About me
I'm a senior NHS psychotherapist with a particular interest in anxiety, self-sabotage, and complexity. Some clients want help fast, and I offer high-intensity work when needed; others want to work in depth. Most of the clients I work with want help with relationships, fear, stress, or despair - the themes that recur in their lives - the kind of things people think of as their 'fate'; but which need not be. I offer solution-focused as well as depth work. Some want to undertake this work quickly; others want to build trust over time. I help clients identify outcomes and find the obstacles that stand in their way that prevent them attaining their goals. If you want to know more about my practice, I offer a free consultation.
I am EMDR qualified, CBT accredited, and come from a depth psychotherapy, as well as a solution-focused background, with experience inside and outside the NHS. I am trained in various modes and schools including CFT (compassion-focused therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy) and EMDR.
The couples I've worked with seek help with communication, fear, misunderstandings, breakdown, and despair. We work to bring things more safely into view - the quickest way to downregulate fear and anxiety.
Recurring themes show up in all kinds of ways, in our work and in our private lives. I help people identify the obstacles that stand in the way of what they want for themselves. We work to identify things that impede self-goals and relational awareness. Communication is often compromised by fear - inhibiting people from expressing themselves as they would like and acting as they would wish: with freedom from fear. People are often inhibited from growth in their own lives, careers and relationships. How we secretly feel about ourselves often finds its way into our private lives, working lives, and into our anxieties.
Shame, self-punishment, and self-criticism show up in all kinds of ways, affecting our ability to become who we want to be, or acting as we wish to act. We judge ourselves harshly for all kinds of situations we didn't cause, creating more anguish and distress.
Helping restore a sense of agency and influence over our own fate is a frequently stated goal.
Not all psychotherapy is about pain and heartbreak; it is also about change. It can be a means of expanding self-knowledge, increasing understanding of ourselves. It’s an opportunity for bringing together the fractured, wounded, or disowned parts of ourselves - often the most valuable parts - for integration and growth.
Previous feedback:
"Michael gave me back my life after a period of prolonged illness and a difficult surgery. He helped me unravel the threads of my life, make some sense of what was happening and put myself back together again with renewed energy, clarity and confidence. The process was challenging, inspiring and nothing short of life-changing. I would recommend Michael wholeheartedly as a skilful and intuitive psychotherapist as well as a thoughtful, committed and humane individual." Amanda C, London
"After my GP appointment I was advised to try CBT to help cope with long-term mental health issues. I started weekly therapy with Michael Appleton to address my mental state. I wanted to deal with some hard issues. He showed a genuine willingness to understand and explain my problems which I hadn't experienced in previous work. I benefited and my symptoms started to change. My sleep changed for the first time. Danny M, North London
"I first saw Michael after a traumatic experience following the birth of my second child. Having struggled with anxiety for the best part of a decade, this heightened my fear making it impossible to bond with my new baby. Michael taught me how to control my anxiety; something previous counsellors had not been able to do. He was my lifeline during this time, without his guidance I don’t believe I could have navigated this period. In the end it gave me a future with my daughter. Working with Michael was both challenging and exhilarating. Our sessions have been the best conversations I have had about myself leaving me with the clarity and courage to start to seek out the life I wanted." Lissa B, London
Areas:
- Depression
- Relationships
- Anxiety
- Self-esteem
- Trauma
- Self harm
- Bereavement and loss
- Abuse/bullying
- Hearing voices/critical self-dialogue
- Compulsions
- Eating disorders
- Panic states
- Mood dysregulation/personality disorder
Contact
Email here
Training, qualifications & experience
My training reflects a range of issues and interests, from therapy-resistant depression to post-traumatic growth. I also have an interest in integration where life has put obstacles in the way of developing a sense of self.
Qualifications and training
Trauma training includes EMDR, TF-CBT, DBT, narrative integration work, CFT and TIR. I have also trained in neurolinguistic psychotherapy (MNLPt) and in Jungian depth psychology.
Training organisations include Royal Holloway, University of London/CNWL NHS (CBT), the UK College for Cognitive and Behavioural Therapies (REBT), Beeleaf Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (UKCP-affiliated training), EMDR Europe, Applied Metapsychology International (TIR), Neurolinguistic psychology (ABNLP) and conflict resolution (The Mediation Alliance). I have attended analytic workshops with the New York Center for Jungian Studies, Hearing Voices training with Dr Rufus May, and intensive NHS DBT training (dialectical behaviour therapy) for personality disorders and complex trauma. I have presented trainings in trauma/PTSD/ CPTSD/BPD and CFT.
- EMDR Europe training
- Dip Psych (BL Inst. Contemp Psychotherapy)
- Dip CBT (Merit)
- BACP Accred
- DBT therapist/DBT group therapist
- BABCP Accred
- Cert Med
- Master Prac. Neurolinguistic psychotherapy
- Cert TIR (Trauma Incident Reduction)
Affiliation and Memberships
- Accredited CBT therapist (BABCP)
- Accredited psychotherapist (MBACP)
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred). Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA). Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision. Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training. All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.
Accredited register membership
The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).
This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Fees
Additional information
I offer free assessments by phone/zoom. Couples work fees set on an individual basis
When I work
Flexible
Further information
Areas of special interest: Relationships, families, borderline personality disorder, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, grief, trauma, hearing voices, panic, bullying, divorce/separation, self-harm, suicidal feelings.
