Christopher Hope

I am a UKCP registered psychotherapist with over 30 years experience working with clients of different ages who maybe experiencing unhappiness or distress and wish to find ways to live a more fulfilling life. I offer help with:

• Depression and anxiety,
• Separation and loss,
• Childhood and Adult trauma,
• Stress within family relationships  (including divorce and separation)
• Relationships with ourselves and others
• Managing the pressures of school college or university
• Work-related difficulties
• Sadness and a loss of confidence

What I do:

• I provide individual psychotherapy for adults, and teenagers
• Mediation and couples counselling/therapy.
• Family Therapy when families are struggling
• Individual trauma-based work with adults,  children and adolescents, alone or with their carers or parents.
• Group Psychotherapy.

My approach to working with children and young people.

I have thirty years experience working with trauma and  family problems. I also understand that each client is unique. Sometimes you or your child maybe struggling to cope with emotional problems or  mental health difficulties. I believe that Psychotherapy helps when you are experiencing  difficulties  in your life, for whatever reason. I also believe I can help you to find  different approaches to managing relationship difficulties and stress. This can reduce the severity and duration of a problem and give you valuable coping skills for the future.

How I usually achieve this will be through individual therapy with either adults or children, and teenagers; with parents and their families, or a blend that meets your particular needs.

My approach to working with adults

Adults and young people often prefer a more one to one therapeutic relationship, which they can trust and which is safe. I understand and work with clients to help manage the many pressures which are experienced  such as  COVID,  the impact of sudden changes, family relationships and high expectations we sometimes place upon ourselves and others.

The future can be experienced as very uncertain and overwhelming at times. I have helped my older adult clients overcome a range of life challenging events. Commonly these include the impact of separation, loss, unresolved childhood experiences, abuse, family conflict, divorce, separation, bereavement and work related stress. Alongside this I have worked with Adults experiencing anxiety and depression.

These factors may combine to make life feel more stressful and anxious, which can sometimes lead to mental Illness if untreated.

My promise

I will try to provide individual consultations to suit your personal circumstances. I will always be honest with you, and explain clearly how I can help. I will  treat you with respect and will always try to work with you at your pace. I always make sure we have a clear contract in place which we will review as our work together progresses.

Although I am not registered with Ofsted I have over seven years experience providing support and therapy to children and young people who have been adopted. I am therefore experienced working with attachment difficulties and or early life trauma.

I continue to maintain my social work registration which I sometimes find useful when clients are referred to me through CAFCASS and or their solicitors or when private disputes through the courts require an independent perspective

How to arrange an appointment

Consultations are always confidential from your first contact with me. I usually encourage clients to meet face to face where possible.  I have a separate practice suite which ensures meetings are always confidential.  I can arrange venues in other locations subject to availability, but this may include an additional charge to cover the distance I may need to travel.

My registered practice address is: Suffolk Psychotherapy, Hillcrest, 14 Northgate Avenue, Bury St Edmunds Suffolk, IP32 6BB. My standard fee is £70.00 per hour.

You can email an enquiry. I will normally respond within 24 hours. Or you can also leave me a text message or call me on my mobile phone 07760 190794. I will then arrange a convenient time to call you back for a brief confidential discussion. This service has no charge.

After you have spoken or contacted me and if you wish to book an appointment I will agree a time to meet with you. I will usually offer you an initial one-hour consultation. This way you can decide whether what I can offer meets your needs and will also help us to plan forward if you wish to continue..

For all appointments I will require twenty-four hours’ notice if a cancellation occurs otherwise a fee will be charged. An agreement as to how fees are paid will be agreed during the initial consultation

My approach towards individuals experiencing stress and unease in their lives is that they require time and patience to unravel what can be experienced as overwhelming and distressful. Sometimes greater fulfilment and resolution can be achieved by discovering more about who we are and discovering ways of becoming more tolerant and kinder to ourselves. Being person centred means that I approach all my clients as unique individuals.

My role is to  facilitate the exploration and resolution of  problems experienced in a safe , confidential and non-judgemental way.