About me
I'm Oliver, a BACP-registered psychodynamic psychotherapist working with adults in East Finchley, Finchley Central, or online. I practice psychodynamically, informed by psychoanalysis, attending closely to emotional experience as it unfolds in sessions, including what arises for you that may be difficult to name. I help with anxiety, low mood or depression, relationship difficulties, and questions of meaning, purpose, direction, or identity.
People often come to therapy when things feel overwhelming or confusing. Feelings may be sensed as unease, dread, or bodily reactions rather than clearly understood thoughts. Much of the work involves staying with what feels difficult to think about, allowing it to be held rather than prematurely resolved. Together, we create a space in which what feels unclear or unformed can be noticed, explored, and gradually take shape.
Our meetings offer a space where you can say what feels important to you, in your own time and in your own way. There are no right or wrong things to talk about; you are invited to follow the flow of your thoughts, images, or feelings as they arise, including any dreams you may wish to share. Together, we try to make sense of recurring themes in relationships and in life more broadly, as well as thoughts or feelings that are troubling or persistent.
Part of the work involves examining how present difficulties may be connected to earlier experiences. We also pay attention to what happens between us in the sessions themselves, where familiar patterns and dynamics often re-emerge in subtle ways. I aim to offer a confidential, safe, and inclusive setting that is emotionally attuned and containing, where this kind of reflection feels possible.
I view psychotherapy as a collaborative and non-directive process. The work can feel exploratory and playful, inviting curiosity, imagination, and a growing sense of engagement with one's inner life. For many people, therapy can be unexpectedly engaging or even pleasurable, helping to clarify what feels meaningful, important, and alive.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a fully qualified psychodynamic psychotherapist based in North London, working in accordance with the BACP’s Ethical Framework and Professional Standards. I hold an MSc in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and a PhD in Philosophical Theology. Before training as a psychotherapist, I worked as a teacher in schools, further education, and higher education, including roles involving pastoral care and supporting students through difficult personal situations. This background has shaped my curiosity about inner life, reflection, and how people make sense of their lives.
As a psychotherapist, I have worked with people across a range of identities, genders, sexualities, cultural backgrounds and neurodiversity, and have a particular interest in working with people experiencing existential anxiety, persistent overthinking, and a sense of being trapped in their own thoughts, especially when thinking has become a way of keeping difficult feelings at a distance.
My training and experience have shown me the value of a flexible approach, and I can integrate elements from other evidence-based approaches, including more structured or skills-focused work where this is appropriate.
Member organisations
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
£70.00 - £80.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I currently have availability within my London practices. My fee is £80 per session. I also offer weekday daytime appointments at £70. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly. I generally work on a medium- to long-term, open-ended basis, though shorter-term work, including single-session consultations, is also possible if this better suits your needs and circumstances.
I currently have a small number of pro bono places available, initially for an agreed period of 8 sessions. Places are offered following an initial consultation.
Further information
I offer a free 15-minute phone or online conversation to answer practical questions and help you decide whether you would like to book a session.
The first session then takes place in the same way as any other: we meet and begin talking. Some people come with a view to ongoing therapy, while others are looking for a short period of support or even a single session to think something through.
After the first session, we can each take time to reflect on whether further meetings feel appropriate, and if so, what form the work might take. If you decide to continue, we will agree a regular time to meet, ideally on a weekly basis.
