Poppy Mellor

I am a London based relationship and sex therapist, who can help you explore and improve the important relationships in your life. Sessions can either be face to face in Covent Garden or via Zoom.

I offer individual and couple counselling, psychosexual therapy and pre and post marital counseling. The aim is to offer a safe, non judgemental and confidential space for you to work through a range of issues.

Why come to therapy:

Everybody experiences periods of stress, sadness, grief and conflict.  Sometimes it is manageable alone but sometimes having a safe space to talk about it can be useful. Relationships can be complicated and relationship issues are common.  Minor arguments can take on enormous importance and feel difficult to move on from.   Sometimes therapy is to resolve something insummountable between two people, communication has broken down, affection has been withdrawn; at other times it can be used more as a relationship service and MOT, having a look at the relationship and taking preemptive action to  address the smaller issues before they become major.

Having the space, either as an individual or as a couple, to step back from a situation and think about it in a different way can be very useful. Having another person in the room changes the dynamic and can encourage a different way of communicating.

How therapy works:

I generally start with an assessment session (50 minutes for an individual and 75 minutes for a couple) in which we can discuss what the problem might be and get some background.  The assessment is as much for you to get to know me as me to get to know you, and for us to decide whether it would be helpful to work together. Subsequent sessions normally take place on a weekly basis and last for 50 minutes.

Individuals:

Sometimes things just get too much. It may be that everything you feel is intense.  We all get angry and sad but how intense and how often? And is it impairing your ability to function?  Feeling overcome with anger or sadness on a regular basis could indicate an underlying issue.  Do you also have a habit of catastrophising, immediately assume the worst case scenario will take place? Have you suffered a trauma and cant stop thinking about it? The pain of a death in the family, a breakup or change in life circumstance like losing a job can be devastating impair daily functioning, sometimes causing us to withdraw from friends and family, even those closest to us.

Individual therapy can give you the space that is safe, non judgemental and totally confidential to explore the issues and help you identify the underlying issue.

Issues that we can talk about include

• Depression (including issues around loss)
• Anxiety issues (phobias, panic attacks and other anxiety related issues)
• Relationship issues
• Stress Management
• Anger / conflict management
• Post traumatic stress.
• Behavioural problems
• Self-destructive (or destructive) behavioural or thinking patterns
• Additions including sex addiction, online pornography addiction, internet addiction.

Couple Counselling

There are so many reasons for a couple to seek help. It may be that communication has broken down, or seems to be stuck in a pattern of misunderstandings and arguments. It may other triggers such as the birth of a new baby, children leaving home, a change in work or it could be an affair that brings a couple into therapy. Loss of desire and other sexual problems may also be an issue. It may feel like a big step to seek professional help but having a third person to act as an impartial and non judgemental listener can enable the couple to think about their issues and approach them in a different way. Areas that come up regularly are

• Birth of new baby
• Children leaving home
• Relationship issues
• Affairs and betrayal
• Separation and Divorce

Sexual Issues

Many people or couples experience difficulties in their sexual relationships at some time or other.

Sometimes things get better, but sometimes they go from bad to worse and affect other areas of your relationship or life. Psychosexual therapy helps you talk about your sexual concerns as well as explore potentially sensitive areas in your relationship. Problems can be varied but include:

• Loss of sexual desire
• Erectile dysfunction
• Premature ejaculation
• Painful intercourse
• Sex avoidance
• Vaginismus
• Anorgasmia
• Sex Addiction
• Pornography Addiction
• HIV related issues

About  & Contact:

I am a qualified relationship counsellor and psychosexual therapist with over 12 years experience of working with individual and couples hoping to improve, repair or develop their relationships.

I initially trained with the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships but then followed that up with an MSc in Psychosexual Therapy.  I have worked for a number of years in the NHS as a Psychosexual Therapist, and now work in private practice in Covent Garden and Hampshire.

Prior to that I worked the City with a major American bank and then in digital media and television.  I believe that my commercial background has a large impact on my work, having had direct contact with the life and stresses that can be caused by working in highly stressful situations.