Welcome to my website.
My practice is based in Notting Hill and is a short walk from Notting Hill Gate underground station and is on the route of the 52, 23, 12 and 28 buses.
I hope you will find my website helpful. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
MY APPROACH
The way I work is described as integrative which means that I combine elements from the main therapeutic approaches to suit each individual client’s needs and requirements.
You may have heard of CBT, Psychoanalysis, Person-
In other words it is the method adapting to the client and not the other way round. Even though they may subscribe to a specific therapeutic school, most experienced therapists are at the very least aware of developments in approaches other than their own. In any case research indicates that the most significant factor relating to successful outcome is not the therapist’s preferred school of thought, but the quality of the relationship between therapist and clients.
By establishing an empathic, safe and supportive therapeutic environment I will guide you towards clarifying what your aims and objectives are if you need to, and then towards achieving them. This can be done not just by talking, but also in many cases by a variety of experiential exercises which can bring to awareness those aspects of oneself that cannot be reached by words alone. Therapy remains at all times a collaborative and creative process. It allows an opening up of possibilities. It is not a question of me telling you what to do but of us, client and therapist, exploring your current way of making sense of your experience. This is done in order to identify how your problems may have originated, how they are maintained, the function they may serve and the best way for you to challenge them and move forward.
Marina Claessens -
Chartered Psychologist
Counselling, Psychotherapy & Coaching
Notting Hill, W11, West London & Central London
mobile: 0791 766 5756
Booking an Appointment
Please contact me to discuss your requirements or to ask any questions you may have.
I shall be more than happy to talk over the phone or to book an Initial Consultation.
Location
My consulting room is in Notting Hill, W11, West London & Central London.
Fees
My fee for individual therapy is £50 per session. I also offer a few slots of lower cost therapy to those who cannot afford the full fee.
Fees for couple therapy and for group work will be negotiated on a case by case basis.
Your therapeutic contract
Sessions last 50 minutes. This is a general convention in counselling and psychotherapy and is mostly based on the maximum amount of time a therapist can sustain the level of attention required for the sort of intense interaction involved in the work.
Everyone above the age of 16 is welcome regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation. I accept both private clients and NHS referrals. Please note that unfortunately wheelchair access is currently not available.
For your confidentiality
Please do leave a message on my voicemail if you do not get a reply indicating how I can reach you, whether by phone or email. Please note that to protect your confidentiality I will not automatically phone you back if you do not specify a number for me to call where it is ok for me to leave a message.
The work we do together remains strictly confidential at all times. On those rare occasions where I have reason to believe that a client may be posing a serious danger to themselves or others I am professionally bound by duty of care to inform their G.P. or any relevant other. Even then, however I would endeavour to ensure that this would be done with the client’s full knowledge and consent.
An initial consultation lasts up to 90 minutes and serves the purpose of deciding whether or not we can work together. It is for you to assess me as much as the other way round. You are under no obligation to commit to working with me or indeed with any other therapist after this first meeting if you are not convinced that you actually do want to do so.
In the course of the initial consultation I will ask you to outline your concerns and your reasons for seeking therapy at this particular time. We will explore your background and your current circumstances as well as what you would like to get out of therapy. I will then outline a provisional formulation of your issues and a therapeutic plan. After discussing these, you will have time to ask any questions you may have.
At the end of this session we will likely reach a decision as to whether to proceed further. Should that be the case we can establish the terms of our working contract. These are decided on an individual basis by mutual agreement and may involve weekly, fortnightly or even monthly meetings depending on your needs and my availability.
Duration of therapy
The length of time we will work together depends on individual cases and can vary
from just a few sessions to longer term work. I will have a sense of how many sessions
I feel are required after the initial assessment and will negotiate this with you
on the basis of the therapeutic objectives we agree on. Whatever it is decided,
however, remains open to review. This flexibility is needed because of what may
emerge in the course of our work together and because your therapeutic objectives
may change. For example, you may come to see me with a concern around panic attacks
and we may have agreed on 6 sessions to address this presenting problem. In the course
of therapy, however additional issues may emerge, such as for example a general dissatisfaction
with your current relationships or life-
Marina Claessens
mobile: 0791 766 5756
The
British
Psychological
Society
Copyright © Claessens 2007