Nick Lee

There isn't one way of doing therapy that works for everyone. We all bring different experiences, relationships and ways of coping with life's difficulties.

My role isn't to tell you what to do or decide what's best for you, but to listen, ask questions and help us explore things that may be difficult to make sense of on your own. The relationship we build is an important part of this. Feeling able to talk openly, including when something doesn't feel right between us, can help us understand what's happening.

Sometimes we'll focus on what's going on in your life now. At other times, we might look at earlier experiences and how they continue to affect you.

Being an integrative therapist means drawing on different ways of understanding people and their difficulties because I believe our emotional lives are complex, and no single way of understanding them can explain everything. These different perspectives inform how I understand and respond to what you bring, without assuming that any one of them holds all the answers.

I also believe it's important to recognise that our difficulties don't exist in isolation from the wider world. Our social and cultural backgrounds, and experiences of difference, can affect our lives in many ways. I try to remain open to how these circumstances may be relevant to you, without assuming that I already understand your experience. This includes being aware that I bring my own background, perspectives and assumptions into our relationship.

Drawing on different approaches allows me to respond flexibly to what emerges in our work. Sometimes that might involve exploring difficult feelings or experiences; at other times, finding practical ways to manage anxiety or feeling overwhelmed. Most importantly, we work at your pace. We can discover together what is most helpful for you.

I am a qualified Psychotherapeutic Counsellor and Psychotherapist in advanced training. I work with adults experiencing a wide range of difficulties, including anxiety, depression, loss and bereavement, periods of change, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem and self-criticism. I also work with people who want to understand longstanding patterns or experiences from the past that continue to affect how they feel, relate to others or experience life in the present.

Alongside my private practice, I provide psychotherapy for the University of East London and Hestia, a national charity supporting people through crisis and recovery. This has given me experience of working with people from many different backgrounds, and with a broad and sometimes complex range of experiences.

My psychotherapy training has been extensive and in-depth. I can work with a particular problem or something that has happened recently, as well as offering longer-term, more reflective therapy. People don't always come to therapy knowing exactly what is wrong or what they want to change. Sometimes there is simply a feeling of being stuck, overwhelmed or disconnected, or of finding yourself in the same situations.

I believe finding a therapist you feel comfortable with matters. I aim to offer a warm, thoughtful and non-judgemental space in which you don't need to arrive with the right words or have everything worked out before we begin.

I offer individual psychotherapy for adults, both in person in East Dulwich, South East London SE22 and online. Sessions last 50 minutes and can be short or longer-term, depending on what brings you to therapy and what you would like from our work together.

You don't need to know how long you want to come for when we begin. We can talk about what feels right for you and review this as our work develops.

We can arrange an initial, no-obligation 15-minute online or telephone conversation, giving you an opportunity to tell me a little about what brings you to therapy, ask questions and see whether working together feels right.

In our first 50-minute session, we’ll begin to explore what has brought you to therapy and what you hope for, while getting a sense of how it feels to work together. There’s no expectation that you tell your entire life story straight away, or know exactly where to begin. We can take things at a pace that feels manageable for you.

We’ll also talk through practical arrangements, including confidentiality, and consider whether you’re looking for support over a shorter period or would prefer to work together on a more open-ended basis. You don’t need to decide this straight away; we can review it together as the work develops.