Christian McCabe

I work in person at The Practice on a Monday and online from Tuesday through to Friday and currently have various spaces available on each day or evening of the week.

Perhaps something in your life has become difficult to carry on your own.

Maybe you know what is wrong, or perhaps you simply have a feeling that something isn't right anymore.

You may be struggling with anxiety, sadness, anger or shame. Perhaps your mind rarely seems to stop, or you find yourself feeling overwhelmed by things you thought you should be able to cope with.

You may be having difficulties in a relationship - finding yourself giving too much, holding back what you really feel, or struggling to let someone get close.

Perhaps you're questioning who you are, where you belong, or whether you can really feel comfortable being yourself.

Or perhaps there isn't one particular thing you can point to. You just know that you don't want to continue feeling as you do.

I'm a Counselling Psychotherapist and have been practising for fourteen years.

For me, psychotherapy is about relationship. I believe that what happens between us can sometimes help us understand what happens for us elsewhere - how we experience other people, what we expect from them, what we find difficult to say, and what we have learnt to expect from ourselves.

I don't see you as a problem that needs fixing, and I don't arrive with a set of answers about who you are. I bring my experience, knowledge and curiosity, but you are the person who knows what it is like to live your life.

My own experiences have also shaped the person and psychotherapist I am. As a gay man, I have some understanding of what it can be like to question identity, belonging and how we are seen by others.

You don't need to know exactly what you want to talk about, or even be sure that psychotherapy is what you need.

We can begin with whatever has brought you here and see where it takes us.

You don't need to have the right words.

You can simply begin wherever you can.

I don't believe that people are simply problems to be solved. We all arrive with our own histories, relationships and experiences, and these become part of how we understand ourselves and others.

For me, the relationship between us is part of the work. How you experience me, what you find easy to say, what you hold back, and what you expect from me can sometimes help us understand what happens for you in relationship with others. Rather than judging these things or trying to change them immediately, we can become curious about them together.

I work with both individuals and couples and have experience across addiction, relationships and dependency, anxiety, depression, shame and loss, neurodivergence, identity, sexuality and belonging.

In couples psychotherapy, I don't see my role as deciding who is right or wrong or taking sides. You are both the relationship. My role is to help you notice and understand what is happening between you. Sometimes the work is about finding your way back to one another; sometimes it may involve considering separation with greater clarity, honesty and respect.

My training is integrative, informed particularly by humanistic and psychodynamic approaches, Transactional Analysis and attachment theory. These perspectives inform my work, but the labels themselves are less important to me than the person sitting in front of me and what we discover together.

I offer shorter-term and longer-term psychotherapy, in person in Bristol and online via Zoom.

Making contact can sometimes feel like the hardest part.

You may have thought about coming for some time before finally picking up the phone, sending a text or writing an email.

When you first get in touch, we can talk a little about what is happening for you and, if it feels right, arrange an Introductory Session.

I call this an Introductory Session rather than an assessment because it is an opportunity for us to meet.

I'll want to hear something about what has brought you here, what life is like for you at the moment and perhaps what you hope might become different.

But I also want you to have the opportunity to get a sense of me.

What is it like to sit with me?

Can you imagine talking to me about the things that matter to you?

Do you feel there is something here that could develop between us?

I think these questions are just as important as anything we might talk about during that first meeting.

You don't have to arrive knowing what you want to say, and you don't have to make a decision immediately afterwards.

Sometimes we know quite quickly that there is a connection; sometimes it takes a little longer to become clear.

If we both feel that we would like to work together, we can find a regular time to meet and begin.