Individual psychotherapy
If you’re struggling with emotional or physical pain, stress, depression or anxiety, I can provide a safe and confidential space to talk and begin your recovery.
I see the therapeutic process as collaborative – we will look at what your aims and objectives are, and how we can work together to achieve them.
At the heart of my work is an understanding that our early relationships and experiences shape the ways we relate to ourselves, to others and to the world. When our experiences have been difficult or inconsistent, we develop protective patterns. These once helped us to survive or feel safe but can become limiting later in life. I approach these patterns with curiosity and compassion rather than judgement.
Together, we make sense of how your previous relational experiences have shaped your sense of safety and self-worth, and may be playing out in the present, for example in your ways of coping or how you respond in your relationships.
Many people have a highly critical inner voice or a sense that something is fundamentally wrong with them. I help clients to understand the protective function of their critical voice while developing greater self-compassion and emotional regulation skills, leading to a sense of inner safety.
I don't see myself as the expert who has all the answers or as someone who needs to 'fix' you. Instead, I pay close attention to your own felt sense, intuition, emotions and emerging understanding. I aim to provide a relationship in which you feel sufficiently safe to explore painful experiences, develop self-compassion and learn self-soothing skills. In this way you can reconnect with inner wisdom and your own capacity for change.
Couples therapy
If you are experiencing painful disconnection in your relationship and you are unsure whether you want to stay together, I can provide a safe space for you to communicate differently.
My work with you both will be primarily grounded in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy. The focus is on your attachment styles and identifying your negative interactional cycle. In recent years, I have integrated tools from Relational Life Therapy, particularly its emphasis on taking relational responsibility. I can help both of you to see your parts in the cycle.
My aim is to work compassionately with the emotional and attachment needs that underlie your difficulties. I also engage directly with the behaviours that maintain those difficulties, to create a balance between empathy and accountability. This will help both of you understand why you respond as you do, while also supporting each person to take responsibility for the part they play in the relationship and develop new ways of connecting.
About Harriet
I obtained a Masters’ degree (MSc) in Integrative Psychotherapy from Middlesex University after studying for five years at the Metanoia Institute in London, and I am accredited by the UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy), the leading organisation for the accreditation and regulation of psychotherapists in the UK.
I have also completed the full training in Emotionally Focussed Couple Therapy (EFCT Core Skills), and am a registered member of its governing body, the International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy (ICEEFT).
I see these approaches as complementary perspectives and tools that can deepen and support my attachment-focused work. The therapeutic relationship remains central, and I work collaboratively and responsively, adapting the work to the individual client rather than fitting the client to a particular model.
My approach when working with individuals or couples is grounded in my original training at the Metanoia Institute during which I developed an integrative framework, informed by person-centred principles and attachment theory. Over time and through numerous in-person and online training courses, I have integrated perspectives and tools from other therapeutic approaches that I have found to be compatible with this foundation, including from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Relational Life Therapy (RLT) and Internal Family Systems (IFS).
I have worked for organisations such as YMCA, NHS (CAMHS), and The Rock Clinic while living in Brighton and Hove. I’ve also co-hosted several Hold Me Tight™ relationship courses with numerous couples. See my Linkedin profile for further details. For the last ten years I’ve been in private practice, and I currently work from my quiet home office in Hastings UK, as well as online via Zoom.
ACCREDITED AND PROFESSIONALLY AFFILIATED WITH
What to expect
If you’d like to get in touch, the simplest way is by email
You can arrange a phone call or Zoom chat so that you can get a sense of whether you’d like to work with me (these usually last around 10 minutes and are free) or you can go ahead and book a first session.
Whether I’m working with individuals or couples, I don’t have any expectations of what you should say or how you should be in your first session. My goal is to create a sense of safety that allows you to share what is on your mind.
My work with individuals and couples is open-ended, meaning I don’t prescribe to a fixed number of sessions. You can leave whenever you like, although ideally, we would discuss this together.
Sessions usually last for 50 minutes, although some couples find 80-minute sessions more helpful.
Fees
Individuals – £75 per 50-minute session
Couples – £90 per 50-minute session or £130 per 80-minute session
One week’s notice is required for cancellations.
