Change the emotional patterns that leave you feeling stuck, undermine your confidence and create difficulties in your relationships.
Focused, in-depth psychotherapy that works at the root of your difficulties to bring about deep and lasting change.
I work with people experiencing:
People-pleasing, enmeshment and losing themselves in relationships
Anger, defensiveness and recurring conflict in relationships
Low self-esteem, not feeling ‘good enough’ and persistent self-doubt
Perfectionism and the pressure to do more and be more
Many people arrive in therapy knowing exactly what they do but not knowing how to stop doing it. They may have spent years trying to understand themselves, yet still find themselves reacting in ways they don't want to, particularly when life is stressful or relationships become difficult.
Understanding why you do something can be important, but it doesn't necessarily change how you feel or respond when difficult situations arise. Often, this is because feelings, emotional conflicts and protective responses that you aren't fully aware of continue to shape how you experience yourself and others.
My belief in the potential of psychotherapy grew out of my own experience and has been deepened through my work with others. I have seen how working directly with these underlying experiences can bring about change at a deeper level than understanding alone, transforming deeply ingrained ways of responding. The aim is not simply to change unwanted behaviours, but to help you develop a stronger sense of yourself, healthier relationships and the freedom to be more fully alive.
You may recognise…
Constantly doubting yourself, replaying conversations and questioning your worth
Feeling criticised, rejected or misunderstood, and responding with anger, accusations or hurtful remarks
Saying “yes” when you really mean “no”, then feeling resentful, overwhelmed or emotionally drained
Struggling when someone close to you wants space or makes decisions you disagree with, becoming jealous, demanding or controlling
Holding yourself to impossible standards and never feeling that what you do is quite good enough
What you’d like instead…
Feeling more confident in your own judgement and able to make decisions without constantly seeking reassurance
Being able to express anger and hurt honestly and vulnerably, without attacking or saying things you regret
Saying “no” easily, without guilt or fear of rejection
Feeling more secure in relationships, allowing others space and independence without becoming jealous, demanding or controlling
Genuinely experiencing your inherent worth, rather than feeling you have to earn it through what you achieve or do for others
I’m Sam.
I work with adults who feel stuck in patterns of people-pleasing, perfectionism and chronic self-doubt. You may find yourself focused on other people’s wants and needs while losing touch with your own, second-guessing yourself constantly or feeling that who you are is somehow either “not enough” or “too much”.
This can create a relentless internal tension — replaying conversations, worrying you’ve upset someone, struggling to say no or feeling responsible for how other people feel. Over time, these patterns can leave you feeling anxious, resentful, emotionally exhausted or unsure of who you really are beneath the pressure to keep everything together.
With over ten years’ clinical experience, I use Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP), a focused, emotionally active and evidence-based approach that works directly with the emotional conflicts and defensive patterns underlying these difficulties. Therapy combines insight with experiential work, helping you understand why these difficulties developed while actively working with them as they arise in therapy. Together, we focus on loosening entrenched patterns of self-doubt, over-adapting and chronic self-pressure, creating the conditions for lasting change.
Many of my clients have had therapy before and already understand their difficulties intellectually, yet still feel caught in the same emotional and relational patterns. By working directly at the emotional root of these difficulties, it becomes possible to create lasting change.
Getting started
1. Arrange a Free Call
Book a free 15-minute introductory call
2. Explore Working Together
We'll discuss what's bringing you to therapy and whether working together is likely to be helpful
3. Start Therapy
We'll arrange an initial session and agree a regular time to meet
Specialisms
Anger and defensiveness
Work through the patterns driving anger and defensiveness so you can respond differently when conflict arises and build closer, more fulfilling relationships.
Low self-esteem
Work at the emotional roots of low self-esteem so you can develop a stronger sense of your own worth.
Perfectionism
Break the patterns driving perfectionism so you can stop living under constant pressure and measuring your worth by what you achieve.
People-pleasing
Understand and change the patterns that keep you putting others first so you can stay connected to yourself in your relationships.