Lucy Christopher

I am a Gestalt psychotherapist. I am also trained in CBT-i (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia). Keep reading for more info on how I work with each therapy, and please indicate at your initial enquiry what you are looking for.

Gestalt therapy with me:

Therapy can be hard work; it can also be profoundly rewarding.

I am a UKCP-accredited psychotherapist with a Masters in Gestalt Psychotherapy.

In our initial sessions we will build a picture of why you are seeking therapy and what you hope to gain. We’ll formulate a theory of both the problem and what an effective outcome would look like for you. This sets the agenda for how we work, what gets prioritised, and expected length (ongoing therapy, short-term, or something in between). We then meet weekly for the duration of your therapy.

I will be curious about how you experience yourself and your relationships, and how your wider environment (or ‘life spaces’) intrinsically shape these experiences. I work affirmatively with sociocultural identity and aim to facilitate a space where no discussions or topics are taboo.

I will encourage you to consider the narratives you tell yourself and have been fed by others, about your self and your history, about other people, and about the world around you. Through this process, therapy can help you to reconstruct your own narrative and expand your skills and capacity to live this narrative in your ‘real’ life and relationships beyond the therapy setting.

As an existential therapy, Gestalt invites you to ask yourself: What would it mean to live a life more authentic to your own values and beliefs? What are your obstacles? And what aspects of your past remain unresolved and are getting in the way of you living this more meaningful life?

I will be as interested in your embodied experiences as your emotional states, thoughts and feelings. The Gestalt approach treats the whole person as a body self (rather than a talking head who happens to have a body). Neuroscience now affirms ‘the literal linkage of body and mind in the very structure of the brain’ – which helps to explain why anxiety gives many the urge to pace up and down, how the vagus nerve links to both digestion/gut health and depression, and how breathing with intention can calm the autonomic nervous system (source: Washington University School of Medicine, 2023).

As well as traditional talk therapy, I invite expressive and creative ways of working – a collaborative means to further make sense of your experience, and to expand your possibilities.

Areas I most commonly work with:

ADHD support
Anxiety
Bereavement
Bullying
Existential themes around life, death, and meaning
Family relationships
Feeling there is something wrong with you, but you don’t know what
Insomnia
Life changes / transitions
Loneliness
Shame
Work / professional issues (including imposter feelings)
Understanding and managing anger

Research consistently indicates that the therapy modality (e.g. Gestalt, psychoanalytic, cognitive behavioural) matters less than the quality of the relationship between therapist and client. If you think my Gestalt therapy or approach sounds like a good ‘fit’ for you, please email me to set up an initial phone consultation.

CBT-i with me – what to expect:

I follow the CBT-i approach researched and practiced by SCNi (Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute, Oxford University), where I completed training in September 2023. CBT-i is the NHS treatment recommended by NICE guidelines for long- and short-term insomnias. My approach combines an assessment of your insomnia; stimulus control therapeutics (including strengthening bed-sleep associations and improving sleep efficiency); Sleep Hygiene; relaxation techniques (drawing on my Gestalt therapy focus on embodiment); and working holistically to look at the wider context in which you experience insomnia. Please note I do not prescribe medication although I may refer you to a medical colleague.

Fees

Weekly ongoing Gestalt therapy: £80 per 50-minute session.

CBT-i: £95 per 50-minute session including all resources.

Initial 20 minute phone consultation: free

Contact

Lucychristophertherapy@gmail.com