Couple and Family Therapist - Henley - Joan

	(Online) Therapy South Oxfordshire Henley
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Joan | Couple and Family Therapist

(Online) Therapy South Oxfordshire

I am a UKCP registered Family Therapist. My main focus is on relationships, seeing couples (sometimes with one partner on their own), co-parents or parents and children (across all generations). I will usually help you explore why patterns from your family of origin are affecting your relationships now and find a way forward, often by improving communication, and support you in making the changes you decide to make.

I now see people privately, mostly via Zoom, having left a busy NHS mental health team 12 years ago. While on-line therapy works well with adults and older adolescents I find younger children still need to be seen in person. For this I rent therapy rooms in Abingdon and Henley.

People often seek help following a major change in their life, for example, the impact of physical or psychological illnesses especially in older life, redundancy and retirement. For couples, adjusting to being parents or loss of trust through infidelity. Also parenting a challenging child can cause great strain.

Experience and Approach:

I work mainly with couples, helping them understand why they have come to the situation they are in and support them move forward either together in a stronger relationship or separate if necessary. I trained as a Relate counsellor when my youngest child was 3, going onto train as a supervisor while also working as a psychiatric social worker. I became a family therapist and supervisor over 20 years ago.

▪ I have over forty (40) years’ experience of therapeutic work within Health, Education, Social Services and 10 years with Relate, helping couples and families manage emotional and communication difficulties associated with loss, trauma, family disruption, neurological problems, and ill health, including mental health.

▪ I believe that people can gain strength through change with and alongside others and that my job as a therapist is to support and assist that change.

▪ I am trained to work collaboratively with individuals, couples and families across the lifespan and aim to provide a calm space where differing thoughts and feelings can be safely explored.

▪ I acknowledge the importance of people’s different beliefs, cultures, contexts and life experiences and will adapt my way of working according to family members’ ages, needs, resources and preferences.

▪ I take ‘couple' or 'family’ to describe any group of people who define themselves as such and am happy to work with whoever you identify as important to you.

▪ I am not trained in psychoanalysis but may ask you to think about your future hopes, past experience or ideas in order to help you find meaning in your current situation.

▪ From time to time, I may present different ways of thinking. These are not absolute ideas but

tentative thoughts which may or may not resonate with you.

▪ Sometimes I will suggest a task to complete before the next session. This is voluntary. If you
do not complete the task, it will not alter my commitment to you as a therapist.

Online therapy

When Covid came I did not think therapy would be the same done remotely. However I find that it works very well with adults, alowing them to be in different locations and even different countries! Younger teenagers and children I believe still need to be seen in person.

I find working on-line, mostly via Zoom, stops the need for travel and you can stay in the comfort of your own environment. Just make sure you won't be interrupted and have a drink to hand.

I can offer a free half an hour telephone conversation to help you decide if I'm offering the type of therapy that you want. Once we have made an initial appoinmnet I will send you a document stating how I maintain confidentiality (ie my General Data Protection Regulation statement).

If I am seeing more than one person I like to meet for an hour and half in the the initial session. This is to gather as much information as possible and together make a plan of how to move forward. Subsequent sessions are for an hour unless you request otherwise.

If you decide to proceed in therapy with me we will most likely meet weekly at first, spacing out appointments to fortnightly or monthly depending on how confident you feel with the changes you have made.

If you find that my systemic approach does not suit you I can help you think about what other resources might help better.

Qualifications and registrations

I originally qualified a Social Worker, obtaining a BA degree in Applied Social Studies and a Certificate in Social Work in Hertfordshire.

▪ 1993 Certificate in Couple Counselling with Relate

▪ 1994 Supervisor Training with Relate

▪ 1998 MSc in Family Therapy at Oxford Brooks University and with the Oxford Family Institute

▪ 2009 Family Therapy Supervision at the Tavistock Centre, London

Each year I attend a number of training days in various topics in order to continue my professional development. I have my own supervision with another family therapist monthly.

Professional Registrations:

UKCP Registered Number: 313376 Member Organisation: the Association of Family Therapy

Registered as a Supervisor with AFT & UKCP

Registrations

I offer therapy in

✓ English

Specialisations

1. Couple therapy
2. Family relationships
3. Adjustment to life stages
4. Older life changes
5. Living with neurodiversity
6. Parenting challenging children
7. Coping with illness
8. Managing conflict

Fees

Fees and Payment:

My fee for a remote one hour session is £75 and £90 for a face-to-face meeting, to be paid before each session by bank transfer.

The cost of an hour and a half appointment is £112 via Zoom or £135 if face-to-face.

My bank details will be sent to you once an appointment has been made.

Should the session be curtailed due to technical reasons a rebate will be discussed and agreed together.

Cancellations: If you are unable to attend, I would appreciate a text or call to my mobile as soon as possible(not by email as this could be missed). An alternative mutually agreed day/time will be offered.

If your cancellation is within less than 48 hours or you do not attend without informing me, you will be charge half the hourly rate.

Availability (Opening hours)

Monday	I can be flexible with on-line appointments during the week. I do not have evening appointments.
Tuesday	-
Wednesday	-
Thursday	-
Friday	-
Saturday	10 to 2 pm
Sunday	-

Location

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