Therapy in
East London
E17

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Call 07480 068 560

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Email therapy@maxchainey.com

Issues I Work With Include

Struggling with anxiety: Feeling nervous or uneasy, generalised anxiety disorder, overcome by worries or fears, social anxiety, panic attacks, difficulties with control, feeling trapped, anxious in confined spaces.

Experiencing depression: Feeling sad, hopeless, empty or lacking motivation, apathy, loss of interest in activities, loss of sexual desire, changes in sleep and appetite.

Holding yourself in low regard: Low self-esteem, low self-confidence, low self-worth, a sense that you don't matter or aren't important, that your opinions/views are not of interest to other people

Experiencing relationship problems: Difficulty communicating what you are thinking and/or feeling, family issues, experiencing conflict or tension, feeling unfulfilled in the relationship, disconnected, wanting to repeatedly withdraw/end relationships, lack of sexual and physical intimacy.

Sexuality: Confusion or questions around sexuality, experimentation with sexuality and different forms of relationships, kink interests, shame, concern around sexual experiences.

Struggling with emotional instability: Diagnosed personality disorders and bipolar disorder, problematic swings in emotional state, sense of disintegration/falling apart

Struggling with issues around parenthood: Soon-to-be parent, recent birth of child, change of relationship with partner, identity loss, IVF/struggling to conceive.

Experienced trauma: Experiencing a distressing event or series of events, flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of certain situations or people, dissociation, bereavement.

Struggling with substance abuse or addiction: Using drugs or alcohol in a way that causes problems in daily life, difficulty quitting or reducing use.

Struggling with your body image: Holding a negative perception of either the whole or part of your physical self.

Intrusive thoughts: Obsessive thoughts, false memories, paranoia, thoughts you find disturbing or shameful, a fear of acting out certain thoughts.

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

The therapeutic relationship is a very different kind of relational dynamic. It is a relationship whereby the focus is on you, the patient, and therefore where you learn very little about me. It is characterised by requiring us to build a trusting alliance, which can take time to do. Building trust is of the utmost importance if therapy is to be effective, and so remains a primary focus of our work together. Trust needs continual nurturing and tending to throughout our time together, and as the therapist, I play a vital role in nurturing trust in the relationship. Once trust is established, you will find that you are much more likely to be able to disclose thoughts, memories and feelings to me. Things that you may not have expressed to anyone previously. In that expression of self, I offer you non-judgemental acceptance in a space where you are valued for the unique individual you 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 a confirmation email which outlines key information for the first session and beyond.

Sessions take place on the hour, last for 50 minutes and are weekly. During the assessment period, we will talk through the framework between us and explore some essential lines of enquiry 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 framework is an agreement between both of us as to how the therapy will be conducted. The assessment may span over several 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.