David Martin

I currently have availability at The Woodland Retreat on Monday afternoons and Tuesday mornings, and at Finsbury Park and London Bridge by arrangement. I also offer online sessions.

I'm David, a body-oriented psychotherapist based in London.

Many of the people I work with have already done thoughtful work. They understand their patterns, maybe even why they're there. But insight alone hasn't been enough to change how they feel.

I describe my approach as relational and embodied. I draw on psychosynthesis, a creative, integrative approach that includes parts work (the tradition IFS later drew from). I also draw on the psychodynamic and humanistic traditions that psychosynthesis grew out of. My interest is in the interplay between psyche and soma, and in the process of coming to feel at home in our bodies and identities. This is often particularly worthwhile for those whose sense of self has been shaped by being unseen or marginalised, whether in family, school, or society.

I am also a Certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner. Somatic Experiencing, developed by Peter Levine, is an approach to working with the body after overwhelming experience. Sometimes the body remains in a prolonged survival state long after the event itself has passed. Somatic Experiencing can help the nervous system settle and return to its own inherent capacity to self-regulate. Some clients come for open-ended psychotherapy; others find that focused pieces of Somatic Experiencing work helpful along the way.

Before training as a therapist, I spent twenty years in the creative industries. I have a particular interest in supporting adults with ADHD, trauma (both developmental and shock trauma), and burnout. These are often people who hold it all together on the outside while struggling inside.

If any of this resonates, please get in touch. I offer a free initial conversation to see whether we're a good fit.

I offer in-person sessions at three locations in London.

The Woodland Retreat, Queens Wood, N10. A quiet cabin set in ancient woodland, a short walk from Highgate, Muswell Hill, and Crouch End.

My home practice in Finsbury Park, N4.

The Psychosynthesis Trust, 92-94 Tooley Street, London Bridge, SE1.

I also work online via Zoom for clients who prefer remote sessions, or who live further afield.

Sessions are 50 minutes and usually weekly. Some clients continue in open-ended psychotherapy, taking time to understand themselves at depth. Others prefer time-limited therapy of 12 or 24 sessions, focused on a specific issue. We can talk through what might suit you.

If during psychotherapy I feel that a dedicated piece of Somatic Experiencing work would be useful, I will mention it and we can talk it through.

My fee is £90 per session. I hold a limited number of lower-cost places for students and those on lower incomes. Please ask if this might apply to you.

Reaching out to a therapist can feel like a big step.

If you get in touch by phone or email, I will respond within a day or two to arrange a free initial conversation of around 20 minutes. This is a chance to speak briefly about what is bringing you to therapy, for you to ask any questions, and for us both to get a sense of whether we might work well together. There is no pressure to commit.

If we decide to go ahead, our first full session is a chance to meet more fully. There will be more space to talk about what has been happening, and what you are hoping for. Nothing in particular is required, and we will start wherever you are.

I do not use touch in my work.

If after one or two sessions it does not feel like the right fit, that is fine. I will happily suggest other practitioners who might suit you better.