Patience Akande

I currently have availability for new clients and offer flexible appointments, including daytime and some evening sessions, subject to availability.

I work with adults, couples and families, offering both short-term and longer-term therapy depending on your circumstances and what you hope to gain from our conversations.

Sessions are available online, making it possible to work together wherever you are based in the UK, where appropriate.

I recognise that finding time for therapy alongside work, family life and other commitments can be challenging. I aim to offer a flexible and collaborative approach, and we can discuss arrangements that work for us both.

Please feel welcome to get in touch to enquire about availability or arrange an initial conversation.

I am an experienced Systemic and Family Psychotherapist, working with individuals, couples and families who may be navigating difficulties in their relationships, emotional wellbeing or wider life circumstances.

My approach is warm, collaborative and curious. I believe that our experiences cannot be understood in isolation from the relationships, communities, cultures and social contexts that shape our lives.

Sometimes we find ourselves caught in familiar patterns of relating, feeling misunderstood, disconnected or uncertain about how things might change. Therapy offers a space to explore these experiences, make sense of what may be happening and consider different possibilities.

I have extensive experience across NHS mental health services, children’s services, forensic mental health and private practice. My work includes supporting people experiencing relationship difficulties, family conflict, anxiety, trauma, life transitions and questions relating to identity and belonging.

My particular interests include neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD, and the ways culture, race, gender, sexuality and other aspects of identity intersect with our experiences.

My forensic mental health experience has strengthened my commitment to working with people whose lives may have been shaped by trauma, offending, institutional care, stigma or social exclusion. I recognise that people are more than the difficulties or histories that may have brought them into contact with services.

My practice is informed by systemic, narrative, attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas. I do not believe there is one way of understanding a person’s difficulties, and I aim to work alongside you in finding an approach that feels meaningful and helpful.

Above all, I hope to create a space where you feel heard, respected and able to explore your experiences without judgement.

People come to therapy for many different reasons. You may be experiencing difficulties in your relationships, feeling overwhelmed by family responsibilities, navigating separation or loss, or finding yourself questioning who you are and where you belong.

I offer therapy for individuals, couples and families, with an emphasis on understanding the patterns, relationships and experiences that may be contributing to distress.

In our work together, we may explore how past experiences influence present relationships, how communication patterns develop, and how family and cultural expectations shape our sense of self.

My systemic approach means that I am interested not only in the difficulties you bring, but also in the strengths, relationships and resources that have supported you throughout your life.

I have particular experience supporting neurodivergent people and families, including those navigating autism and ADHD, as well as people exploring questions of identity, difference and belonging.

I recognise that seeking therapy can feel unfamiliar or daunting, particularly if previous experiences of support have left you feeling misunderstood. I aim to work at a pace that feels comfortable, offering curiosity, compassion and thoughtful challenge where helpful.

We can agree together what you would like to focus on and review our work as it develops. Therapy may involve a small number of focused sessions or longer-term conversations, depending on your needs.

Our first session is an opportunity for us to meet, begin getting to know one another and explore what has brought you to therapy.

I will invite you to share what feels important about your current circumstances, relationships and experiences. There is no expectation that you need to tell your whole story in one meeting, and we can work at a pace that feels comfortable.

We may explore what you are hoping might change, what you have already tried and what has or has not been helpful.

I will also explain how I work, including confidentiality, professional boundaries and practical arrangements. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and consider whether my approach feels right for you.

For couples and families, I aim to make space for different perspectives, recognising that people may have different understandings of the difficulties that have brought them to therapy.

Towards the end of our first meeting, we can think together about whether further sessions would be helpful and what these might look like.

I believe that finding a therapist with whom you feel comfortable is important, and there is no obligation to continue if you feel that another approach may better meet your needs.

I am currently welcoming enquiries from qualified therapists, counsellors and practitioners seeking individual clinical supervision, as well as trainees looking for a supportive and reflective space alongside their professional development.

I offer online supervision, with flexible daytime appointments and some evening availability by arrangement.

Supervision can be arranged on a regular monthly or fortnightly basis, depending on your professional requirements, clinical responsibilities and individual needs.

I am also happy to discuss supervision for small groups or practitioners working within organisations.

If you are considering supervision with me, please feel welcome to get in touch. We can arrange an initial conversation to explore what you are looking for and whether my approach would be a helpful fit.

I am an experienced Systemic and Family Psychotherapist and clinical supervisor, with a professional background spanning NHS mental health services, children’s services, forensic mental health, teaching and independent practice.

My supervisory approach is warm, collaborative and reflective. I see supervision as a relational space where we can think together about clinical work, explore uncertainty and consider the many influences shaping our relationships with the people we support.

I have experience supervising trainee family therapists, supporting their developing professional identities, connecting systemic theory with clinical practice and encouraging thoughtful, ethical decision-making.

My practice is informed by systemic, narrative, dialogical, attachment-based and psychodynamic ideas. I am particularly interested in how our personal and professional experiences influence our therapeutic positioning, and how supervision can support greater awareness of these processes.

I bring a strong commitment to anti-oppressive practice, cultural humility and social justice. This includes attending to the intersections of race, culture, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, disability and other aspects of identity, alongside the wider structures and inequalities that shape people’s lives.

I hope to offer a supervisory relationship in which curiosity, compassion, creativity and thoughtful challenge can sit alongside one another, supporting both professional development and the wellbeing of the practitioner.

Supervision offers an opportunity to step outside the immediate demands of clinical practice and reflect on what may be happening within and around our therapeutic relationships.

My approach is systemic and relational, recognising that practitioners, clients, families and organisations are all influenced by the wider contexts in which they live and work.

Together, we may explore clinical dilemmas, therapeutic relationships, risk and safeguarding, ethical questions, the use of self and the influence of personal and professional experiences on practice.

I am interested in the stories we develop about our clients, the assumptions we may bring into the room and the possibilities that emerge when we consider alternative perspectives.

I aim to create a space where uncertainty can be explored without judgement, while also offering appropriate challenge, attention to professional accountability and opportunities to develop clinical confidence.

My experience includes supervising trainee systemic psychotherapists, facilitating reflective group discussions and supporting practitioners to make meaningful connections between theory and practice.

I welcome conversations about identity, difference, power and privilege, including how these may influence both therapeutic and supervisory relationships.

Whether you are newly qualified, in training or an experienced practitioner, I hope our work together will support curiosity, reflexivity and a continuing sense of professional growth.

Our first supervision meeting provides an opportunity to get to know one another and explore what you are hoping for from supervision.

I will be interested in your professional background, the contexts in which you work, the people and families you support, and your experiences of supervision so far.

We can discuss your preferred ways of learning, the theoretical approaches informing your practice and any areas where you would particularly value support or thoughtful challenge.

We will also consider the practical and professional aspects of supervision, including confidentiality, safeguarding, clinical responsibility, record-keeping, frequency of meetings and relevant professional requirements.

I believe that supervision is most helpful when there is a relationship of trust, openness and mutual respect, where difficult questions and uncertainty can be explored safely.

For trainees, we can also discuss the expectations of your training programme and how supervision might support your developing competencies.

The first meeting is an opportunity for us both to consider whether working together feels like a good fit and to agree how we might structure our supervisory relationship.