Karen Spencer - therapist in richmond-upon-thames-tw9

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Features

Flexible hours available
Wheelchair accessible office
Concessionary rates

Availability

I offer both daytime and evening sessions, normally on a Thursday. I also offer remote sessions and there is more flexibility around this in terms of times and days of the week.

About me and my therapy practice

I am a fully qualified and experienced psychodynamic psychotherapist and cognitive analytic therapist working in private practice in Richmond-upon-Thames, and Surrey.

Previously I have a wide experience of working in the NHS. I am also fully EMDR trained to help you manage challenging traumatic experiences and life events and I really value the importance of creating a strong and scaffolding therapeutic alliance.

I offer both short-term and long-term psychotherapy depending on what would be most helpful for you at this time. I work both online and face-to-face. I suggest an initial telephone conversation (at no charge) to explore what support you’re looking for at the moment and how therapy might be able to help you. When working with couples, I work to create a space whereby each person feels heard, supported and respected. I specialise in working intercultural and celebrate difference and diversity. I also enjoy working creatively, especially if this is something which you as a client would like to explore.

I like to work collaboratively helping to develop scaffolding to help support you when managing difficulties by creating a warm and respectful relationship that will hopefully help you to feel safe to express your feelings and concerns as openly as you can . I am very committed to developing a strong therapeutic alliance and appreciate the courage that can be necessary when starting therapy and seeking out a therapist. I work in a pluralistic way, which means that I work with you to create a therapy which is responsive to what you need and draws on therapeutic approaches as appropriate to you and what you need to help you.

Practice description

Within my practice in Richmond I work with both individuals and couples. I also work remotely online. I offer both time limited and open ended psychotherapy and draw from my extensive training both as a psychodynamic psychotherapist and Cognitive Analytic Therapist (CAT) to support clients. I have extensive experience of working with loss, around feelings of not belonging, anxiety, shame and lack of confidence. I work in a trauma, informed way and bring in ideas around attachment, embodied trauma, generational, shame and difference.

I am committed to CPD and abide by the BACP ethical guidelines and frameworks, I engage in regular supervision.

Cost of a 50 minute therapy session is £75 which is reviewed on an annual basis. I am happy to offer concession fees where appropriate. Please note, however, that I have a limit of concessionary fees that I offer at any one time.

My first session

I offer an initial telephone conversation, free of charge, where we can think together about why you were looking for therapy at this time and explore what you were looking for from therapy. I can also explain the way I work and the type of therapy I can offer you and what suit you best at this time. This also gives you an opportunity to ask me questions you might have.

Following this initial call if it feels appropriate for both of us I then suggest that we meet up.

I would normally suggest one or two assessment sessions which are at the same fee as a normal session (£75 for 50 minute session). Following these assessments we can sit together and think about whether we feel that the form of therapy I’m offering is what would suit you and also that we both feel that we could work together.

What I can help with

Abuse, ADD / ADHD, AIDS/HIV, Anger management, Anxiety, Autism spectrum, Bereavement, Cancer, Child related issues, Chronic fatigue syndrome / ME, Cultural issues, Depression, Disability, Health related issues, Identity issues, Infertility, LGBTQ+ counselling, Loss, Menopause, Men's issues, Mood disorder, Neurodiversity, Obsessions, OCD, Personal development, Phobias, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy related issues, Redundancy, Relationships, Self esteem, Self-harm, Sex-related issues, Sexual identity, Sexuality, Spirituality, Stress, Trauma, Women's issues, Work related issues

Types of therapy

Cognitive analytic therapy, EMDR, Psychodynamic

Clients I work with

Adults, Couples, Older adults, Trainees

How I deliver therapy

Long term sessions, Long-term face-to-face work, Online therapy, Short term sessions, Short-term face-to-face work, Time-limited