How I Work with Clients

People come to therapy with very different needs.

Some are seeking structured, evidence-based support to manage symptoms and function more effectively in daily life. Others are looking for space to reflect, understand themselves more deeply, and work through complex emotional or relational experiences.

Both are valid reasons to begin therapy — and often, both are present at the same time.

My role is not to fit you into a model, but to offer therapy that is responsive, thoughtful, and clinically grounded.

Integrative Therapy: What It Means

As an integrative therapist, I do not believe that one therapeutic approach suits everyone.

Instead, I draw from several evidence-based psychological models, integrating them carefully and intentionally. The focus of our work is shaped by your needs, values, capacity, and goals — and it can evolve over time.

Different challenges require different kinds of support. Some situations call for clarity and structure; others require safety, reflection, or depth. We decide together what will be most helpful at each stage of the process.

My Clinical Foundation: CBT-Informed Practice

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) forms an important part of my clinical foundation.

When clinically appropriate, I may use:

• Structured therapeutic tools

• Behavioural strategies

• Psychoeducation

CBT helps us understand the links between thoughts, emotions, behaviours, and physiological responses. It is particularly effective for:

• Anxiety and panic

• Depression

• Unhelpful thinking patterns

• Developing coping and self-regulation skills

For some clients, this structure provides clarity and stability. For others, therapy may be more relational, reflective, or trauma-focused.

CBT is never applied mechanically. Techniques are used through clinical judgement — not by default.

Therapeutic Approaches I Integrate

Person-Centred Therapy

You are at the centre of the therapeutic process. I offer a warm, respectful, and non-judgmental relationship in which your experience is taken seriously. Psychological safety and trust are the foundation for meaningful change.

Psychodynamic Therapy

Some current difficulties are connected to earlier experiences and relational patterns. This approach helps explore how the past may influence the present, allowing insight, emotional integration, and greater choice.

Schema Therapy

Schema therapy focuses on long-standing emotional and relational patterns formed early in life. It supports the development of healthier ways of meeting core emotional needs and responding to yourself and others.

Mindfulness-Based Approaches

Mindfulness supports awareness and regulation without judgment. It can help reduce emotional reactivity, manage anxiety, and create space between experience and response.

Trauma-Informed & Trauma-Focused Work

My work recognises the impact of trauma on the nervous system, identity, relationships, and sense of safety.

Trauma-informed therapy prioritises:

• Safety and appropriate pacing

• Choice and collaboration

• Trust and transparency

• Empowerment and agency

You are never required to go deeper than feels safe, useful, or meaningful.

Working with Complex, Developmental & Institutional Trauma

Some experiences do not fit neatly into diagnostic categories. Clients may struggle not only with symptoms, but with a profound loss of trust — in people, systems, or their own perceptions.

When working with complex, developmental, institutional, or moral trauma, I focus on:

• Restoring safety and internal boundaries

• Reconnecting with bodily and emotional signals

• Using language as a tool for integration and meaning-making

• Rebuilding a sense of choice, dignity, and personal authority

This work unfolds gradually. Rather than pushing for rapid change, therapy allows the nervous system to settle and new inner capacities to emerge.

Depth or Focus: How We Decide

Not all therapy needs to be long-term or exploratory.

Some clients benefit from structured, focused work to stabilise, regulate, and regain clarity — particularly during periods of acute stress or high responsibility.

Others feel ready to explore deeper relational patterns, identity questions, or the longer-term impact of trauma, displacement, or moral injury.

We decide together what kind of work will serve you best — and this focus can change over time.

Depth in therapy is never imposed.

What This Means for You

Therapy with me is always individualised.

Some clients benefit primarily from practical tools. Others from relational depth. Many from a thoughtful integration of both.

Therapy is a collaborative process. You bring your lived experience; I bring psychological expertise, ethical responsibility, and a steady therapeutic presence to support meaningful and lasting change.