Werner Valentin

In this collective dream & nightmare of ours, it is important to hold on to the individual meaning it has for everyone individually...that way lies sanity. Community will then arise out of allowing for difference.

Following on from my working experience over the recent pandemic years, I have decided to provide an almost exclusively online based service, which is delivered and experienced very much 'face-to-face' and 'in person'.

Online psychotherapy differs from in-the-room psychotherapy, as the 'facing-your-therapist-in-the room-experience' differs from 'lying-on-the-couch-in-the-room- experience'. It is different. Not better. Not worse. Just different.

I am available on Friday afternoons for in-the-room sessions at Number 42, London Bridge. Outdoor therapy sessions can also be arranged.

I offer individual as well as group and couple/relationship sessions in both English and German - and you will find more details below.

In my work I integrate 30 years of experience of working in the field. My understanding of the spiritual context of what it means to be human is backed up by my knowledge of a great diversity of traditional therapeutic tools.

GROUP WORK

"In individual therapy one learns how to take a car apart and find out about its mechanical workings. Then one puts it back together again. This can be a highly satisfactory undertaking though no-one but you will know the difference this has made to you.

In group therapy you will learn how to navigate that car in traffic. Everyone will notice the difference"

Individual psychotherapy and group psychotherapy are very different things:

In order to bear the group experience, you will need to have been nourished enough on an individual level - and it may therefore be indicated to attend individual sessions either with myself or with a colleague alongside the group experience.

One of my biggest 'lock down' experiences has been to witness how effective online group work can be: deeply relational and connected.

I currently offer four group experiences, all of which are designed to be long term and 'slow open', which means that new members will join with a minimum of 4 weeks' notification to the group. During this time, the new member will have individual meetings with me to prepare them for their entry into the group.

All the groups have a minimum commitment of one year. The charge is on a sliding scale of a weekly, year round, standing order of between £15 and £40, depending on your income. Special rates are available for individual/group session packages.

FIRST SESSIONS IN COUPLES/RELATIONSHIP WORK

When you come to me with your significant other(s), my attention shifts from your individual concerns to the dynamic of your relationship.

I generally offer any interested couple/group a 1/2 hr exploratory session, free of charge, to explain what you can expect from me. You can then make a more informed decision if I am indeed the right person for you to work with.

Generally speaking, I offer a holding structure of initially weekly sessions that then go down to fortnightly, monthly, or to whatever the involved parties consider to be appropriate. If, from the outset, you are looking for continued weekly engagement over a longer period, I would (most likely) not be the right person for you.

I have found zoom to be pretty ideal for couples/group work, if both/all partners can be on separate computers in separate rooms. This offers creative potential for the entangled strands that need to separated as well as for powerful in-the-room experiences for which the partners then come together in front of one screen.

I charge £100 for a 50 minute session. The first session will extend over 75 minutes and you will be charged £150. Please inquire about reduced fees.

I work with couples/groups of all genders and sexual orientations and with various contractual relationship agreements.