I am a warm approachable individual and have over twenty years of experience working as a psychotherapist, supervisor and lecturer in the private sector. I have a range of approaches including integrative, in which I can incorporate the use of art, and a psychoanalytical framework and E.M.D.R .
I offer practical support strategies and treatment plan to guide our work together. I draw on training and experience from a range of evidence-based methods. In my experience therapy is most effective when different approaches are adapted to meet the needs of each person.
Relationships with oneself and others
Adults and older adolescents who feel personally unfulfilled to some degree – either in terms of self-esteem or the quality of their intimate relationships may find themselves unable to make meaningful changes on their own.
The desired outcomes – a better sense of oneself, deeper, more satisfying relationships - emerge gradually as an interaction between the experience of each session and experience in real life. At times of crisis or near crisis, or in moments of feeling stuck, it can be helpful to have objective imput from a neutral party, someone who is outside your life. I can listen to your story and respond with candor and insight, giving you stimulating feedback and a fresh perspective.
Depression and anxiety
The symptoms of depression vary from person to person. Some people find they are unable to sleep whilst others find they want to sleep all the time. Likewise, some people have no appetite whilst others eat compulsively. Commonly experienced feelings are hopelessness, low self-esteem a sense of disappointment or being let down by others and pointlessness.
The mood can be one of sadness, irritability or‘deadness’ inside. Life is being seen through a negative lens which colours and distorts everything around them. A large number of people also experience clinical anxiety concurrent with clinical depression. Anxiety is characterised by excessive worry about a specific issue or, more generally, a problematically heightened level of stress. The condition makes it difficult to relax or get good nights sleep. Among the common physical symptoms is trembling, muscle tension, headaches, hot flushes or being startled easily. Increased irritability is a common symptom as well. Over the years I have helped many people suffering from different kinds of depression and anxiety disorders.
EMDR Explained
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing. (EMDR) Emdr is a therapy that helps people heal feelings of psychological distress. When we experience traumatic events the thoughts, feelings and memories we have about those events can get stuck. It can be hard to move on from them.
The aim of EMDR is to help the brain to process distressing memories by stimulating memory networks in the brain using bilateral stimulation eye movements. This reduces their influence and allows people to develop ways to gain new perspectives and more effectively get on with their lives.
Although initially developed to work with trauma EMDR is now used for a range of psychological difficulties including anxiety, eating disorders and depression and addictions. I work with individuals from my practice in Belsize Park and specialise in addiction at the Marylebone clinic, central London.
Eating disorders and Addictions
The most effective and compassionate psychotherapeutic models view addictions and compulsions as coping stratagies gone awry, an individuals attempt to solve emotional difficulties that have become problematic themselves.
Expert help is usually needed to lessen shame , understand the behaviour, devise practical recovery strategies to lead to a happier life.
Exploring the process of emotional regulation which they serve enables one to rediscover the key element of choice and to meet the underlying needs in a more productive way. Thus one can not only recover from an eating disorder but grow into a more fully realised human being.
Work Issues
People sometimes feel stuck in there line of work, that they are not doing the ‘right job’ and or feeling they are not reaching their potential, their ‘best self’. Sometimes the problem can be managing the stress levels of work or difficulties with relationships at work. It is possible to resolve these issues through a combination of behavioural and cognitive techniques and the therapeutic process of self-examination.
Bereavement and loss
Episodes of loss may challenge our ability to handle extreme levels of emotional pain. A certain period of adjustment, when we are not at our best, is to be expected. However sometimes we feel overwhelmed by the demands of the transition and remain paralysed by our grief, unable to pass through the bereavement to resume a more satisfying life. I have helped many men and women move on through the debilitating effects of grief and loss.
A safe place to talk
I saw Francesca for long term counselling as I was wanted to have a space to speak about childhood trauma. I am so glad I chose to meet with Francesca. She made me feel comfortable, and I felt like I could share all of my experiences with her and not fear judgement. I got the sense that she really empathised with my experiences and helped me to find ways to challenge my thoughts about myself. I feel that by seeing Francesca I’ve been able to lessen the impact of the traumatic childhood experiences on my life and I feel much happier that I’ve been able to do so.
Counselling Belsize Park | Councellor Hampstead | Psychotherapy North London
