Sebastien Black

I currently have availability for new clients and work online, offering flexible daytime and evening appointments. Check www.softfocustherapy.com to book times and dates that work for you. 

I offer both weekly and fortnightly therapy, including focused EMDR work and longer-term therapy where appropriate.

If you are considering EMDR or trauma therapy and are unsure whether it is right for you, you are welcome to book an introductory call. We can talk briefly about what has brought you to therapy, what you would like to change, and whether working together feels like a good fit.

Sessions are held securely online, so you can attend from a private and comfortable space wherever you are based.

I’m Sebastien, an integrative therapist specialising in EMDR and trauma therapy.

I work particularly with people who feel that something from the past is still affecting them in the present. This might be a single frightening or overwhelming experience, an accident, bereavement, difficult medical experience, relationship trauma, childhood experiences, or a longer period of stress or adversity.

Sometimes people come knowing exactly what happened. Others simply notice anxiety, shame, self-doubt, intrusive memories, difficult relationship patterns or a nervous system that seems unable to switch off.

EMDR is a central part of my practice. Rather than only talking about what happened, EMDR can help the brain process experiences that still feel emotionally “stuck”. You do not necessarily need to describe every detail of an experience for us to work with it.

My wider approach is integrative and humanistic. Alongside EMDR, I draw from person-centred therapy, ACT, parts-informed work, mindfulness, compassion-focused approaches and an understanding of attachment and the nervous system.

My practice is LGBTQIA+, GSRD, kink and non-monogamy affirming. You do not need to translate or justify who you are before we can begin the work.

My practice is warm, collaborative and straightforward. Therapy with me is not about being analysed from a distance or being given a set of generic techniques. We work together to understand what is happening, why it makes sense in the context of your experiences, and what might help things genuinely shift.

I specialise in EMDR and trauma therapy, particularly where a specific experience or period of life continues to feel present long after it has ended. This can include accidents, frightening events, bereavement, relationship experiences, bullying, medical or pregnancy-related experiences, sexual experiences, or other events that have left you feeling changed, stuck or unable to move on.

EMDR can be particularly useful when you understand something intellectually but your emotional or physical response has not caught up. You might know that you are safe, capable or “over it”, while another part of you continues to react as though the experience is happening now.

We will not rush directly into processing difficult memories. We begin by understanding what brings you to therapy, identifying what you would like to change and making sure you have enough stability and resources for the work. If we use EMDR, I will explain the process clearly and we will decide together what to work on and at what pace.

I also work integratively, so EMDR does not have to be the whole of your therapy. We can draw on talking therapy, parts work, ACT, attachment and compassion-focused approaches depending on what is useful for you.

My aim is to create a space where you can be candid, curious and fully yourself without having to perform being a “good” therapy client.

I offer an introductory call before beginning therapy. This is a chance for us to meet, talk briefly about what has brought you to therapy and what you would like help with, and consider whether working together feels like a good fit.

You do not need to prepare anything or have a perfectly organised explanation of what is happening. The introductory call is informal and gives you an opportunity to ask questions about me, EMDR, the way I work, or therapy more generally. There is no obligation to book therapy afterwards.

If we decide to work together, our first full session gives us more time to understand what is happening now, relevant experiences from your past and what you would like to be different in the future.

If you are interested in EMDR, we would not normally jump straight into processing a difficult memory. We first build a picture of what you are experiencing, consider possible targets for EMDR and make sure you understand the process and feel adequately prepared.

For some people there is one particular event they want help processing. For others, the starting point might simply be anxiety, a recurring emotional response, relationship difficulties, low self-worth or a sense that something from the past is still affecting them.

You remain in control of what you share and the pace of the work. The aim of these early conversations is to give us a clear and collaborative starting point rather than expecting you to tell your whole life story in one session.