Lisa Bruton, Adv Dip, MA, UKCP Reg.

I am a Psychotherapist and Counsellor with over 10 years’ experience in these fields.  Alongside my private practice I work for a large public sector organisation and previously within the NHS, the Metropolitan Police and the Maudsley Hospital. I have taught psychotherapy in Higher Education settings, and am a qualified Mindfulness teacher. I have extensive expertise in relationship therapy for couples, people in polyamourous relationships, and families. I am UKCP accredited and in continuous professional supervision.

I offer short term and long term counselling and psychotherapy for individuals, people in romantic relationships and families.  My areas of interest are relationship therapy, and supporting people around body image and food related difficulties. I am fluent in French and can offer sessions in this language.

I have worked extensively with people affected by a range of issues including:

Abuse
Alcohol
Anger management
Bereavement
Bullying
Cancer
Depression
Domestic violence
Drug abuse
Eating disorders
Gambling
HIV/Aids
Internet addiction
Low self-esteem/confidence
Redundancy
Relationship problems, separation & divorce
Self-harm & Suicidal feelings
Sex addiction/Sex problems
Sexuality/Gender confusion
Stress & anxiety
Trauma
Work related stress

My approach is integrative, which means that I use different theories depending on what will best meet the needs of my clients. I draw on the main psychotherapy traditions, including Psychodynamic (which recognises the importance of the early years and people’s formative relationships), Humanistic (helping clients recognise their strength and creativity), Body-based (looking at the physical basis of emotion, experience, growth and change, including what neuroscience and attachment studies have taught us in recent years), and Transpersonal (addressing spiritual concerns and questions of existence).

My work with individuals and couples centres on improving their relationships with others (including partners), themselves, and with life in general. I am interested in individuals’ formative experiences as a means of better understanding who they are today, so as to support them to make healthier choices going forward. Individuals or couples may come for a specific reason – unsatisfying or recurrent arguments, issues around family and children, insecurity within relationships– or a more general sense of unease and disconnection. My role is to help facilitate better communication between partners, and to help you think about what it best for you and for your relationships.

I am a firm believer in psychotherapy and its potential for bringing out change in peoples’ lives. I am consistently struck by how much people can grow given the right support, and enjoy witnessing clients become more connected to themselves and to the people around them. My aim is that therapy help my clients gain a better understanding of and connection with, themselves, so as to find new ways of being and relating with others. I may draw attention to your thoughts, feelings, behaviour or physical sensations to enable this process. I also think that it takes great courage to seek out therapy, so I honour this by making the relationship as secure and positive as possible.