Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Thinking about therapy?

If you wish to attend an initial consultation, we can arrange a time to discuss what has brought you to this point, your concerns, and more about you.

If after consultation you wish to begin therapy, there is no need to plan. In the first session we can start from what is on your mind, and work together to explore what is happening for you. Sessions are generally at the same time each week.

By engaging in sessions you may notice over time that you feel different within yourself – more connected, more clarity, and improved relationships with others. You may feel more confident, with a greater sense of self, control and value.

An initial six-week trial period may be suitable. Otherwise, treatments can last for twenty sessions or are open-ended. There is no obligation to continue if you wish to end sessions.

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy takes place within the privacy of the consulting room. The process can be elusive, especially as the work involves the unknown nature of the unconscious mind. Patients report meaningful change, finding it hard to say how or why. The willingness to engage in the process; with an openness to encounter aspects of self may be uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but also enhancing and rewarding.

“The long-term therapy I had with Maxine was deeply important and transformative for me. The sessions were a profound and healing experience, always with warmth, compassion, gentleness, depth of understanding. They made a remarkable difference to my life, both at the time and in a way that is ongoing for me today. You inspired me…not only did the sessions allow for holding and healing, they set my life on a completely different direction. I wanted you to know that I, as a former patient of yours, am coping, flourishing, embracing life – and grateful to you for all of this.”

“Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Psychodynamic therapy allowed me to reconnect with my inner self and inner world. Through this process, I finally saw myself for who I truly am. I had been lost for so long, stuck in a dark hole, searching for something. That something was me. No one can take that away now. Maxine helped me find my way back. Therapy doesn’t simply “fix” you. It requires trusting the process, opening the wound, and doing the real work to heal and grow. When something feels challenging or you feel uncomfortable talking about it, it’s often an invitation to take a leap of faith. Now that I know myself, I honour my boundaries and values, regardless of social pressures. I have returned to my body, living in the present. I feel my power again. That power is me. I know who I am – strong, confident, and excited for life again.”

“The architecture of the brain… at its centre…lies the limbic system. This is the powerhouse of the brain – generator of the appetites, urges, emotions and moods that drive our behaviour. Our conscious thoughts are mere interpreters and moderators of the biologically necessary forces that emerge from this unconscious underworld and where conscious processes pull in an opposite direction to emotion, the latter is designed by the neural circuitry in our brains to exert the stronger force.”

Mapping the Mind, R Carter