Rhianne Desmond

I currently have some daytime and evening availability during the week. 

You might be here because something in your life feels stuck — perhaps anxiety, low mood, self-critical thoughts, or patterns in your life that you can’t quite seem to shift on your own.

In therapy, we can take time to slow things down and think together about what has brought you here. My aim is to offer a space where you feel able to speak openly, feel understood, and begin to make sense of the experiences and patterns that may be shaping your life.

Alongside my private work, I work in the NHS supporting adults with depression and anxiety disorders. I have a particular interest in OCD and low self-esteem, and I have experience facilitating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) groups, an approach that focuses on developing psychological flexibility and helping people move towards a life that feels more aligned with their values.

In my psychodynamic work, I also have a special interest in supporting people struggling with overeating and binge eating, helping them explore the emotional and relational patterns that often sit beneath these experiences.

If something in what you’ve read resonates with you, you’re welcome to reach out and we can think together about whether this might feel like the right next step.

I am both a BABCP-accredited Cognitive Behavioural Therapist and a BACP-registered Psychodynamic Psychotherapist, which is a relatively unusual combination. This means our work can be shaped around what feels most helpful for you. At times we may focus on practical, evidence-based strategies to help reduce symptoms of difficulties such as anxiety, depression, OCD, phobias, PTSD or low self-esteem. At other times, we may work more reflectively, exploring deeper emotional patterns and past experiences that continue to influence how you feel today.

The first session is an opportunity for us to begin to get to know one another and to think together about what has brought you to therapy.

These sessions are usually a little longer (around 60 minutes), allowing space to explore your current difficulties at a pace that feels manageable. You might want to share what has been feeling most challenging recently, any patterns you’ve noticed, or what you’re hoping might feel different through therapy. There is no expectation to have everything clearly worked out — we can take time to make sense of things together.

It is also an opportunity for you to get a sense of how I work. You may begin to notice whether the space feels comfortable enough to speak openly, and whether this way of working feels like a good fit for you.

By the end of the session, we can reflect on what feels most helpful moving forward and whether continuing to work together feels right.