How I work — and what Gestalt actually is
Gestalt, in plain English
Gestalt therapy works with every part of a person — not just the problem you arrived with.
It's interested in how your past has shaped the here and now: not to excavate your childhood for its own sake, but because the patterns you learned then are often still running the show. We look at what's happening in the present moment, in the room, as much as at the story.
It's a creative way of working. Depending on what suits you, that might mean using objects, drawing, movement, imagining a conversation with someone who isn't there, or simply noticing what your body does when a certain subject comes up. It also involves challenge — gently, and with your permission — and shifts of perspective, so that something you've looked at the same way for years can be seen from a different angle.
If none of that appeals, that's genuinely fine. We work with what you're open to.
Step one
Before we start: the introduction call
Everyone begins with a free 30-minute introduction call, by phone or video, usually in the same week you get in touch.
It's a chance to hear how I work, ask anything you like, and see whether I feel like the right fit. There's no obligation at the end of it — and if I'm not the right person for what you're bringing, I'll say so and point you somewhere better.
Step two
Your first session
The first session is about getting to know each other.
We'll talk about what's going on for you and what brought you here. We'll start to shape what you want out of counselling — your goals, in whatever language suits you — and we'll agree what the sessions ahead might look like.
You don't need to arrive with a tidy account of your life. Most people don't.
From there
What ongoing work looks like
Whatever you want it to look like.
That isn't a dodge. Some people work best with structure and something to focus on each week. Others need the space to arrive and see what surfaces. Some want to work creatively; others would rather talk. We'll find your version, and we'll keep checking it still fits.
Sessions are 50 minutes. Most people come weekly, though we'll agree what works for you. There's no fixed number of sessions — some people come for a few months, others longer, and it's a conversation we keep having rather than a decision made on day one.
What I hope you take away
Two things.
A good experience of therapy — because a bad one puts people off for years, and everyone deserves to know what this can be like at its best.
And some real movement on the things you came in with.
Get in touch to arrange your free introduction call