When life feels overwhelming...
Talking to a trained psychotherapist can alleviate distress, facilitate self-awareness, foster hope and help you forge a new path.
"My own words take me by surprise and teach me what to think."
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
My Therapeutic Approach
Are you looking for a safe and supportive space to explore difficult feelings, relationships, or experiences?
As a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor, I offer a non-judgemental, confidential space in which to explore the conflicts and issues that bring you to therapy and to start to address the underlying patterns that may prevent you from moving forward in your life.
We all encounter difficulties at some points in our lives: problems with relationships, feelings of anxiety about work or home, sexual concerns, ongoing sadness or depression, low self-esteem, issues with identity, addiction to alcohol or drugs, bereavement, trauma or feelings of anger, grief, stress or panic. I have an open, enquiring approach that involves asking you about your emotional and physical symptoms before addressing the deeper issues and causes that have prompted you to seek help.
At the heart of my approach is the recognition that our complex and often unconscious emotional life is a fundamental part of being human. Sometimes we don’t understand the beliefs and fears that shape our worldview as they have become ingrained and automatic. We can find ourselves repeating destructive behaviours or stuck in unhappy relationships and restricting our emotional, creative and professional development. In my experience change can happen through fostering curiosity, in-depth conversation and reflection.
As an integrative psychotherapist and counsellor with a background in philosophy, I bring together a combination of approaches and techniques that are tailored to each individual client. My practice is grounded in psychodynamic theory but also draws on aspects of existential, humanistic and cognitive behavioural theory. I firmly believe that a problem explored from multiple perspectives can deliver insight and drive change.
Therapy can be challenging but also a life-enhancing and enjoyable experience, releasing blocked emotions and paving the way for new ways of living.
My Location
My consulting room is at Notting Hill Psychotherapy, an established private practice located in Pembridge Mews, just a few minutes’ walk from Notting Hill Gate tube station in Kensington and Chelsea, West London. It is also within easy reach of Hammersmith and Fulham, Westminster and Marylebone.
I am also able to offer online zoom sessions if you would prefer to see me from the comfort of home.
Fees & Availability
I see clients on weekdays with some evening availability.
Daytime sessions are priced at £80; sessions before 10am and after 6pm are £100. I also offer a limited number of concessionary spaces.
Therapy sessions typically run for 50 mins and take place on a weekly basis for as long as is helpful.
Should you need to cancel an appointment, I require one week's notice otherwise sessions will be charged for.
Psychotherapy can help with...
People come to me with a wide range of issues that are often interlinked. These are some of the more common difficulties that I have worked with:
Addictions
Anger management
Anxiety or stress
Bereavement, grief or loss
Depression
Drug or alcohol abuse
Eating disorders
Emotional or physical abuse
Family or parenting concerns
Feeling stuck, lost or lonely
Health related issues
Identity issues
Issues related to sex or sexuality
Loss of meaning or purpose
Problems with low self-esteem
Relationship issues
Separation and divorce
Spirituality
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Work related stress
Qualifications
I hold an MA in Integrative Psychotherapy and Counselling from Regent’s University London and I am a registered British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) therapist and abide by their code of ethics.
I also hold a BA in Philosophy from King’s College London, a PG Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling from Regent’s University London and a PG Certificate in Counselling Skills from York St John University.
Get in touch
If you would like to arrange an initial appointment, please send me a message through the contact form or text me on 07740 609 960. I will do my very best to respond to texts and emails within 24 hours.
I am also happy to offer a free 20-minute phone consultation prior to an assessment appointment. This would enable me to get an understanding of the reasons you may be seeking therapy and to advise if I am the right person to help.
Some Frequently Asked Questions
I offer both short and long-term counselling and psychotherapy. Duration of therapy will depend on your presenting problem and the depth at which you wish to work. Therapy can be tailored to individual need. It can be used to effectively address an immediate issue or tackle deeper rooted issues and behaviours that may not be immediately obvious. In starting therapy, you are not committed to a specific period of work. Together we might set goals and review progress as we go which may include working towards an ending.
During our first counselling session, I would conduct an assessment in order to explore your presenting issues. This will give you a feel for how I work and offers an opportunity to clarify any questions you may have. If we agree to work together, you would then usually come on a weekly basis for 50min sessions at regular agreed time for as long as is helpful.
Starting therapy can be a daunting task in which you can feel unsure regarding what to say or do. Sometimes just reaching out can be the hardest part. I aim to create a relaxed and trusting environment in which you can explore in your own words and time what may be troubling you. Often this can be hard to articulate or pin down precisely as it may be something quite stark and troubling or no more than a niggling feeling that needs teasing out. To this end establishing a strong therapeutic relationship is an important part of the process as it is of the utmost importance that you feel fully safe and comfortable to confide in me. The experience of talking to a therapist is different to confiding in family and friends. It is important that you feel completely free to speak, think and feel openly and honestly in the therapeutic space without the fear of upset or recrimination.
As a registered practitioner I adhere to the counselling and psychotherapy ethical framework of BACP. This includes the responsibility to manage your information confidentially and in line with GDPR. Confidentiality means that I will treat your personal information and what you share with me with utmost care and respect, and in line with the BACP ethical guidelines. I will share clinical work with my accredited supervisor who is also bound by confidentiality.
I will only break confidentiality should a safeguarding issue arise within your session. This includes risk of harm or neglect to your health or others. Should such a situation arise I am legally and ethically obliged to raise concerns with my supervisor and/or your GP. Where possible, I will aim to discuss this with you prior to making a disclosure outside of the counselling service.
If you cannot make it to my consulting room in person, I am very happy to offer online counselling and psychotherapy sessions via zoom. Video session may form part or the whole of the treatment depending on your location and availability.
© Sophie Worthington Psychotherapy
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