Michael Cowdry

I have no appointments available until September 2024. 

Please do not contact me if you are acting for a recruitment agency. 

My way of working is influenced by the principle of accompanying; by respect for each person’s human drive to discover and live as themselves; by my own therapeutic journey; and by my rigorous training to Masters level at the University of Oxford.

I aim to work collaboratively and psychodynamically with people to discover ways of understanding themselves and the aspects of their experience which may be causing them dis-ease. The therapeutic process offers no "magic bullets" and may take some time because we seek deliberately to work with the person’s unconscious, hidden aspects. Having said that, people do often feel able to engage more constructively with life, themselves and others quite quickly. 

Psychotherapy is effective in often unexpected ways because we are working with the unconscious, and so are discovering aspects of the person of which they have been unaware. The work can therefore sometimes feel unsettling and I always aim to create time and space for safety.

There is often a strong psycho-educative element to the way I work. The coaching side of my practice is informed by my experience as a teacher and school leader, alongside my psychodynamic training.

I work in-person and on-line, using SKYPE or FaceTime when on-line.

I work as a psychodynamic psychotherapist from a room in a private home. It is quiet, offers parking and is within easy distance of public transport. Some people bicycle to sessions; it's a 35 minute ride from Oxford town centre. Online sessions can be used to create extra flexibility so that I work with some people in person and remotely.

I typically work in an open-ended (as opposed to "unending") way, using 50-minute sessions. The freedom of having an undefined number of sessions allows the therapeutic relationship and the direction of therapy to develop organically. Progress in therapy is reviewed to ensure that the person's needs are being met.

Where people looking for coaching, we will work in a more defined way.

Sessions are weekly, and sometimes more frequently if necessary.

I work with female and male adults.

I most often use the first session as an opportunity to learn about you, including your reasons for seeking therapy and your background. We will discuss what you would like to achieve in therapy and I will answer questions about the way in which psychotherapy works. 

Sometimes people come to the first session too distressed to be able to formulate their ideas and needs coherently. In that case, we will use the session to establish the basis for a relationship of trust where those can be expressed.

I will generally charge for the first session.