If you are feeling emotionally out of balance or don’t feel you are coping with a difficult situation, psychotherapy can help you in your journey towards psychological and emotional health. Yet, thanks to the media, it is frequently misunderstood. The word “psychotherapy” is often associated with Freudian-inspired stereotype of the seated therapist “analysing” a client who lays on a couch.

What is Psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy, like counselling, is a broad term for different types of talking therapy. There has been much debate over the years about what distinguishes counselling and psychotherapy, for example, the “depth” into which the therapy goes. In line with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), I choose to use the terms “counselling” and “psychotherapy” interchangeably. And, while some therapists work entirely or primarily in one specific form of psychotherapy, I choose a flexible approach, tailored to each client.

There are innumerable types of therapy, but the appropriate approach for you is the one that best suits your difficulties, outlook, and therapeutic goals, as well as your current life situation. At Achieving Balance, your treatment plan is uniquely tailored to your needs. For example, we might using discussion to reach better understanding, role-play to practise interactions, or agree a between-session task, in which you practice new behaviours that were identified in therapy, or write a journal or letter to help you to order your thoughts. In addition, while psychotherapy is most often performed in a one-to-one setting, if your situation calls for it, we may agree to invite your partner, children, or other loved ones to join for one or more sessions.

Why Choose Achieving Balance for Psychotherapy?

I strive to create a personalised, flexible approach to therapy that meets my clients’ needs in many different ways. I provide the therapy or combination of therapies that, in my professional opinion, best matches your needs and this decision is arrived upon collaboratively with you in a transparent way.

This flexibility extends far beyond the type of therapy. I will also try to provide appointment times on short notice, work with you to develop a timetable for both session length and frequency that fits your schedule, and make myself available for early morning and late evening sessions as needed. If you have a particular challenge that has been a barrier to therapy in the past, let me know and I will do my best to help you find a way to work around it. For more information about psychotherapy, you can read my recent psychotherapy article here.

If you are interested in a free, 20-minute consultation to see if psychotherapy is right for you, please feel free to contact me on 020 7096 8854 or email me at martin@achievingbalance.co.uk. I am available from 8.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Thursday, and Friday mornings.