Therapy in London
E17

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Call 07480 068 560

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Email therapy@maxchainey.com

Issues I Work With Include

Anxiety
Depression
Difficulties with control
Difficulties in relationships
Struggling with intimacy
Parenthood
Gender identity
Sexuality
Body image concerns
Family difficulties
Bereavement and grief

Work-related difficulties
Conflict avoidance
Self-criticism
Self-censorship
Low self-esteem
Anger
Shame
Suicidal thoughts / desire to end life
Loneliness
Judgement of self and others
Abuse

I provide individual therapy in Walthamstow for adults and young people, with a broad range of experience working with individuals from different socioeconomic, ethnic and cultural groups, including experience working with LGBTQ+.

Issues

Talking Therapy

What is therapy?

Therapy is a process of talking, listening and understanding in order to bring about a desired change in behaviour, or to have a greater sense of clarity about your life and any issues you are experiencing. It is also a process of creating a connection between both of us because the therapeutic relationship is where so much of the transformative work happens.

Therapy is spontaneous, the relationship is dynamic and ever-evolving, and there is a continuous sequence of experiencing and then examining the process. It's a challenging process, but the hard work often rewards people with life-changing insight and change.

My approach to therapy is largely rooted in psychodynamic theory, which places emphasis on understanding how our current feelings and behaviours are shaped by our past experiences. I also draw upon humanistic theories, including the existential approach, which explores important questions of meaning and purpose in life.

A very different kind of relationship

Many people have experienced intense relationships before. However it is highly unlikely that they have been in a relationship requiring them to trust fully, to disclose all, to hold nothing back, to explore all nuances of their feelings to another, and through it all to receive non-judgemental acceptance in a loving space where they are valued for the unique individual they are.

This kind of environment can be rare to find, and powerful to experience. It can be beautiful, joyful, heart-wrenching and terrifying in equal measure. But it is rarely a lonely process.

We are two human beings in a room and I will do my utmost to be open, honest, and curious with you. I won’t always get it right, but I'll be honest with you about that too. Failure, and sometimes rupture, in therapy can often be the most facilitative means of change. It offers a platform for exploration of how you tolerate, engage and perceive other people. A way of testing and normalising feelings as they happen in the moment.

What to expect

You may already feel so burdered by the issue that has brought you to thinking about and attending therapy, that it makes little sense to burden you with further anxiety by not knowing what to expect during therapy. It is for this reason that I will do my utmost to provide you with clarity about what the process entails from the moment you first contact me. I will always respond to an enquiry and will be happy to provide information on my approach, availability and rates.

If you decide you would like to go ahead with me or would like an initial session to see if I am the right therapist for you, we will work together to find a time that suits us both. Prior to the session, I will send you a short form to complete which will provide me with a sense of how you're feeling at the moment. I will also provide you with an electronic copy of the agreement between us, which outlines what you can expect from me and in turn what I can expect from you. Any concerns regarding the agreement can be discussed in the first session prior to signing.

Sessions take place on the hour, last for 50 minutes and are weekly. During our first session, we will briefly talk through the main points of the agreement between us and then go through an assessment to establish what has brought you to therapy, the focus of the work, any experience you have of therapy and what, if any, your expectations might be. The assessment may span over a couple of sessions depending on the material and nature of the problem that you are bringing. After the assessment is completed, we will discuss whether you'd like to go ahead with further sessions. I tend to provide long-term open-ended therapy, with regular review points along the way to ensure that you are still getting what you want from therapy.

THERAPY

About Me

I am a qualified integrative therapist based in Walthamstow, London. I received my training from CPPD based in North London, one of the UK's leading humanistic integrative counselling training schools. I have a BSc (Hons) in Cognitive Neuroscience from Sussex University and an MSc from University College London (UCL).

An integrative therapist is one that is trained in a range of approaches. I use these different approaches to shape our work together to meet your needs. I predominantly work using the psychodynamic approach, but also draw upon neuroscience and humanistic approaches such as existential, gestalt and person-centred theory.

I am a registered member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP), who are the largest body for therapists in the UK and whose ethical and training standards are among the highest. As part of their regulations I am required to attend regular supervison and continual professional development.

I have worked as a therapist for several years in both private and voluntary practices across London.

Before becoming a therapist, I worked in the media and communications sector on domestic and international behaviour change campaigns, as well as in an economics consultancy for international development and on unemployment programmes to help people back into work. I have also worked with the Samaritans to provide support to those in emotional distress and at risk of suicide. My experience has afforded me the opportunity to meet and work with people from all walks of life.

Please click on the below logos for Counselling Directory and BACP to view my additional profiles with futher information that may be of interest.