Dr Nicholas Wakefield

Offering adults therapy and psychological assessment in the Central London and Online. 

I think that every person’s therapy journey is different. Some people need skills and coping techniques to help deal with things in their current context. For others it is important to address the underlying psychological mechanisms that give rise to the problems or symptoms at different points in life. For some it is important to address childhood origins of problems so that they can break free of repeating, destructive life patterns. I want to help people find the journey that is right for them.

The first step is to discuss in detail the issues that bring you to therapy and your current context.  then we spend a few sessions going over your history from birth to now.  You are more than your current problems and it helps for me to get to know the person what has influenced and shaped you.  From there we develop a formulation or map of the issues and identify ways to address the the parts that lead to you current distress.

How can therapy help?

Therapy is a process.  It starts by exploration and understanding of what is causing your distress and getting to know yourself better. Throughout your therapy sessions the various techniques, discussions and approaches aim to change your way of engaging with the world, tackling the reasons for your distress and reducing it.  This could be through different skills to deal with the physical symptoms you experience, changing your behaviour patterns and building positive habits, resolving problems, stepping out of conflict, reducing self-criticism, setting boundaries, acceptance of unchangeable conflicts.

My Experience

Trained in the UK both academically (University of Liverpool Doctorate in Clinical Psychology) and by the clients I have met along the way, I’ve spent 15 years developing my therapy style; how I relate to the person in the room is just as important as the psychological knowledge I bring. I try to take a person centred approach, first trying to understand not just the problems a person presents with but the person themselves so that the current issues can be put into the context of the whole person. Through this approach I aim to help a person deal with their psychological, emotional and relational difficulties in a way that best suits them.

My background is working with people who have complex presentations and trauma, as such I have substantial experience in working with a range of psychological difficulties including personality disorder, psychosis, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief,  self-esteem, anger, LGBTQI+ related issue, Gender, Sexuality and Relationship Diversity, interpersonal difficulties. I have spent the last 5 years working in the Middle East learning from my clients about a wide variety of different cultures and cultural experiences that contribute to psychological distress and resilience.

Therapy Approach

I have a passion for learning and to continue to develop my theoretical knowledge and therapeutic skills. I believe that no one psychological theory or model can fully explain the human condition. And working in the NHS for many years I have been fortunate enough to be trained and supervised in a range of psychological therapies for both individuals and groups which include:

• Schema Focused Therapy
• Mentalization Based Therapy,
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy,
• Eye-movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR).

More recently my explorations have taken me down the Existential therapeutic and philosophical path, whilst I do not claim to be an Existential Psychotherapist I try to incorporate these ideas into my therapeutic approach.

Registered Provider with the following insurance:

AXA

Vitality

Aviva