All Professional Members have completed an advanced clinical training to work in depth with adults. Other members of WMIP such as Clinical Associates are trained, registered with recognised professional bodies and have been assessed by WMIP as meeting the required professional criteria for inclusion in our register. All our members are registered with the British Psychoanalytic Council and/or the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is a helping relationship that gives you the space to think about yourself and your life. By thinking and talking together with a trained psychotherapist, you may find it easier to understand how past experiences, current patterns of thought and behaviour or anxieties about the future are causing difficulties in your present life.

Through the relationship with your therapist and the shared exploration of your life, the hope is that you will find relief from recurring problems, live life more fully and realise your full potential. This is a process of change, as well as understanding.

You can find out more about different approaches to psychotherapy here: https://www.bpc.org.uk/download/494/Mind-opt.pdf

As psychotherapy is a personal process, what happens in your own psychotherapy process will be unique to you, but there are some important boundaries which will be held by all our therapists.

Each session lasts 50 minutes, and you will see your therapist at the same time and in the same place, at least once a week. For more intensive psychotherapy, you may choose to see your therapist two or three times a week, or more often.

Confidentiality is an important aspect of psychotherapy. WMIP psychotherapists adhere to a code of ethics, which requires that your privacy be respected.

Psychotherapy does not involve medication, although some people are taking anti-depressants prescribed by their GP when they begin.

It varies depending on the individual circumstances. Sometimes people might attend for a shorter period of therapy, perhaps 3 to 6 months. Generally, though, in-depth psychotherapy is a more lengthy process and it is not at all unusual for people to attend therapy for at least a year, perhaps a number of years.

Many WMIP therapists see people in person or offer a mixture of online and in person work.  A few of our therapists work entirely online. This is something to explore with a potential therapist or with our Referral Service when you are looking for therapy.

For most of us there are times in our lives when we experience anxiety, distress or feelings of emptiness. These worries may be due to current circumstances, such as bereavement, relationship tensions or illness. These problems can also stir up buried feelings about the past. Our unhappiness may have a profound effect on our work, health and on those close to us.

It is often when we reach a point where we can no longer resolve conflict or come to terms with pain or disappointment and when we see little hope of change that we seek help.

Psychotherapy can help people whose professional work demands increased self-understanding, such as those in health care, social work and religious roles.  People in a wide range of other professions and life situations can also find it helpful. 

People can benefit from psychotherapy regardless of race, age, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability or educational background.

People come into therapy with many different difficulties. Perhaps you are wondering how you’ve got to where you are or questioning the meaning of life. Perhaps you are feeling:

• unable to cope
• burdened by resentment, disappointment or despair
• that family problems are too much to bear
• lonely or depressed
• that things could be better or that you’ve not yet realised your full potential
• anxious and unable to concentrate
• curious or anxious about your sexuality or identity

You may seek therapy because you have difficulty in making or sustaining relationships, or repeatedly become involved in unsatisfying or destructive relationships.  You might be aware of unhealthy patterns in your personal life and/or at work.

Other problems that people bring to therapy include:

• experiences of trauma
• extreme mood swings
• personality issues
• difficulty in coming to terms with losses such as bereavement, divorce, the end of a relationship or loss of a job
• obsessional behaviour, phobias and/or panic attacks
• eating disorders
• worries caused by debt or loss of income
• post-natal depression or the ‘baby blues’
• mental health diagnoses

Intensive psychotherapy offers an in-depth exploration of personal difficulties, in which people tend to come more frequently than once a week. Two or three sessions each week is typical, though four is possible.

Gradually, one to one, you and your therapist build up a relationship of trust, where unconscious motivations and feelings that underlie your conflict and confusion can be brought to light. This offers an opportunity to work more deeply, including facing negative thoughts and feelings, which may have felt too ‘dangerous’ to open up before. Knowing that you will see your therapist again within a few days can make it possible to risk exploring areas of your inner world you may not have wanted to think about before. This is not always an easy process and calls for commitment over a period of time. However, the results can help you find your own voice and can greatly improve your life.

The amount you can expect to pay varies between therapists, who set their own fees. Some have a sliding scale depending on individual circumstances and some have a fixed fee. A qualified WMIP therapist would be likely to charge at least £50-60 per session.  This is something to discuss with your individual therapist. Some therapists, including those still in training, have a few spaces available at a reduced fee for those on a low income.

You can be assured that your therapist will be practising according to their code of conduct around confidentiality and GDPR (the UK’s General Data Protection Regulations).

If you want to explore whether psychotherapy is a good fit for you, you can contact our Referral Service to find out whether there are therapists local to you with space to arrange an initial consultation.

For useful information about the different approaches within psychotherapy, its history and what you can expect: https://www.bpc.org.uk/download/494/Mind-opt.pdf

The British Psychoanalytic Council has further information here:

https://www.bpc.org.uk/information-support/

The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy has further information here:

https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/seeking-therapy/psychotherapy-faqs/