Mo Dixon

Am I the right therapist for you?
It’s so hard to decide right? On here, there are hundreds of us to choose from and so little information to go on. Probably the best way to decide is for us to have a phone or zoom chat to see if we’d be a good fit to work together. In the meantime, I have included some information here about who I am and the main areas I work best with. Feel free to skip the parts that aren’t applicable to you.
 
Who am I?
A quick overview is that I am an integrative counsellor who has also trained as a coach, a career coach and have a background as an academic psychologist. I belong to two professional bodies, (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy and Career Development Institute) and work within both sets of ethical guidelines.  Counselling and coaching can be a really helpful mix since counselling allows us to look back and discover how you came to be where you are today and coaching can help you use this knowledge to move forward in a direction that feels more authentic to who you are now. I like to use these different strands flexibly in our work together dependent on your needs.
 
What else might you need to know from me? Like other therapists, I offer a non-judgmental space for you to bring whatever is troubling you and I also want to build a warm, supportive relationship between us. That may be achieved through listening and supporting, but it also may be built through shared humour and understanding. I need you to know that I am in your corner and I would like you to feel heard and valued in our sessions. I am quite interactive and I will ask questions to get a feeling for what it’s like to be you and to help you clarify your own thoughts – sometimes this can be challenging. I will support you to find your own understanding of your life story and how this may still be impacting you in unconscious ways. You will have control over the pace and direction of our work together and you can use this space to work out your own answers. We can work together long-term if this seems appropriate, alternatively we can do some focused short-term work. Either way the aim is for you to leave with understanding and compassion for yourself and empowered with your own internalised counsellor to help you going forwards. Throughout our time together I like to check in regularly with you to ensure we are still moving in the direction you want and to check that you still need to continue. A vital part of our work is considering our ending, it is ultimately my job to make myself redundant.
 
Where do I work?
I work online and in-person in counselling rooms in Buckhurst Hill and also from a cabin in my garden in Hackney. The cabin is a less formal space which is great if you enjoy being closer to nature and not having the formality of a corporate environment. It also adds some anonymity in the local area since you won’t bump into other locals in the waiting room/foyer and the door is unlabelled so no-one will know where you are heading!
 
Areas of specialism
I work with a range of general counselling and coaching issues but below is a bit more detail about how I work within a few of my more specialist areas.
 
Self-esteem and self-confidence
 
Grief
 
Midlife crises and transitions
 
Work and Career Issues
 
 
Self-esteem and self-confidence
 
Having low self-esteem or confidence can hold you back in a variety of different ways. Feelings of inadequacy and doubt can impact relationships and friendships as well as your work and career or pursuing your dreams or plans. Counselling for self-esteem can help you explore blocks and doubts and start to value yourself more.
 
We often start by looking at what thoughts and beliefs are part of your own self-image and where they came from. What messages have you received about yourself from others in your life? What does your internal critical voice sound like? Perhaps it compares you to others and leaves you feeling not good enough? Maybe you hear things like ‘why bother trying, you will fail anyway’ or ‘they will see straight through you and know you’re a fake’.
 
We will explore this inner voice and look at why it might be so harsh.  Is it critical all the time or are there some areas of your life where you have more confidence? In our work together, we can also help to identify and celebrate your strengths and areas where your confidence is higher.
 
However, low self-confidence isn’t just about thought-patterns, it also shows up in your habits and behaviours which help to keep you in the loop of low self-esteem. Likewise, self-esteem counselling often requires an element of ‘doing’ as well as talking. Together we can look at how your feelings influence behaviours and we can start working on changing those behaviours in small ways to see the impact this can have.
 
This dual approach of exploring thoughts and challenging and changing behaviours can have a meaningful impact on how you see yourself – freeing you to be more open to opportunities and less bound by preconceptions of yourself.
 
Grief
 
Grief counselling can often feel like a different pace compared to other therapeutic work. I believe that grief is intimately connected to love — something we don't necessarily want to remove or diminish. Our work together is much more about trying to find a way to build strength to carry this loss within you and start to work out what life might be like for you now.
 
Working together offers you a space to challenge cultural expectations and stereotypes about grieving. There is no ‘right way’ to grieve, no specific stages to work through and no timetable for when you feel ‘better’. We work at your pace - your life, your relationship and your loss are unique to you, there is no template to fit this.
 
The counselling space can also offer relief simply by being unconnected to friends and family members who may also have been affected by the loss. Oftentimes, the bereaved feel that they are being burdensome to others if they want to talk for too long or have to ‘be strong for’ other family members. They may also not want to talk about more complicated feelings surrounding death. In my room you can bring all of your complex thoughts and feelings - this space is for you and I will be with you as you talk.
 
 
Midlife Challenges and Transitions
 
Midlife often brings a wave of significant changes, new responsibilities, and shifting roles. For many women, there’s the added challenge of navigating fertility decisions and managing the ups and downs of perimenopause. These changes can prompt deep reflection, leading you to question your identity and reassess who you are now.
 
Feelings like anxiety, frustration, apathy, or general dissatisfaction can surface. Sometimes these emotions build slowly, as life starts to feel less like the right fit, and other times they arrive suddenly—triggered by events like changes in family dynamics (teenagers testing boundaries, children leaving home, or separation), milestone birthdays, health scares, or the onset of menopause.
 
These life shifts can feel overwhelming, leaving you unsure of your direction or sense of control. It’s common to experience dips in confidence and self-esteem when your sense of self feels unsettled. But midlife can also be an opportunity—a time to reflect and realign your life with your current values and goals.
 
In our sessions, we can explore what these transitions mean to you. Have they shone a light on part of you that you hadn’t been aware of before? Do we need to do some of the self-esteem work outlined above? A mixture or counselling and coaching can often be helpful for this as we seek to gain understanding about your life journey to here and clarity about who you are now and what you want moving forward.  
 
Work and Career Challenges
Work plays a major role in our lives, so it’s no surprise that challenges in this area can have a big impact on self-worth and overall well-being. Often, the workplace becomes a reflection of our personal patterns and struggles, leading to feelings of stress, inadequacy, or frustration. You might find yourself dealing with
 
-       Low confidence and difficulties being assertive
-       Workplace bullying
-       Conflicts and difficult professional relationships
-       Imposter syndrome, feeling like you’re out of your depth
-       Perfectionism that can lead to overwhelm and exhaustion
 
A mixture of counselling and coaching can explore how your personal history influences your work life. We will need to explore where changes can take place since there is a large element of work life that is beyond your control. With these understandings we can start to allow space for newer thought patterns and behaviours that can ease workplace difficulties. There is an opportunity after our initial work together for you to pop back for check-ins to help keep you on the right track going forward.
 
 
 

Fees are on a sliding scale for regular 50-minute sessions depending on your financial circumstances.

• Lower income  £60
• Middle income  £70
• Higher income  £80

I don’t specify income bands since there may be other financial considerations (e.g. number of dependents, family wealth etc.) that contribute to your decision. Please choose the rate that is appropriate to you. 

I have several spaces assigned in my practice for clients with a very low income but there may be a waiting list for those. 

I work with a wide variety of different psychological issues including anxiety, bereavement and loss, managing and adjusting to life transitions (e.g. motherhood, separation, menopause, retirement), low self-esteem and family issues.