Michael McDonough

I am a qualified and experienced psychotherapist and counsellor based in Tottenham, North London. I have worked extensively with people facing issues such as depression, anxiety, OCD, bereavement, trauma, addiction, relationship problems, low self-confidence, self-injury, sexual abuse, sexual difficulties, living with neurodiversity and work concerns. I provide a confidential space for both individuals and couples to address their suffering, in person or online. In addition to my private practice, I work part-time for an NHS that offers long-term psychotherapy to people who self-harm.

Many of the people who come to see me are struggling with the consequences of painful childhood experiences, such as growing up with a family member who was emotionally dysregulated or had addiction issues. I have worked extensively with members of the LGBTQI+ community. I have good knowledge and understanding when it comes to working with people who have been bereaved in a particularly traumatic way, such as through suicide or a sudden accident.

My therapeutic approach is psychoanalytic (also known as psychodynamic). This aims to help people identify unhelpful patterns of thinking or behaving that are outside of their awareness and that may be contributing to their current difficulties. For example, an issue with a partner, friend or colleague may be causing you to suffer partly because it evokes a painful past experience with which you have yet to come to terms. An important part of coming to terms with a past event is expressing the feelings we had about it at the time, for instance by telling a therapist about them.

I am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), one of the main regulatory bodies for therapists in the UK, and follow their ethical framework. I am also a Senior Accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, meaning that I have achieved a recognised standard of professional excellence and ethical practice.

I am a member of Pink Therapy, which is dedicated to working with clients in a way that respects gender and sexual diversity. Many of the people I have worked with are autistic or have a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD and my practice does not pathologise those whose neurotype differs from the predominant neurotype.

I am registered as a counsellor with health insurance providers Aetna Global Benefits, Aviva, Axa, Bupa, Healix and Vitality Health.

I work in English or French and see clients once, twice or three times a week.

Because of the way I work, it is important for me to get a good understanding of a person’s life history, including significant early experiences, and of how the difficulty that brought them to therapy first arose. So, in a first session it is likely that I would ask you a lot of questions about yourself and your past. I also need to do this to establish the nature of the difficulty that you are facing and whether I think I am a good fit for your needs. You are always welcome to say if there are any questions you would rather not answer. I charge for all sessions, including introductory ones.

Of course, a first session would also be an opportunity for you to ask me any questions about how I work or any other aspects of the therapy about which you may be unsure. In this session we would also agree on the parameters of our work together.