When Life Feels Difficult
Life isn't always easy, and there are times when we can find ourselves struggling in ways we don't quite understand.
Perhaps you're feeling anxious, unhappy or overwhelmed. You might be going through a difficult time in a relationship, coping with a loss or facing changes in your life that have left you feeling uncertain.
Sometimes it's harder to put your finger on what's wrong. You may feel stuck, find yourself reacting to situations in ways you don't really want to, or notice that the same difficulties seem to keep appearing in your life.
You might simply feel that something needs to change, even if you're not yet sure what that change might look like.
Whatever has brought you here, you don't need to have all the answers before asking for support.
Individual therapy offers you somewhere to talk things through, make sense of what you're experiencing and begin to understand yourself in a different way.
How I Work
One of the things I believe very strongly is that we're all fundamentally OK, even when life feels difficult or we find ourselves behaving in ways we don't particularly like.
There are reasons why we think, feel and respond to things as we do. Often, those reasons are connected to our earlier experiences, the relationships we've had and the ways we've learned to manage life.
Sometimes the very things that helped us cope in the past can become the things that make life more difficult now.
I work in a warm, open and collaborative way, drawing on Transactional Analysis and an understanding of how we develop through our relationships and experiences.
I'm not here to judge you, tell you what you should do or decide what's best for your life.
Instead, we'll explore things together. We might begin to notice patterns you hadn't recognised before, understand why certain situations affect you so strongly or discover that there are other ways of responding to the difficulties you're facing.
For me, therapy is about helping you understand yourself more fully, so that you have more freedom to make choices that feel right for you.
What Might Bring You to Individual Therapy?
People come to therapy for all sorts of reasons, and there's no particular kind of problem you need to have.
You might be struggling with anxiety, low mood, grief or loss. Perhaps your confidence has taken a knock, relationships have become difficult, or you're finding it hard to adjust to changes in your life.
You may have experiences from earlier in your life that still affect you today. These might involve family relationships, adoption, questions about identity or a sense of not quite knowing where you belong.
Or perhaps things look reasonably fine from the outside, but inside you feel dissatisfied, uncertain or simply curious about why you are the way you are.
Sometimes people come to therapy because something has happened. Others come because something has been troubling them for years.
Whatever your circumstances, we can begin with what's important to you.
What to Expect from Individual Therapy
Our first meeting is an opportunity for us to get to know one another.
I'll want to understand a little about what has brought you to therapy, what life is like for you at the moment and what you might hope to gain from our work together.
You won't be expected to tell me everything straight away. Some things take time to talk about, and that's absolutely fine.
As we work together, we'll begin to explore the experiences, feelings and patterns that may be contributing to your difficulties.
There may be things you come to understand about yourself that you hadn't recognised before. You might begin to see familiar situations differently, feel more confident in your decisions or discover new ways of managing the challenges in your life.
Therapy isn't about becoming a different person. It's about understanding and accepting yourself more fully, while finding ways to make the changes you want.
We'll work at a pace that feels right for you.
Sessions and Fees
Individual therapy sessions last 60 minutes and cost £75.
We can meet in person in Lincoln or online, whichever works best for you.
Before arranging your first appointment, I like to have an initial conversation so that we can talk about what you're looking for, answer any questions you might have and see whether working together feels right.
Taking the Next Step
It isn't always easy to ask for help, particularly if you're someone who's used to coping with things on your own.
You may have been thinking about therapy for some time, or perhaps it's only recently occurred to you that talking to someone might help.
You don't need to wait until things become unbearable, and you don't need to know exactly what you want to say.
Whether you're facing a particular difficulty, trying to make sense of something from your past or simply wanting life to feel different, you're very welcome to get in touch.
We can start with a conversation and take things from there.
You're in safe hands.