Ben Mason

I am a relational psychotherapist who works collaboratively with you, to facilitate new awareness and insight in order for growth and change. I do not sit in silence nodding and giving "mmm-hmmm" responses.

The space is confidential and non-judgemental. I would never tell a you what to do.

Common Areas of Support

Anxiety - anxiety can be confusing, overwhelming, frustrating and much more.  My approach is not to simply teach you coping strategies, but to help you explore your lived experience of anxiety.  To think about your understanding and perception.  To explore and dig down into what might be root causes.  We often fear anxiety and wish to get rid or run from it.  This in turn can negatively reinforce how we experience it.  Instead, over time once awareness has been gained, we become more comfortable with the causes of the anxiety, and we become more comfortable with our natural experience of the anxiety felt.     

Depression - depression is experienced uniquely by every individual.  A low mood that is often not understood.  A state of being that can make you feel powerless, as though you have no options.  Together we again explore your understanding of what depression is.  We think about what might be underpinning low mood and restricted thinking.  By understanding our own depression, we can have greater autonomy in our life decisions to make changes in order to experience life in a more positive light.  

Low Self-Esteem/ Low Self-Confidence - having a clear understanding of who we are and a core sense of self can often be difficult.  Through our past lived experiences, we can often be left with inner conflicts which leads to self-doubt and uncertainty.  Without realising, this then informs every new lived experience which is underpinned by self-doubt and uncertainty.  Through gaining a better sense of self and awareness of inner conflicts, I hope to facilitate a space where you feel you can be 100% authentic and true to your thoughts and feelings. Once true to self, we can hope confidence within self can grow. 

Relationships - forming and maintaining relationships can often feel impossible, frustrating and difficult.  I how we relate to others is a key area of my approach.  To better understand our patterns of relating to others.  Gaining greater awareness of why we find it hard to make and keep friendships and relationships.  We to will explore our intersubjective experience of one another as a point of reference to how you then ne experienced and in turn experience others in your wider world. 

Loss - loss can be in the form of bereavement of someone you know and even the loss of parts of yourself/past self.  In an empathic space, I hope to support you in processing these losses through facing the uncomfortable reality, understanding how this impacts you and how you might look to move forward holding this loss.  

My Core Approach to Presenting Issues 

My approach is to allow for phenomenological exploration of how you truly experience life and the emotional and internal/bodily responses you have. By understanding who you are based on past and present life events, why you might experience the anxiety you do for example, I hope to allow for a greater understanding of self so you can make positive changes in line with who you are as a person. To unpick any internal conflicts you might have so to reduce any uncertainty you may unknowingly hold. I hope to bring the unconscious into the conscious. 

By training I am an Integrative Psychotherapist:

This means throughout my years of training, I studied multiple modalities of therapy such as Psychodynamic, Existential, Person Centred, CBT and Gestalt.

Having studied a range of modalities in depth, I have a core approach to my work.  However, being Integrative means I mould my core approach to your needs, working collaboratively with you through checking in and asking for feedback.

Process

Once you make an enquiry, I hope to get back to you within 48 hours.  (Please check your email junk folder - introductory emails can automatically be sent there)

We can organise a time limited call to allow an initial phone meet and to think further about how I might be able to support you.

If we both agree, we can organise a first session.

Before you attend the first session, I will send a confirmation email that contains location details, parking details, therapeutic contract and payment details.  

Due to my approach, face-to-face session sis most preferrable.  Where needed, I can offer online sessions. 

Please enquire and I can inform you about the fee. 

If you require a reduced fee, we can discuss this further.