l don’t claim to be able to tell your fortune.  The psychic I’m referring to here means “relating to the soul or mind” and the plumbing is, as you might expect, a network of pipes.  For me “Psychic Plumbing” is a useful metaphor for therapy:

• Pipes are your relationships with yourself, other people, and other things.
• Water is the energy moves through you and between you and others.
• Blockages are emotional contractions that have been created in response to past experiences.
• Flow is how life can be when you are more embodied, inspired, and confident.

A session is an exploration of an area in the context of a wider journey of discovery.

At the beginning of the session we decide what area to start exploring (though we don’t have to stay there). Sometimes you may have a clear idea of a problem you would like to address, other times it may be useful to reflect on the past week or so and allow a theme to emerge. How have you been? What have you been noticing?

As we talk there will probably be a moment when we touch on something that catches our attention. This is our opportunity to go deeper. As we transition from ‘talking about’ to ‘moving through’ I will ask you questions that help you go beyond an intellectual understanding and create the conditions for change to happen.

If there are sensations in your body I will encourage you to notice them. It may be that some emotions are ready to express themselves and I can support you to do that in a safe and responsible way. By clearing emotional blocks you can feel freer in your body.

If you find yourself remembering times from the past we can work with those memories to process emotions that may have been overwhelming for difficult for your past self to handle. By resolving situations from the past you can come more fully into the now.

If you find yourself reflecting on a challenging relationship I may encourage you to relate to the person as if they are here with you now. By being honest in a way that you weren’t able to before you can clear the air and feel more free to speak our truth.

Towards the end of the session we turn our attention towards the next leg of your journey.  What lies ahead in the next week? How will you handle that now? Are there any homework tasks that would be valuable enough for you to want to commit to them?

I usually end by asking if you have any questions, comments, or observations before we agree when we will meet again.

I work with couples so long as both partners are willing to invest in the relationship.

At their best relationships can be loving and supportive containers that allow each partner to learn from the other and, through creating harmony together, to develop as individuals far faster than they would have been able to on their own. At their worst they are miserable prisons that the inmates choose to stay in because they are afraid to escape.

Are you both willing to face each other and yourselves in order to explore what is going on between you and take responsibility for your part in it? Are you both willing to change?

I can work with you both to create intimacy between you.  I will coach you to come together and develop your presence, empathy, and honesty.  I cannot promise that you will choose to stay together.  I can promise that, whatever the outcome, you will both get to know more about yourself, more about your partner, and more about how to be with another person right here, right now.

Absolutely. I am sensitive to the issues that many gay people have experienced and continue to experience. I have supported many gay clients to accept themselves, heal difficult family dynamics, and relate more openly with their partners.

As a sex realist I am not able to offer affirmative therapy and respectfully refer on clients who are seeking this. If you are detransitioning or questioning your trans identity I am happy to discuss the possibility of engaging in exploratory therapy.

Yes. I offer concessionary rates for veterans and other blue light workers. Please contact me for details.

Weekend sessions are sometimes available at a supplement of £20 per session.

Would you like in-person therapy but can’t leave your house or office? I can come to you.

In addition to the session rate clients pay:

• Second class return public transport travel expenses from Bethnal Green, and
• My travel time charged at half the session rate, pro-rata.

Lateness

Sessions start and end at the times we agree upfront.  In the event that you are late then this will reduce the amount of time we have together in that session. In the event I am not able to start on time I will offer you a pro-rata refund and (if possible) the full session length.

Any variations to a standard session length may be agreed between us and charged pro-rata.

Cancellation

Appointments are flexible and may be cancelled or moved free of charge, so long as you give at least 48 hours of notice.

If you do not show for an appointment or cancel with less than 48 hours notice then the session is chargeable.  I generally waive this in case of illness or bereavement but not for sessions cancelled due to leisure plans, or conflicting family / work commitments.

In the event that I have to cancel an appointment at late notice I will offer you a free session.

Refunds

Sessions bought in blocks are not refundable.  But they can be kept “in the bank” for use at a future date.  If you are unsure if you will use all the sessions in a block it may be better to choose to pay as you go.

Sessions that have been used are not refundable. Sometimes clients are disappointed that they did not achieve what they hoped to in therapy. This can be for many reasons and, because of this, it is not possible for a therapist to guarantee results. If you are not happy with your progress please discuss it in a session so we can explore the possibility of doing things differently or getting you referred to another therapist who may be a better fit.

I adhere to a comprehensive and strict code of ethics as set out by the NLPtCA.

The following excerpt is taken from the part of the code covering confidentiality:

3.1 The psychotherapy / counseling relationship is confidential between the Member and client in two ways: i) the fact that a person is or has been a client, or has enquired about becoming a client, must remain confidential; ii) the content of any interaction between Member and client is confidential and must not be disclosed.

3.2 Contact by the Member regarding the client’s therapeutic relationship with the Member with third parties including relatives and friends of the client should happen only with the express knowledge and consent of the client. Exceptions may only be made in the following circumstances:? i) where minors (under 16) are involved ii) in the case of clients who the Member has reason to believe would be a danger to themselves or to others iii) if disclosure is ordered by a Judge, Coroner or other similar official having such powers.

If you are upset or angry about some aspect of your therapy please let me know. It may be that I have done or said something in good faith that hasn’t landed in the way I intended. If this is the case I will want to understand what has happened and may want to apologise to you. Hopefully by working through any difficulties openly and honestly we can develop a deeper sense of trust and strengthen our relationship.

In the unlikely event that we are not able to find a way to resolve an issue between ourselves then you can contact UKCP who will investigate it and take both of our perspectives into account.

I aim to keep the minimum amount of data for the minimum amount of time and to take all reasonable efforts to keep the information you share with me secure.

Written notes

All written client notes are kept securely and are available for you to inspect for up to eight years. After that they are destroyed.

Emails

I use the Gmail for emails. This is password protected and accessed through devices which are password / code / face / fingerprint protected. Google GDPR compliance.

Emails with preparatory content are deleted after 8 years as per client notes. If you would prefer to send information by post or by hand then that is perfectly fine.

It is common to use ad-hoc emails for other purposes such as confirming and re-arranging meetings. If you would like me to search for and delete any other emails please let me know.

Calendar

I manage my Calendar using Google calendar. It is my standard practice for appointments to contain your name, telephone number and, in order to send invitations, your email.

If you would prefer that I didn’t use your contact details on calendar entries please let me know.

If you would like me to search for and delete your historic calendar entries please let me know.

Telephone / text messages

I use ID Mobile for telephone services. My phone is secured by code / face and stores a log of all telephone calls made and received.

Text messages can be a useful way of passing short messages about meeting times, etc. If you would like me to search for and delete any text messages please let me know.

Payments

If you pay me by PayPal or bank transfer then a record will be kept of that transaction. If we are working face to face and would prefer to pay in cash that is perfectly acceptable.

Video calls

All of the big video calling platforms such as Google Meet, WhatsApp, and FaceTime claim to be encrypted and secure. These companies may have servers outside the EU that keep a record of calls that are made. Your contact details will necessarily be on my side of the app.

With this in mind I am not able to recommend one platform over the others. I am happy to work with whichever one you choose.

Data for marketing purposes

I will never pass your data to another company for them to use for marketing purposes.

I will only email you for my own marketing purposes if you give me the explicit permission to do so. If you give this permission your contact details may be kept in perpetuity. If you receive a marketing email and would like to be removed from my mailing list please click ‘unsubscribe’.

If you have any questions or concerns

Please drop me a line and I’ll do my best to resolve them.

Unfortunately there are no way I can guarantee that you will get specific results. What I can guarantee is that I will do my best to bring my attention and experience to bear in your highest interest. We will have regular reviews of our progress and if things are not working out I will support you in exploring other options.

Some things that you can do to maximise the probability of our success together are:

• Be honest – tell me what is really going on not what you think I want to hear.
• Be curious – sometimes we need to peel back the layers in order to address deeper problems.
• Be willing to experience emotional intensity – feeling and expressing emotions is part of the therapeutic process.