Anna Purser

I work in the afternoons and evenings and try to be as flexible as possible, especially for day-time sessions.

I work face to face and by phone with individuals, and face to face with couples.

Evening slots do get booked up quickly and tend to remain so as mostly clients are medium to long-term.

I do reserve some evening slots for couples and these become available more regularly

I know that it can take courage to start therapy and often a good deal of strength to continue. I see that often childhood experience blurs dreams and aspirations as we conform to a life that simply doesn't seem to define or align with who we feel we are or were meant to become. 

My practice, with individuals and couples, is based strongly on linking past experience with present feelings and behaviours. I believe that therapy should be enjoyable as well as, in many ways, freeing. So often I see that clients gain strength and find new direction having entered therapy feeling at their lowest and or quite desperate ebbs - not crediting themselves with the underlying strength it has taken even to start the process of looking for a therapist.

I have been working as a psychotherapist for over 13 years, in private practice, agency and NHS settings and have an MA, diplomas and certificates in integrative therapy and counselling. I regularly take courses to increase my learning and attend clinical supervision fortnightly. My work draws on a number of schools of therapeutic thought - mostly psychodynamic, person centred, existential and CBT -  with an overall aim to help my clients feel emotionally stronger with a clearer awareness of what gives their lives meaning. There is a great deal of evidence to show that, whatever school of thought therapy adopts, it is the therapeutic relationship at its centre that is crucial to its success; I strongly believe this to be the case.

Before becoming a therapist I worked in the voluntary sector organising major fundraising events and, before that, I worked in the fine and decorative arts.

"The first step towards not being unconsciously influenced by something is to become conscious of it” 

Dass (2000) cited by Faris & van Ooijen (2012).

If I had to define the ethos of my practice in three words, I would use three (from an opera by Wagner):  "Through compassion knowing".   I work to try to help my clients acknowledge, understand, know and, above all, accept who they are, and who they want to be.  I believe that compassionate acceptance of ourselves, along with all our faults and foibles, is so important.

We beat ourselves up for not being perfect, compare ourselves to others, feel guilty and shameful about so much and so often just don't allow ourselves the time or self-compassion to think about and understand why or how we have become fearful, unfulfilled, dissatisfied and overwhelmed. This can impact on our relationships, health, sense of self and ability to cope with our daily lives; even to remember what it is to feel happy.  

I see so often in my work that childhood experience has moulded clients into a version of themselves they don't feel they truly are. I work collaboratively and conversationally to explore day to day elements, perhaps throughout clients' lives, that have impacted on how they feel and find they have become.

These elements may include how they were treated as children, the relationship of and with their family, partners and friends, bullying, societal influences, finances and education, the gender they grew up as or wish to become, or how their backgrounds and identities may make them feel misunderstood and experience discrimination. Relationship breakdown, conception issues, loss of self, fear of abandonment and repeating patterns are just some of the themes that I see so often.

We will start with an assessment which may last a little longer than the standard therapeutic 50 minute session.

I will take notes during this session, which I would usually not do, and we can explore how we might work together.

I never ask clients to decide if they want to continue with me as their therapist during an assessment, as it is an important decision and needs time to be considered.

I charge the same for an assessment as for a standard session.