Lesley Aitcheson

I currently have limited spaces for in-person sessions and greater flexibility if you are happy to work online.

Sometimes people worry about how to make a start with their therapy, so here is some information about what happens once you take that first step. 

Follwoing your initial request for an appointment of further information, I usually suggest a 10 minute call to help me understand what you are seeking and to understand how I might help. 

If we both agree we'd like to move to the next step, our work together begins with a fifty minute assessment.  

We use this time to think about what has led you to seek therapy, why now, and how you are currently affected. We also check that we can work together and whether the problem you wish to work on is best solved by this way of working. (If it is not, I will help you with the next steps).

I work with an emphasis on creating a safe and confidential environment to encourage emotional growth and to allow you to resolve problems and make changes in order to lead a more fulfilled life.

Therapy can help you to understand and resolve your difficulties by providing the time and space to reflect and to consider how the events of the past have contributed to your current situation.

Psychodynamic psychotherapy is based on the idea that our unconscious fears, desires and needs impact on our conscious life. I will work with you to allow feelings which are hidden, for whatever reason, to come to the fore and be experienced, thought about and understood. This is one of the ways we can begin to address unhelpful patterns of behaviour. 

Following our initial 10 minute phone call, if we agree that we would like to work together, I usually suggest a minimum of six sessions of fifty minutes each. 

After these six sessions, we can review our work together and decide what, if anything, needs to happen next.

I have worked with people for anything from six sessions to over two hundred sessions, depending on the level of difficulty we have been working with. Whilst some people are satisfied with coping strategies and other tools, others wish to attain a deep understanding of their situation. 

I ensure that the process remains flexible and responsive to these needs.

What does it cost?

My fee is £125 per 50-minute session for the duration of your therapy. The exception to this is when I am away due to holidays - I will give you plenty of notice and there will be no charge for the time I am away.

If you miss a session, the fee remains £125, as I hold your session time for you for the duration of our work together.

Where is my consulting room?

I am based in Mayfair, in central London, very close to Bond Street tube station. 

Prior to your first appointment, which is your assessment session, I will send you some detailed information about how I work and some forms to collect the personal details needed for our work to begin. The paperwork typically includes:

• your personal details, contact & emergency contact information, GP practice (aagaoin in case of emergency) and any relevant insurance information
• information & confidentiality consent form
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The aim of the assessment session is for us to get to know each other and for me to learn in more detail what has brought you to therapy, and what you hope to achieve in our work together.