Private Psychology Consulting
Who I work with
Finding the right fit
I started my psychology practice in the late 1990s working with people who were confronting real life issues. I worked with children who were trying to do better at school, couples who wanted to build stronger relationships, and adults who wanted to overcome anxiety or intrusive thoughts.
Athletes and Teams:
For about 20 years, my career focussed on working with elite athletes. This was interesting and exciting. But with hindsight, the most important part was what I learnt about how to practically build and use mental health and mental strength. I still work in sport, but I am also interested in applying principles about focus, values and anxiety to every day life.
Current individual clients:
If you are curious about your own psychology, and anywhere between being really good at something and wanting to get even better, to feeling as if you are being held back by anxiety, sadness or obsessive thinking, you are welcome to get in touch.
My approach
Method and Theory
My method is to work one to one in fully focussed conversations. Nowadays this happens mainly online. It is also possible to meet face-to-face, and occasionally I consult while walking - either in London or in the countryside.
My original training was in psychodynamic psychotherapy. But over the years I have build a theoretical approach that is grounded in Positive Psychology (an emphasis on skills) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
However I have been influenced by my experience of working in elite sport, and my work on values, anxiety and relationships is informed by practical techniques that work under acute and chronic pressure.
Me and You
Balancing self and other
One of the fundamental challenges in life is balancing our need and right to care for ourselves with our obligation and need to look after others - often the others who look after us. This is the Me and You part of life.
This tension is complex, and the balance changes as we navigate through life as children, partners, friends, parents, colleagues, and carers.
Martin Seligman’s PERMA (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment) is a useful framework to help structure conversations and reflections about our lives.
My own book “10 Rules for Talking” informs how I work with relationships and communication. And Jonathan Haidt’s Moral Foundations Theory is a helpful way to understand personal and collective values.
Mental Health & Mental Strength
There are many ways to understand the relationship between performance and wellbeing. I use the terms Mental Health and Mental Strength to emphasise the similarities and differences.
My understanding is that Mental Health (best described by Martin Seligman’s PERMA) is the foundation of Mental Strength. It provides the energy and the perspective necessary to perform well under pressure.
The Mental Strength model that I use is Focus, Confidence, Motivation. This is a culturally and historically common model, originally described by Plato as Head (focus), Heart (confidence) and Stomach (motivation). Each of these states can be strategically developed.
The loop closes when we use some degree of mental strength to protect our mental health - or as podcaster Chris Williams puts it, having a good rest ethic as well as a good work ethic.
As it matters to have the right fit between psychologist and client, you are welcome to arrange an initial call with me to discuss how, where and when I work.
I do prefer regularity - whether that is weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, and most sessions last about 50 minutes. As I said earlier, I mostly work over voice or video calls, but also do walking sessions in London or in the Surrey Hills.
All conversations are confidential.
Please use the form below to get in touch and I will follow up as soon as I can.
