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Matt
FAQs
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What are Your Fees and Cancellation policy?
Face to face: £40 per 50-minute session
Online/Phone: £40 per 50-minute session
Payment is made by cash or card at the end of each session or by bank transfer in advance.
For online sessions, payment is to be made by bank transfer prior to the session or I can issue an after-session invoice which you can pay using a bank or credit card.
If you need to cancel the session for any reason a minimum 24 hours’ notice is required.
What is Your Training?
- Diploma Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy, N.S.P.C London
- Certificate Existential Counselling & Psychotherapy, N.S.P.C London
- Diploma in Gestalt Therapy & Theory, Gestalt Centre London
- Mindfulness Teacher Training, UK College of Mindfulness Meditation
- Level 1 & 2 Couples Therapy: Clinical Training, The Gottman Institute, Seattle
I also undertake a minimum of 30 hours Continuing Professional Development per year.
Do You Work With Couples?
Yes, I use the Gottman Method of Couples Therapy which is based on Dr. John Gottman’s research that began in the 1970’s and continues to this day. The research has focused on what makes relationships succeed or fail. From this research, Drs. John and Julie Gottman have created a method of therapy that emphasizes a “nuts-and-bolts” approach to improving clients’ relationships.
This method is designed to help teach specific tools to deepen friendship and intimacy in your relationship. To help you productively manage conflicts, you will be given methods to manage “resolvable problems” and dialogue about “gridlocked” (or perpetual) issues. We will also work together to help you appreciate your relationship’s strengths and to gently navigate through its vulnerabilities.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy consists of five parts:
- Assessment
- Treatment
- “Phasing Out” of Therapy
- Termination
- Outcome Evaluation
In the first few sessions, you’ll be given some written materials to complete that will help us better understand your relationship. In the first session we will talk about the history of your relationship, areas of concern, and goals for treatment.
Most of the work will involve sessions where you will be seen together as a couple. However, there may be times when individual sessions are recommended. I may also give you exercises to practice between sessions.
Who Can Benefit from Therapy?
Many people come to a therapist when they are distressed by certain events and/or are unhappy with parts of their lives.
- They may be feeling a variety of difficult emotions such as grief, disappointment, confusion, sadness, loneliness, despair, anxiety.
- They may be uncertain about how to move forward in their lives.
- They may have conflicts, dilemmas or worries that they wish to resolve.
- Others come to a therapist to explore and expand their understanding of themselves to improve their lives.
Comprehensive reviews of all the research indicate that about 65% of those who stick with therapy will have a positive outcome compared with only about 35% of those who do not receive a treatment.
For more information see: Lambert, M. J. (2013). The efficacy and effectiveness of psychotherapy. In M. J. Lambert (Ed.), Bergin and Garfield’s handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change (6th ed., 169–218). New York, NY: Wiley.
What is Your Role as Therapist?
My role as therapist is to provide a safe space for you to express your thoughts and feelings and explore the aspects of your life that you feel are important.
Developing a trusting, understanding relationship with a therapist is fundamentally important to the success of therapy. I will not judge you, direct you, or unilaterally set goals for the therapy (although we can work on goals together, if you like).
My role is to facilitate a process whereby you can find your own meanings, truths and solutions. Since you are an expert in your life you can contribute to the decision-making process.
What Do I Need to Do?
To get the most out of therapy you should talk openly and honestly about your problems, thoughts, feelings, regardless of how personal or painful they may be. You will always be listened to non-judgmentally and your confidentiality is protected by law (see below).
Ideally you will fully invest and engage in the in-session and out-of-session activities that you and your therapist come up with as part of your treatment.
Any feedback, positive or negative, regarding your therapy, therapist and therapy progress is strongly desired. You should aim to provide regular feedback, good or bad, and when the time comes for you to end therapy you should, ideally, discuss this with your therapist.
What is Your Approach?
I draw on several therapeutic approaches and am most extensively trained in the existential approach. This approach emphasizes the human condition as a whole and aims to use therapy to:
- examine and work with our strengths and capabilities
- discover unexplored possibilities and new potentials
- acknowledge and explore human limitations
- clarify and develop personal meaning
- invite you to develop greater awareness of your own moment to moment experience
I also incorporate mindfulness in my approach to therapy.
Mindfulness can:
- make us more aware of our present moment experience
- enable us to experience life more fully
- significantly change the way we relate to difficult feelings and experiences
- enable us to appreciate more fully the good things in our lives
- Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and help with depression and anxiety.
I have experience working with bereavement, stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, anger management and marital/relationship problems, including infidelity and porn addiction. I have worked successfully with many clients in all these areas.
I have supplementary training in Bereavement, Relationship Counselling, Depression, Anger, Stress/Anxiety and Dealing with Suicide, please ask for more details.
How Long Should Therapy Last?
Studies show that the average amount of time needed for 50% of clients to feel better is 20 sessions, however this is just an average. Some people find they only need a few sessions, some prefer to stay in therapy for a long period of time.
We can agree to a fixed timeframe or leave it open ended. You are not obliged to stick to any timeframe and can leave at any time.
Often goals and focus change. As some problems gets addressed and resolved others may surface. Sometimes the initial problem area may be resolved, but you prefer to enter a longer period of self-development in conjunction with your therapist.
How Soon Will I Start To Notice Things Getting Better?
Although it will probably take a little while for you to experience recovery from the problems that led you to seek out treatment, you will likely notice some improvements early on.
Many clients will notice some gains in their general sense of wellbeing after just a few sessions. These early improvements may include increased hope and optimism or the relief that comes from sharing your problems with someone, knowing he or she understands, and that there is a way to overcome them.
Although these early gains are a good sign, they do not always signify lasting change. There is more work to be done! It typically takes continued sessions and effort to notice a more enduring reduction in your symptoms and for things to get back to normal in your life (i.e., at work or school, with family and friends).
What If I Feel Worse?
Change doesn’t always come easily! In therapy you may be asked to face some of your fears and pains. Although you should notice a general progression over time, there may be some ups and downs. Experiencing the downs or setbacks need not always be taken as a sign that therapy is failing. Instead, it may be a sign that you are doing some very difficult work.
At the same time, the setbacks should not be all that you experience. When you do notice some setbacks, talk to your therapist and see if together a plan can be developed to get you through them as quickly as possible.
Is Everything I Say Confidential?
All information disclosed in therapy sessions is treated as confidential. However, there are specific instances in which it may be necessary to breach confidentiality. These are very rare, and I will discuss them in the first session. I will wherever possible, inform you before taking this action. Please see General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Information.
Do You Have Online Therapy?
Yes, if we agree to have sessions via video conference, I will provide a link to a secure online counselling platform. If, due to technology failure, we are unable to hold a video session or must stop part way through, we can agree to continue via telephone or stop until the next scheduled session. If we agree to stop and less than 40 minutes of the session have been completed, then a partial refund will be offered based on the approximate number of minutes lost.
