts of “I like this person and they like me” feel clear. You will know a bit about your therapist right away. The focus is on your relationships in your life and your identity and how you interact with other people - what it feels like to be you in different relationships.

Transpersonal, Psychosynthesis, Existential
This focus is on a wider lens of who you are as a human being, what existence is all about for you, what you want for your life, how you see yourself in the world, what does the freedom of choice feel like to you, what happens after you die?

Trauma Trained
This is very important and different from trauma informed. Trauma trained is someone who can ensure you are kept safe while healing the wounds the deep emotional pain, the fear/hate/rage, the angst that overwhelms you into freeze depressive episodes or tearful collapse and isolating you from everything, the abusive ex that still haunts you, the abusive parent or family member that is still in your life and you feel stuck having to be in their life, the traumatic moment where you felt panic, the panic you feel just going about your day to day... these are complex mental health spaces and deserve MSc Level Accreditation Trained or Trauma Certified Practitioner.

What is the Therapeutic Relationship Model?

In psychotherapy, your change process and the support you get through this relationship is not limited to our Live sessions. There is an entire foundation I set up for you that has elements based on research and required best practice in the UK. This structure of elements makes sure your health and your transformation process can be safely experienced and therapeutic.

Our psychotherapy space, starting with your choice to participate in therapy, is a process that facilitates change through our live sessions, relationship and your reflections and/or behavior in daily life. It also includes my clinical psychotherapeutic expertise, our relationship and crucial less visible elements that impact your transformation.

This model recognises that the process is relational, built on the continuous connection between us, and makes all essential parts of therapy more clear.

In psychotherapy the process is not limited to the session itself. Alongside the time we meet live, the elements involved continue between meetings through:

Ongoing reflection of our work
Emotional and physical processing
Clinical supervision
Note-keeping
Therapist therapy
Continuing professional development
Backbone business structures development
Preparing both the physical and psychological space
And more…

These elements help maintain a safe and ethical psychotherapeutic practice. Some are legally required and others are maintained from an ethical stance, with research and theoretical underpinnings as to their importance.

What is my Psychotherapeutic Rationale?

Therapy Is a Continuous Process

Therapeutic work often extends beyond the session itself. Alongside the time we meet, it includes preparation, note-keeping, supervision, professional development, and ongoing reflection of the work. These elements help maintain a safe therapeutic process and continue whether or not a session takes place in a particular week. Some are legally required and others are maintained from an ethical stance with research and theoretical underpinnings as to their importance. Creating a safe and ethical therapeutic frame is important for creating a therapeutic alliance where relational connection can be counted on to exist and hold the emotional and psychological change process.

Stability Supports a Sustainable Practice

A fixed monthly rate offers clarity and financial predictability for both of us. For the therapist, a structure that allows predictable scheduling and income helps maintain a balanced and sustainable practice. This in turn helps ensure that the work can be held with steadiness, presence and care, lending strength and care to your therapeutic change process.

A Widely Used Professional Model

A salaried or subscription-style approach is common in many contexts. It is increasingly common in therapeutic and other professional settings where a regular place is reserved. For example, gym memberships are paid monthly regardless of attendance, families secure nursery placements by paying for an ongoing placement. This arrangement reflects the commitment to holding all elements of the therapeutic process in relationship, while allowing flexibility of practical life.

Your Space Is Held for You

Both the physical and mental space provided involves professional time, preparation, and sustained commitment. This time is prioritised for you and forms part of the steady framework that supports a safe therapeutic process. Therefore, the monthly payment reflects this continuity, the holding of your place within the practice and maintaining a therapeutic framework, rather than payment for a single session alone.

Ongoing-Process

This is an ongoing process and so with open conversation and feedback I am committed to shaping the Therapeutic Relationship Model in a way that is mutually beneficial and facilitates your change goals.

How much is the investment?

Practical structure

Across 12 months you receive up to 47 sessions — 35 live and 12 non-linear contact sessions. That is 3–4 live and 1 non-linear contact session per month. A monthly exchange of £280 spread across 12 months covers all the essential elements of the full therapeutic process and practical offerings. This structure forms part of the framework of the Therapeutic Relationship Model and is applied to all clients consistently.

Transformational Depth

By providing 47 sessions annually — well above the average of 35–40 — I create a reliable container for deep, relational change. I think it is a more consistent space, with richer experiences than the average weekly therapy model.

Live Sessions

60 minutes on Zoom at an agreed day and time slot that is held for you across 12 months.

Non-linear Contact Sessions

A full week of non-linear creative space. You will have your own personal folder where I share tailored information to support your journey, and we can connect in your own time across the week. The last full week of each month, creating a gentler rhythm to the work. Safe, confidential and secure personal space.

LPO online library

Full access 24hrs to a library of information which is continually growing.

Payment Exchange

A set monthly exchange of £280 spread over 12 calendar months.

Evolutions

Full access to new features that may evolve with the model — for example, I hope to include community and group spaces.

Online or in person?

BACP guidance is clear: the relationship with your therapist matters most, and that holds whether you're in the same room or not. Online, we can still explore how you're feeling, understand what you're going through, and work toward real change. Many clients choose online sessions because it fits their life better, and because it removes the limit of needing a therapist based near you — which is exactly why I work with English (US) and Brazilian Portuguese speakers internationally, wherever they're based.