Sarah Buchanan

Sometimes in life, we experience an inner-conflict which propels us to repeatedly act in ways we know we will later regret. These actions can result in lack of trust in ourselves, diminished self-esteem, shame, guilt and secrecy, and yet somehow we do them anyway. I work predominately with people struggling with these self-destructive coping strategies and behaviours. 

I work relationally, which means I use the relationship between us to better understand the ways in which you interact with others in the world, and with your environment, reducing the intensity and confusion of your sense of conflict and helping you find your way towards some resolution and peacefulness. 

I have over a decade of experience of working with substance misuse and addiction, which began as a substance misuse practitioner in prisons. I have a very thorough working knowledge of the 12 Step approach to substance misuse recovery and rehabilitation.

I am dedicated to helping women working through complex issues surrounding motherhood and womanhood, including abuse, abortion, miscarriage and loss, as well as women facing social services interventions and care proceedings. I offer concessionary rates in these cases.

I also work with bereavement and loss with a local hospice, offering psychotherapeutic interventions for the families of patients facing the end of life.

I am an advocate for personal autonomy and recognise the importance of equipping my clients to give properly informed consent to the labels and diagnoses attributed to them. For this reason I offer an atmosphere of collaboration and the sharing of my knowledge and experience. I am committed to issues related to social and community dynamics, trauma and addiction recovery, women's rights, spirituality, culture and narrative exploration.

During our first session I will informally assess you. I will be hoping to learn from you what brought you to therapy, and what you hope to achieve in our work together. We will discuss your suitability for the type of therapy I offer, and I will explain in greater detail how I work.