Victoria Adams

I am currently offering online sessions on Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday evenings.  Sessions are 50 minutes long and cost £85.  I may be able to offer a reduced fee if you are struggling financially, so do ask me if this is something you think you may need.

I am registered with all major insurers (inc. Bupa, AXA, Aviva and Vitality) so you may be able to access free sessions which are covered by your insurer.

Please feel free to get in contact with any questions you may have. 

I'm an experienced relational integrative psychotherapist and counsellor, which means that I am able to draw on a range of theories and approaches in our work together, to uniquely work with you and what you bring.  I am both BACP and UKCP accredited.

I have experience in working with a diverse range of clients, across all stages of life and from different backgrounds. Besides my private practice, I work in the NHS (experience in primary and secondary care) and have previously worked in a variety of roles including in community, charity and educational settings.  

Some people ask what the difference is between counselling and psychotherapy and how to know what it right for them. Short term counselling can offer a supportive space to process immediate concerns and difficulties, such as work-place problems, managing transition or a recent loss, for instance.  Counselling can be enough to get you to where you want to be. 

Other times, longer term psychotherapy is more appropriate.  This is because you may be seeking therapy because you’ve decided it’s time to work on deeper, more long standing difficulties in life - these may include the legacy of a difficult childhood, persistent relationship problems, family issues, loneliness and isolation, for example, or perhaps you are struggling to find meaning.

I aim to offer a warm and collaborative approach in our work together. As your therapist, I will fully listen to you and the difficulties you are having.  I will take into account the whole of you; your experiences today and the wider context and history of your life, and be alongside you in helping you to make sense and meaning of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. 

With greater clarity comes increased self-understanding, inner cohesion and conscious choice over your life and relationships going forward. At the heart of my practice is the belief that human beings have great capacity to heal, transform and grow, even in the face of the toughest and most adverse life experiences.  

I am an integrative psychotherapist which means that in my work with you, I draw on a wide range of theories about human development and relationships, including psychodynamic, humanistic and existential.  

Therapy is a joint endeavour and I will not give you advice, homework or tell you what to do or what to bring to your sessions. I see my role as facilitating your own unique exploration of your internal word. During sessions I may offer reflections, thoughts, observations and insights but these are not 'concrete' certainties - these are a chance to explore and get to know yourself better.

Therapy can feel like a very 'real' conversation about what it is to be the person that is you - without the need for social niceties or masks that we may put on in other arenas. 

I understand that it can feel nerve-wracking starting therapy - after all, you are speaking with somebody you do not know, about things that are very personal to you.  This response is common and understandable.  I aim to provide as comfortable space as possible to help facilitate a calm and grounded start and welcome any difficult feelings or questions you may have about therapy.

An initial session will provide the opportunity for us to discuss what brings you to therapy, why now and to decide whether we might work together.  

If we do decide to work together, we can agree a set time period, e.g. 6, 8 or 12 weeks for instance - this can be great if you are looking for short term support and also can help with affordability, as you will know exactly how much you will be paying for your therapy at the outset.  Or alternatively, we can agree open ended working together with opportunities to review as we go along.