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About Psychotherapy

People seek a therapist for many reasons and at different stages of life. Some through a point of crisis, others through a sense of deep sadness, lack of direction, or feeling of not belonging. Whatever it is that brings you to look for help, you may find that speaking about your difficulties to someone who is trained to listen carefully may affect you in many ways.

I am a psychoanalytic psychotherapist working with adults and adolescents, many of whom have suffered through depression, anxiety, broken or difficult relationships, bereavement, loss, or crises of identity.

I also help those who are struggling with gender issues, work problems, a sense of not belonging, panic attacks, self-harm, stress and abuse.

I offer medium to long term work but am available for short term therapy if there is a specific issue you wish to address.

Psychotherapy takes place at least once a week at an agreed time. Some people choose to attend more frequently than this.

During this period of corona virus with attendant lock-down and distancing I am continuing to work, using video systems including FaceTime and Zoom.

About Psychoanalysis

While short-term approaches focus on resolving immediate issues, psychoanalysts believe the symptoms people bring that are causing them distress can be traced back to a deeper disquiet and that even if they are “cured” in the short term, they are likely to return a different fashion. Psychoanalysis requires more time than other talking therapies. It is this time that allows you to look at your life in more detail, to explore patterns of behaviour and enduring beliefs developed over the course of your life which are no longer helping you. Over time, through trust, it may become possible to approach some of the wishes and fears that might be traced to the origins of your distress. Psychoanalysis requires at least twice weekly sessions.

Both psychotherapy and psychoanalysis can involve talking about your history and early family relationships. They take into consideration the wider social environment and its impact on how you are today. You will be helped to understand your experiences through your own words and in your own way.  There will be space for you to think about how you want to be for yourself.

 

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About Katy Bell

Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), I have worked psychotherapeutically in the NHS for many years within multidisciplinary teams which  address the psychological, social and emotional needs of patients. I have also worked as a therapist in special and mainstream education and within third sector multiagency organisations.

I trained with The Site for Contemporary Psychoanalysis in London. This is a postgraduate training organisation and member of the Council for Psychoanalysis and Jungian Psychoanalysis College (CPJA) of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I am a full clinical member of the UKCP.

The Site was established by psychotherapists and analysts who wished to create a training programme and an association that would foster critical, reflective and imaginative thinking about psychoanalysis and its contemporary practices.

What I offer

Meeting regularly with a therapist who is trained to listen can be a way of clearing space in a demanding world to allow the possibility of thought, quiet reflection and questioning alongside someone who will accompany you at your own pace.

Trained over many years in a variety of clinical settings, as a psychoanalytic psychotherapist I undertake both psychotherapy, which requires a minimum of once-weekly sessions, and more in-depth psychoanalytic work which involves meeting at least twice-weekly. The frequency and depth of the work depends on individual choice and need. I also offer short-term counselling sessions.

Sessions

When you make contact, we will arrange an initial meeting. Here you can experience whether you might feel comfortable talking about your thoughts and feelings.

Following the initial meeting, there will be an opportunity for you to decide in an unhurried way whether you would like to go ahead with therapy. If you wish to do this we will agree a regular time for sessions. This will be your time, held for you each week. A fee is negotiated depending on your circumstances and what you can afford.

“Where Do I Start?”

Some people come with things they want to talk about quite clear in their mind, others come because they feel lost or confused. We will meet in a comfortable, confidential setting in which you can talk about the things that are troubling you as well as the things that have brought you pleasure.

It is for you to guide the pace of the work. I won’t use complex jargon or obscure terms but will try to help you use your own language to understand your experiences.

Fees

I currently charge fees in the range of £35-£60 per session.

The fee for an initial 70-minute consultation is £45.

I charge for sessions which are missed by you as this is time I have put aside for you. If I can re-arrange a session, given a minimum 3 working days’ notice, I will do so.

People I Help

I work with people from a range of social and cultural origins, orientations and states of health. Most of my work is with adults and adolescents.

People who come for help are often experiencing depression or anxiety, feeling stuck in difficult or broken relationships, have suffered loss, describe a sense of hopelessness, lack of direction, or perception of not belonging.

Other issues I help with include, but are not restricted to:

  • stress
  • bereavement
  • gender issues
  • panic attacks
  • self-harm
  • abuse

Through talking, questioning and reflecting you will begin to understand the influences and impressions that have shaped your life. You may notice aspects of yourself which had previously been obscured.  Over time, you may find yourself making shifts in the ways you negotiate the demands and desires of everyday living. Small changes seed important differences.

People who have had psychotherapy or analysis say they lead a more self-compassionate and balanced life.