la-psychology
LAUREN
AITKEN
“ A person is a fluid process, a flowing river of change“
(Carl Rogers)
​
We are all on our own unique path. Finding ourselves within bodies and minds evolved through centuries of existence. Growing within families and cultures, learning from the world around us. All of us doing the best we can with the knowledge, skills and experience we have.
Life can be difficult, we can all struggle with painful experiences, endure difficult feelings and be pushed beyond our capacity to cope. Practised ways of dealing with challenges and problems can stop feeling useful and can lead to unintended consequences. We can find ourselves, and those we care about, feeling hurt, stuck in our own distress our wellbeing deteriorating.
These moments present a time of choice..... keep your head down and carry on or stop and seek out change.
Change can be hard though, it’s difficult to let go of learned ways of coping, even if we feel we’ve outgrown them. I can offer support as you explore this challenging time and build a shared understanding of your journey to this place of being. I work to engender compassion for the distress you’ve experienced, courage to be with difficult feelings and strength to take steps towards a new way of being.
ABOUT
I'm a clinical psychologist accredited by the Health and Care Professionals Council (HCPC) and a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS). I am an accredited therapist in a number of therapeutic approaches including Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, EMDR therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy. I adhere to the professional code of ethics, policies and guidelines published by the HCPC, the BPS and the BABCP.
To ensure that high standard of professional and clinical practice is maintained, I receive regular supervision from experienced psychologists and psychotherapists. I am also committed to my continual professional development which enables me to keep up-to-date with new research and practice. With over 10 years experience in the NHS, I bring a depth of knowledge and experience to bring you the best possible support I can offer.
SESSIONS
I offer sessions online over Zoom with a single appointment lasting 50-60 minutes. Our first appointment is a psychological assessment where you can tell me about your experiences and what has brought you to therapy. Together we will explore how therapy can support you. I’ll explain a bit about the different therapeutic approaches I offer and we can agree a focus for our work.
The average therapy length is 20-30 sessions but this will vary; some people feel better quickly whilst others may wish to work on a number of issues over time.
How often we meet is negotiable. It's normal to have weekly sessions initially and then settle into a less frequent pattern over time. Sometimes people like to allow a session to sink in for a couple of weeks. Others want to press ahead.
Please use the contact me form to ask any questions or to enquire about booking an appointment.
