Dr Catherine Hicks

My approach to therapy is integrative of the current cognitive and mindfulness models, but grounded primarily in a psychodynamic and relational frame – I believe that relationships with others, both past and present, lead to patterns that impact and shape how we experience our lives and the choices we make. Therapy offers the opportunity to identify and modify some of the more-unhelpful patterns, and develop more effective and authentic ways of living.  
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I think of therapy as both a process and a relationship – somewhere and someone to go to when life feels difficult and overwhelming. Together we work at understanding what your specific difficulties are, where they come from, and how they might be addressed.

Issues that we might address in individual work include depression, anxiety, interpersonal difficulties, the experience of grief … generally, a sense of feeling lost and confused, with little sense of belonging. A psychodynamic approach is often useful to address long-standing issues that have never felt fully resolved.
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In couples therapy, we start from the premise that it is the relationship that has come to counselling: the relationship belongs to and is created by each member of the partnership, a dance between the partners if you will, with all the mis-steps and misattunements this regularly involves. In my approach, both partners need to attend sessions together so that it can always be the relationship itself that receives the treatment, rather than identifying faults and failings in any one partner.

We generally meet weekly, and sometimes more frequently if the need arises.