Melanie Bray

I offer appointments flexibly on weekdays, some evenings, and occasionally Saturday mornings.

I have good results with telephone sessions if you prefer or live further away.

With a substantial previous career as a mental health professional, I have been a therapist for the last 20 years, focussing on unravelling the impact of childhood and later experiences on present day difficulties (psychodynamic approach). I also use CBT, Mindfulness and positive self-care depending on what you need.

More detail about my practice

Whether I am working with a few sessions or longer term, my practice is usually informed by talking with you about your experience growing up and subsequently. Even using a mainly cognitive approach, this helps with identifying your beliefs about yourself and your world.

When working longer term, you can go into more detail about your upbringing and later experiences and we can trace their impact on present day difficulties in functioning and relationships.

Habitual thoughts of self-criticism, self-reproach, and constant comparison with others and over –thinking can be identified and modified. Chronic feelings of guilt, shame, low mood, anxiety, fear, embarrassment and so on can be explored and processed.

Talking within the trusting and empathic relationship I hope to build up with you, helps in containing and understanding the origin of these thoughts and feelings and helps to defuse their impact.

In addition I use ideas from Mindfulness, Compassion focussed therapy and CBT so you have better control of your thoughts and feelings, and a range of techniques you can use.

What clients can expect in working with me

I will want to show you that I am concerned to, and interested in helping you professionally and ethically, with reliability and commitment to our work together. This is so that you can feel safe and develop trust in me and confidence in the process.

I respect everyone’s uniqueness and individuality and adapt my practice to your particular needs and circumstances.

I am aware of the need for a sense of direction and progress within the therapy, so there is some informal reviewing as we go, about how you are getting on and how we are working together.

People are so varied in how they feel in their first session so I try to adapt my approach so as to put you at ease e.g. ask more questions than usual, talk about what may be making talking more difficult, help you use some relaxation techniques.

As to the focus of subsequent sessions for some that will be clear fairly immediately, for others more time will be needed and may be an evolving process.

We will discuss some form of informal contract as regards commitment, a mutually convenient time, our focus or general direction, payment arrangements etc.