Andrew Phillips

Hello, I'm Andrew, an experienced HCPC registered Psychotherapist working online with adults across the UK.

I offer a reflective, depth-oriented approach for those who want to engage more fully with their experience of life, and find a way of living that feels more meaningful and true to who they are.

You can find more about my approach, including depth psychotherapy, creativity and spirituality, on my website. You’re also very welcome to get in touch with any questions.

Welcome

I offer a space where we can begin with wherever you find yourself, taking time to explore your experience with care, honesty, and attention. You may have a sense that something in your life is asking for attention, even if it’s not yet clear what that is.

People often come to therapy because something feels difficult - perhaps anxiety, low mood, uncertainty, or a sense of being stuck - but I prefer not to view these kinds of experiences simply as problems to be solved.

My approach is about engaging with the whole of your life. This includes not only challenge and struggle, but also creativity, meaning, relationship, and a sense of something deeper that may be trying to emerge. At times this might feel like putting words or images to something you’ve sensed for a long time, but not yet been able to fully articulate.

Our work may touch on questions of purpose, direction, or spirituality, where these feel relevant to you. 

How to contact me 

You’re welcome to send a few words about what is bringing you to therapy. There is no need to include personal or sensitive details at this stage.

The next step is to arrange an initial consultation. This gives us time to explore what has brought you to therapy, how you hope it might help, and whether beginning work together seems appropriate. The consultation lasts 75 minutes and costs £65.

I will usually respond within 48 hours, unless I'm on leave.

Please check your spam folder, as replies are sometimes filtered.

Reasons for coming to therapy 

You don’t need to have a clear explanation of what’s wrong before getting in touch. Sometimes it’s hard to put into words why you’re considering therapy, and that’s something we can think about together.

You might be experiencing:

• Anxiety, low mood, or persistent unease
• Feeling stuck, lost, or unsure of direction
• Difficulties in relationships
• Low self-esteem or self-confidence
• Perfectionism, shame, or work-related stress
• Questions of identity, meaning, or purpose
• Creative blocks or struggles with your work
• Periods of transition, including midlife
• Feeling disconnected, isolated, or misunderstood

Or there may simply be something that feels difficult to name.

Potential benefits of psychotherapy

You may recognise some of these possibilities within your own life, and how they might relate to what brings you to therapy.

• Recognising and beginning to loosen patterns that no longer serve you.
• Developing ways of being that allow for growth and change.
• Gaining a deeper understanding of yourself in relation to others.
• Exploring your spiritual life in a grounded way, without bypassing the psychological.
• Finding greater confidence to express yourself more fully.
• Reconnecting with creativity.
• Exploring how dreams and imagination may offer insight and inspiration.

A sense of safety in the therapeutic process

The relationship (or 'alliance') between client and therapist is a unique one, and we will give careful attention to this throughout. We work within agreed boundaries to establish a connection that allows you to trust me with what might feel deeply personal.

I view safety as something we develop together over time, rather than something you are simply expected to feel because a therapist has described the space as safe. We can explore what helps you feel secure enough to speak freely, as well as what may make trust more difficult. Feeling safe does not mean that therapy will always feel comfortable; meaningful work can also involve uncertainty and emotional risk.

By reflecting upon the relationship between us and how you engage with the therapy, we have an opportunity to learn about established patterns of relating and responding within yourself, and also to other people and situations.

The type of therapy I offer

My approach is primarily informed by Depth Psychology, which is a collective term for therapies that consider both conscious and unconscious aspects of the mind. These include Jungian, psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches, as well as transpersonal psychology, which makes room for spiritual experience or a sense of connection with something greater than the individual self.

My qualification in Art Psychotherapy means that there is also the possibility of working with images during sessions, offering another way to explore experiences that may not be easily expressed through words alone.

Working in a depth-oriented way means approaching what brings you to therapy within the wider context of your life. Alongside present difficulties, we may explore underlying patterns, relationships, imagination, and the conscious and unconscious influences shaping how you experience yourself, other people, and the world around you.



What happens during the therapy sessions?

Whilst the therapy is held by an established 'frame' of boundaries and best practice, what happens during each session will depend on what you bring and what feels important to explore. The therapy is your time and space to consider whatever you wish to, at a pace that feels manageable for you. There are no set exercises during sessions or homework afterwards.

Sometimes there may be a 'back and forth' flow like conversation, and at other times you will be mostly talking or making images, and I will be listening, responding, and helping us attend to what emerges.

Whilst we will both be mindful of key themes and any established aims for the therapy, each session does not have to begin where the previous one finished. This allows each session to remain responsive to what feels most alive or important at the time, rather than following a fixed sequence.



Will this kind of therapy suit you?

Psychotherapy can be both challenging and rewarding. There may be moments of insight, alongside the slower work of integrating change.

This approach may suit you if:

• More structured or solution-focused approaches have not quite reached what you were hoping for.
• You are interested in exploring your inner life more freely.
• You are drawn to creativity, imagination, spirituality, or the psychological meaning of experience.
• You are looking for therapy that can develop in depth over time.

I have particular experience working with artists and creative professionals, although this is not essential. Men for whom talking about inner experience is unfamiliar are equally welcome.

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Beginning therapy

If we decide to continue after the initial consultation, I usually suggest beginning with three sessions. This allows some time to get a sense of the work and how it feels for you before considering how you would like to continue.

Therapy options and practical information

See below for fees and appointment times.

• Weekly therapy (1 hour)
• Fortnightly therapy (1 hour)
• Monthly consultation: A 1.5-hour session focused on a particular theme or question. This offers an occasional reflective space for exploratory conversation, with less emphasis on an ongoing therapeutic process or relationship.
  
  
• Open-ended: With no fixed number of sessions or predetermined end date, the work can develop in greater depth over time. I usually work with people for longer than six months.
• Short-term: Between 4 - 12 sessions. The therapy is naturally more defined in its scope. 
•  All sessions are currently held online using Google Meet.
• A 48 hour cancellation policy applies to all sessions.

• Therapy Sessions 1 hour - £65
• The initial consultation is 75 minutes, and the regular fee applies. 
• Monthly consultations £90 (1.5 hours)

Saturday's and Sunday's are available once or twice each month.

Professional practice 
I am registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), the regulatory body for Art Psychotherapists in the UK, and I adhere to their standards of conduct, ethics, and professional practice.

I engage in regular clinical supervision and hold appropriate professional indemnity insurance.

I only begin work with a new client where I feel my knowledge, skills, and experience are well suited to what they are seeking support with.

What is Art Psychotherapy?
It’s understandable that some people feel uncertain about a therapy with “Art” in the name.

Art Psychotherapy is a form of psychological therapy that works in depth with thoughts, feelings, and experience, sometimes through words, and sometimes through image-making where this feels helpful.

Training in Art Psychotherapy is at Masters level and includes extensive clinical placements, alongside ongoing personal therapy during the course of training.

“Art Psychotherapist” and “Art Therapist” are protected titles in the UK, and require registration with the HCPC.

If you choose to work with images in sessions, they are not judged in terms of artistic skill. They are a way of expressing and exploring experience, and any meaning emerges through reflecting on them together within the therapy.

Art Psychotherapy is not an art lesson or a set of activities, but another way of engaging with the therapeutic process.

You can find more about my approach, including how I work with depth psychology and creativity, on my website.