Psychoanalytic therapy is different from other forms of counselling in that it looks beyond immediate problems to explore the deeper patterns and unconscious processes that shape how we experience life. Rather than focusing on solutions or coping strategies, we create space for you to understand yourself more fully, your relationships, your history, and how your past has shaped your present.
This is reflective, medium to long-term work. We'll explore who you are, where you've been, and how you got to where you are today. The goal isn't to fix you or provide quick answers, but to help you develop a richer understanding of yourself that can guide you towards more authentic ways of living.
Our sessions will be led by what feels most important to you each week. There's no agenda other than creating space for you to explore whatever is alive for you - whether that's current difficulties, recurring patterns, dreams, relationships, or memories. You set the pace, and I'll be there to listen deeply and help you notice things you might not see on your own. This process takes time, and that's exactly as it should be.
People come to psychotherapy for many different reasons, ranging from everyday struggles to more complex, long-standing experiences. What matters most is not the label or severity of what you are facing, but how it is affecting you and your quality of life.
Looking beneath feelings of anxiety or stress to understand what may be driving them and how they relate to your inner world.
Creating space to think about grief, bereavement, and significant life changes, rather than having to manage them alone.
Gently exploring how earlier experiences, including trauma, may continue to shape present feelings and relationships.
Noticing recurring dynamics in relationships and exploring how these patterns may have developed over time.
Thinking together about questions of identity, self-esteem, and how you relate to yourself and others.
Exploring feelings of low mood, emptiness, or disconnection, and what they may be communicating.
Exploring the underlying needs or emotional functions that certain behaviours may serve.
Making sense of periods of transition, uncertainty, or change that can feel destabilising or confusing.
Creating space to think about deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and how to live.
Whatever brings you to therapy, we'll work together at your own pace to understand your unique experience. The goal is always to help you develop greater self-awareness and find ways of being that feel more authentic and sustainable for you.
I offer a free 20-minute introductory phone call where we can discuss what brings you to therapy and explore whether we feel like a good fit to work together.
Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about how psychotherapy works, or if you would like to arrange an initial consultation. You are very welcome to use the contact form below to get in touch.
If you would prefer to make contact by email, you can reach me directly at janine.cook@proton.me.
All enquiries are usually responded to within 24 hours. All contact is treated as strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.