In person and online
Psychotherapy and Counselling
Exeter and London
jonathan.wilkes@me.com 07986 629657
About psychotherapy
Do I want to live like this? Its a question we can find ourselves asking at key moments in our lives. Do I want to live like this, is this all that there is or do I hope for something more, a greater freedom, perhaps, or a greater capacity to face the difficulty that life is presenting me with so that it can become more a small part of a large room rather than a large part of a small one.
Often that question presents itself as a crisis. Either something happens suddenly which threatens to overwhelm us or simply getting through the day has become harder and harder and our ways of coping have run out of steam. This can show itself in a variety of difficult feelings - depression, anxiety, anger - or behaviour that is harmful to ourselves (like addictions, self harm, suicidal thoughts) and sometimes others, affecting our relationships and how we feel about ourselves and the world around us.
What psychotherapy does is give time and attention to those parts of our lives which seem not to be working, or we hope might work better. It means listening very carefully to what you are feeling and thinking now and then trying to understand how what’s happened to you, either recently or earlier in your life, has made this present moment so hard to live in.
Because we live in society, with communities and families and relationships of different kinds, the psychodynamic element of the psychotherapy that I practice means that I am not a passive presence in the room with you but rather there to be put to use in helping us understand how life works for you.
About me
I am a qualified psychotherapist with a Masters and Post Graduate qualification in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, having previously gained degrees in English and History, and Theology. I have 25 years experience listening to people and helping them to manage emotional problems.
I trained at the Westminster Pastoral Foundation in London, which has been a highly respected Psychotherapy training for over 50 years, and my training is in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy which means that as well as thinking carefully about your thoughts and feelings we also use the relationship between us as a means of learning about how things work for you.
I am registered with the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the Foundation for Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC) and this means that I am bound to work within the ethical guidelines of all three organisations.
I also have particular experience of charities and their management, community organisations and an in-depth knowledge and understanding of adoption and children in care.
How I work
I work with people once or twice a week, either for a fixed period or for an open ended length of time, in consulting rooms near Exeter and London. I am happy to work with people either in person or on line.
Consistency is important and so sessions are at the same time each week and last 50 minutes.
I am a firm believer that finding the right person to talk to is vitally important and so suggest that we explore that in a telephone call or an initial meeting or two.
If you decide that I’m not the right person to talk with then I’ll do everything I can to point you in the direction of someone who might be.
Some reasons people go to therapy
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To be heard
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To be seen
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To seek change
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To talk about people they are having to support
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To learn more about themselves
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To learn how to set boundaries
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To address mental health issues
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To end painful patterns
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To work through relationship issues
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To ease feelings of guilt
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To gain insight
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To discover self acceptance
Getting in touch and fees
Starting therapy can feel daunting. I suggest that the first step is to meet for one or two sessions to get a feel for what it would be like to work together and to establish whether I would be the right person to help. Before that, though, we could have a conversation on the phone to see how that feels if you wanted to.
I charge £60 for an initial consultation and then if we decide to work together we can decide a fee between us that is appropriate for your financial situation within the range of £60-£80.
If I am not the right person for you then I’ll do all that I can to put you in touch with someone who is.
Please do send me a message here or call me on 07986 629657.