Areas of Work
Anxiety is more than feeling stressed or overwhelmed. It is a natural response to uncertainty, but when it persists, it can profoundly affect how you think, feel and engage with the world.
Amid the pace of London life, it can bring constant worry, racing thoughts or physical tension, and sometimes fears that seem to come from nowhere. Over time, it can quietly interfere with work, relationships and wellbeing.
Understanding
From a psychodynamic perspective, anxiety is rarely just about the present moment. It can be understood as a signal that something inside is asking for attention. Often, it links to feelings we have learned to keep out of awareness, such as anger, sadness, need, or fear of rejection. When those feelings come close to the surface, anxiety can rise to keep them at bay.
These patterns usually begin early in life. As children, we adapt to our surroundings in whatever way helps us feel safe and cared for. Those adaptations make sense at the time, but they can carry on long after they are needed. Without realising it, the mind builds defences such as avoidance, overthinking or perfectionism, which can become a source of distress in their own right.
Recognising It
The NHS guide to anxiety has more on symptoms and other kinds of support.
Anxiety is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It has meaning.
The Approach
Seen this way, anxiety is not a sign that something is wrong with you. It has meaning, and understanding that meaning is the first step towards change.
As a BACP-registered and NCPS-accredited psychodynamic psychotherapist, I help clients understand where their anxiety comes from, rather than simply managing symptoms. In sessions, you are free to talk about whatever is on your mind, and together we notice the themes, feelings and connections that emerge.
The relationship between us becomes part of the work too. Patterns that show up in the room often mirror those elsewhere in your life, and seeing them as they happen can bring real understanding. This isn’t a quick fix. By attending to the emotional life beneath the anxiety, change can take hold at its source, and it is more likely to last.
Anxiety and depression often appear together, and therapy can work with both.
Location
My Putney practice is on Disraeli Road, beside Putney Library and a short walk from Putney station. It is easy to reach from Fulham, Wandsworth, Chelsea and Wimbledon. There is no parking on site, but there is parking nearby.
Getting Started
If anxiety is holding you back, you don’t have to face it alone. Psychodynamic therapy offers a space to understand what lies beneath your anxiety, so that change reaches the root and stays with you. A brief initial phone conversation is free and without obligation, and all enquiries are answered personally and in confidence.
Prefer to talk? Call 07498 370516