Christine Manning

I offer appointments on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

I have extensive experience in working with individual adults of all ages, and of various nationalities and sexual orientations.   

You may be feeling anxious, low, or depressed, struggling with friendships or family relationships, and wishing that they were easier or didn’t affect you so deeply.  Your emotions may take over, so that you react with anger or tears in the heat of the moment, and regret it later. You may be carrying hurt from the past which means that you can’t live easily and fully in the present. You may just feel that there is something wrong with you, uncomfortable in your skin. 

In our sessions we will talk about what life is like for you, what might have led to any difficulties, what aspects of life you would like to change, and how you can make that change.

We will not necessarily limit ourselves to talking, as that would be to miss out on valuable information. Our bodies gather information about the physical world, and also give us information about whether an experience is good or bad for us – think of our gut feelings about a situation or a person.

Our bodies are physically affected by emotions – think of our fight or flight response when we are afraid. Our body may hold a memory of past experiences that made us feel that we are in danger.

And so I may invite you to tune in to your bodily reactions – for example, 'Does your hand want to make a fist?'  'What are the sensations in your gut telling you?'  to access and understand this information.

I may also invite you to try simple body-based exercises which can move us through our emotions, rather than getting stuck in them, and release traces of old hurts held in the body. This is known as Energy Psychotherapy.

I have been through ups and downs in my life, having worked as a solicitor, with languages in a Trade Union Organisation, been unemployed, raised a family, lived as a misfit abroad and an ordinary person in the UK, and I bring these experiences and the compassion they taught me to our sessions.

If you would like to meet me face-to-face, we can have our sessions in my room in Harpenden.  I can offer onsite parking, and live close to a bus route.

If you enjoy the outdoors, I offer walk and talk therapy in the Harpenden area.

I offer sessions by webcam or by telephone to English speakers in the UK (and abroad, where local regulations allow.) 

All of these approaches are beneficial, although you may find that one approach suits you better than the others.

There is no minimum or maximum number of sessions.  We can arrange a set number of sessions to focus on a particular issue, or you could opt to see me for as long as you find our sessions useful.

The decision as to the length of your time in therapy is entirely yours, although it is helpful if you can let me know if you are thinking of leaving therapy so that we can work towards a satisfying ending.  You will always be welcome to return.

I offer an introductory session at a reduced rate so that we can begin to know one another, and decide whether we will be a good fit.   

I may ask more questions than I usually would in this session, to help me to build up a picture of your life.  Please feel free to ask me any questions about therapy and how we will work together.