My Therapeutic Practice
I am formally trained in a number of therapeutic models and approaches, all of which allow me to create a way of working that is wholly tailored to you and your needs.
Academic Qualifications
MA awarded by Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust in Child, Adolescent & Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Level 1 awarded by IFS UK in Internal Family Systems Therapy
Senior Mental Health Lead Training awarded by Carnegie School of Education
Designated Safeguarding Lead Lv 3 awarded by Lambeth Schools Services
Therapeutic Models
Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
I specialise in psychodynamic psychotherapy, having earned an MA from the world-renowned Tavistock & Portman. Psychodynamic therapy delves into the unconscious mind to explore how past experiences influence present thoughts, feelings and behaviours. It helps clients gain awareness of unresolved conflicts and emotional patterns stemming from childhood or past relationships. By bringing these unconscious influences to light, psychodynamic therapy empowers people to make positive changes in their lives.
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)
I also bring a unique perspective as the first black male trained in Internal Family Systems therapy (IFS) in the UK. Often mistaken as a family therapeutic model, IFS is a type of psychotherapy that views an individual's mind as a system of multiple sub-personalities, each with its own thoughts, feelings and behaviours. A relatable example could be when you think "one part of me wants to X, but another part of me feels Y.” These sub-personalities can be helpful or unhealthy and are often the root causes of our behaviours and actions, which IFS therapy focuses on helping clients to understand and manage.
Systemic Therapy
I also draw on Systemic therapy theory in my work, having studied it as part of my Masters. Systemic therapy is both a family and individual therapy model. It focuses on the interactions and relationships between people within contextual settings such as their home, family, school, community, city and country. It also pays attention to an individual's intersectionality which may include gender, class, race, sexual identity, faith, age or disability. This helps to create a nonjudgmental, curious and supportive therapeutic space that aims to understand how a person's lived experience is impacted by both their internal and external worlds.
Neuroscience
My therapeutic approach is grounded not only in clinical training but also in the latest insights in neuroscience. This understanding of the brain's role in mental health allows me to:
Tailor interventions: By understanding how the brain processes emotions and behaviours, I can tailor therapeutic techniques to create lasting neural changes that support your wellbeing.
Promote neuroplasticity: The brain is remarkably adaptable, and therapy can help strengthen helpful neural pathways and weaken unhelpful ones. Neuroscience informs me how to best facilitate this process.
Validate your experience: Neuroscience helps validate the mind-body connection. Understanding the brain's role in mental health can help people see their struggles not as personal failings but as brain patterns that can be shifted.