Alexandra Tidswell

I currently have availability for in-person sessions on Monday morning/early afternoon in Kings Cross.

I help people who are feeling stuck in some way. You might be experiencing a block to the way you would like to feel, or you may feel there is a certain way you 'should' be, and you are worried about disappointing people. There are things you want to do, but you don’t because of a fear of failure. You could be feeling critical of yourself and worry that other are people judging you. You might find yourself overthinking social interactions, either before you meet someone or replaying conversations after, and this is preventing you from connecting with other people and being able to be yourself.

I can support you to connect with yourself and with your feelings, such as how you experience your anxiety, or overthinking, where it manifests, and what your underlying fears are.

We can begin to understand your relationship with yourself and relationship dynamics with other people. For example, you may take on a caretaking role, whilst your own needs get left unmet or you might have high expectations of yourself and find it difficult to relax. Being strong and resilient might mean that the more vulnerable part of yourself doesn’t get seen, and therefore, you find that you don’t get the help that you need.

I believe that none of our coping mechanisms are wrong, but issues can arise when one way of responding to our difficulties is over relied on, and this can mean that some of your needs are not being met. We can make space for what you need to emerge and look at how you might respond differently to a pull to fulfil a familiar role.

I am a Humanistic Counsellor, which means I use three approaches: Person-centred, Gestalt Therapy and Transactional Analysis. I aim to find a language that resonates with you and I tailor my approach to support your needs.

As a summary, from a Person-centred perspective I value your experience, and I will closely attune to you and your feelings. I aim to provide a relationship that is accepting and where I am genuine and authentic with you. Through a Transaction Analysis lens, I can offer an accessible way of understanding conflicting internal messages and your relationships with others. From a Gestalt approach I can support you to become more present with your feelings. We might focus, either by slowing down to become more regulated or by looking at a part of your experience more closely. We can look at how you support yourself, and what you might need.

Confronting difficult feelings is not easy, I believe that being accepted for who you are can help to build trust and acceptance in yourself, how you feel and offer a more grounded place to approach life’s challenges.

You might have a specific goal for counselling, or you may not be clear on what you need right now, but you are aware that you are no longer able to manage. We can work together to explore what is supportive for you and what you are hoping to get out of counselling.

You can reach out in whatever way that works best for you.

You can book a free 30-minute introductory call to ask me any questions you may have and get to know what counselling sessions with me are like.

You can also reach out by telephone or email with your enquiry.