Carol Titley

I am a highly qualified and experienced psychotherapist/counsellor with a well established practice in Henley-on-Thames.

I have a warm, compassionate, empathic and collaborative approach.

I am trained in humanistic integrative psychotherapy. In practise this means that we will discuss what your needs are, and will work together in the way that is most appropriate to you.

Integrative therapy draws upon an understanding that our sense of self is developed early in life in the context of family and community.

Early in our lives we can develop limiting beliefs about ourselves, and habitual ways of being and relating with others. We do this to conform, adjust and make the best of the childhood & family circumstances in which we find ourselves.

We carry into maturity these beliefs and habits. As a result, we conduct ourselves in ways which can restrict the opportunities for happiness and fulfilment present in our lives and also our ability to respond effectively to the different challenges adult life presents to us.

These patterns, internalised as a young child, continue to impact us throughout our life unless they are consciously brought into awareness and modified appropriately.

Because we are formed and re-formed through our relationships, the way the client and therapist interact - the relationship we build together - becomes central to the therapy. This relationship will vary depending on the needs and goals of each client. Research consistently suggests that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is the most significant component in successful psychotherapy.

Underlying the success of psychotherapy is that you as client feel accepted without judgement. I will meet you with curiosity, compassion, and a belief in your ability to change. I will help you develop skills in greater self awareness, so that more of your life energy is available for living creatively, as a spontaneous expression of yourself. Learning to live out of your own self with awareness is the key to breaking habitual and unhelpful ways of living.

Prior to training as a psychotherapist I worked for 16 years for the Probation Service, specialising in working with offenders with addiction, anger management and mental health problems in both one to one and group settings.

Since setting up in private practice in 2003 I have developed substantial experience in couples counselling.

I now have over thirty years experience working with a range of anxiety disorders and depressive states.

I have undergone rigourous long-term psychotherapy which I believe is essential to being a safe and effective therapist. I have first-hand knowledge of the difficult feelings that can be experienced, but I also have certain knowledge of how psychotherapy can liberate and transform.

I am bound by the code of ethics of the UKCP and am fully supervised and insured

Specialisms

I have an expertise in working with addiction, both with sufferers and family members. I increasingly see adults who have grown up in a family where one or both parents abused alcohol or drugs. I work in a way that helps Adult Children to understand how their childhood experiences have shaped their attitudes, behaviour and choices today.

I have a particular interest in early loss, separation and absence of 'good enough' parenting, as well as working with adults who have a history of childhood abuse, whatever its form.

Over my twenty plus years of Psychotherapy experience I have developed an   interest in life’s transitions. These can be sudden and unexpected, for instance

The  ending of relationships 
Loss of employment

 Or approached  gradually such as

 The Empty Nest, when children leave home. 
 The loneliness and social isolation that can accompany ageing.
Losing a sense of meaning and purpose on retirement 

 Trying to deal with these challenges alone can feel overwhelming. Psychotherapy can provide the support needed to recognise what's happening to us and help to find solutions and new connections and meaning in life.

• Individuals - £85 for a 50 minute session.

• Couples - £110 for a 60 minute session.
•  Payment is online prior to the session

• CONCESSIONS

• Concessions are available and reserved for on-going clients who meet with financial difficulties during the course of their therapy.

• I am able to be extremely flexible working  online via Zoom or WhatsApp video.
• No charge or obligation for an initial telephone conversation.