Samantha Merry

I'm a Senior Accredited Psychotherapist working with adults carrying the impact of difficult life stories and complex family dynamics. I offer a calm, steady space to explore the parts of you that feel hidden, confusing, or hard to name.

I work with the impact of experiences that still shape your life and relationships now, developmental and relational trauma, emotionally immature or critical family dynamics, coercive or abusive relationships, sexual trauma, and major losses or sudden change. You do not need to tell your whole story quickly for therapy to help. You choose what you share, and when.

This often fits you if

• you grew up around criticism, unpredictability, parentification, or emotional neglect
• you feel "too much" and "not enough" in close relationships
• you default to fawning, over functioning, shutting down, or going blank
• you feel disconnected from your feelings, body, or memory at times
• you want careful, paced trauma informed work, not exposure or pressure

How therapy can help

• make sense of triggers, shame, and survival responses
• build emotional regulation and steadier self trust
• reduce compulsive overthinking and hypervigilance
• strengthen boundaries and relationship choices
• develop a more coherent sense of self over time
  In person therapy in Bromley, South East London, or online.
  
  

I have interest in, and experience of supporting adults who bring issues such as

Trauma and its after effects Trauma can shape how you view yourself, other people, and the world around you, long after the original events have passed. You might feel on guard, self critical, or reactive without fully knowing why, or notice these patterns surfacing in your relationships and your trust in yourself. I offer paced, contained trauma informed therapy that helps you make sense of what is happening and reduce shame, without pressure to disclose everything quickly.

Dissociation and feeling disconnected You might go blank under stress, feel detached, or struggle to stay present in certain situations. You might notice patchy memories, time you cannot fully account for, or a sense of distance from your own feelings and body. I work carefully and steadily, helping you build grounding, continuity, and a stronger sense of self over time, without rushing you into material you are not ready for.

Complex family dynamics Growing up in a critical, demanding, or emotionally inconsistent family can leave long term patterns, people pleasing, over responsibility, difficulty trusting your own needs, or a habit of managing everyone else's feelings before your own. This can include covert family dysfunction, narcissistic parenting, and rigid family roles such as the eldest, the peacekeeper, or the scapegoat. Therapy helps you name what happened, understand its impact, and build clearer boundaries and choices in the present.

Stress and burnout You might carry a lot of responsibility and still feel worn down by it, unable to switch off or reset, running on a kind of low grade depletion that never fully lifts. Therapy helps you understand what drives the over functioning, set firmer boundaries, and recover steadier energy, particularly where burnout has roots in earlier patterns of over responsibility or people pleasing.

Menopause Hormonal change can affect mood, sleep, confidence, and identity, and it can also surface earlier patterns and losses in ways that catch you off guard. You might feel less resilient, more anxious, or not like yourself. Therapy helps you make sense of what is happening, grieve what has shifted, and support yourself through this stage of midlife with less strain.

ADHD and neurodivergence You might live with overwhelm, inconsistency, shame about organisation, or years of feeling misunderstood, sometimes without a diagnosis until later in life. Therapy helps you understand how your mind works, reduce self criticism, and build routines and boundaries that fit your life rather than a life that was never designed around how you think.

Sexual trauma and relationship harm Some people carry shame, fear, or body based reactions after unwanted sexual experiences or harmful relationships. You might find intimacy difficult, feel unsafe with closeness, or blame yourself for what happened. I work in a calm, respectful way, at your pace, with strong attention to consent and containment throughout.

Bereavement and loss Grief can feel isolating, messy, or delayed. You might function well on the outside and still feel knocked off course inside. Therapy gives you space to mourn, process what has changed, and find a way to carry the loss with less strain over time.

Disenfranchised grief Some losses do not get recognised by other people. You might grieve an ex partner, a complicated or hidden relationship, fertility, health, identity, or a life you expected to have. Therapy offers a place where the loss counts, even if other people around you minimise it or expect you to have moved on.

HOW I WORK

I'm a psychodynamic psychotherapist, interested in the patterns that shape how you think, feel and relate. We pay attention to both your current life and the longer story behind it, the families, relationships, and internal rules that still influence you.

My style is warm, thoughtful and collaborative. I don't sit in silence, but | also won't rush you or give advice. Over time, therapy becomes a place where the parts of you that feel harder to reach can be met with steadiness rather than panic.

I mainly offer open-ended, long term weekly therapy. This suits people who want more than symptom relief, who are ready to understand the longer patterns behind how they think, feel, and relate. There is no fixed endpoint. The work deepens over time, and most clients find that continuity is what makes the difference.

I also offer Single Session Therapy for people who want one focused conversation rather than ongoing work. This suits you if you have a specific issue to untangle, want to think something through with a professional, or are not ready to commit to weekly therapy. Sessions are 50,75, or 90 minutes. This is not crisis support, and it works best when you come with something particular in mind.

Therapeutic writing For some clients, structured writing in sessions or between sessions supports this work, helping you explore patterns and process experience in your own words. This isn't a separate strand of therapy, it's a tool within it, and we would only use it if it suits how you think.

PRACTICALITIES

I offer sessions in person in Bromley, South East London, and online via video. I work from a purpose-built commercial office rather than from home. My working days are Monday to Wednesday. If you'd like to explore working together, you can book a short 15-minute phone consultation to get a feel for whether I'm the right therapist for you.

• Difficult childhood experiences: abuse, trauma and neglect
• PTSD, Complex trauma, Dissociation
• Family breakdown
• Religious hurt and  trauma 

My working days are Monday- Wednesday in my  Bromley office or online over zoom  

• 50 minute individual weekly session fee £95 
• Some clients prefer longer sessions, and these are charged pro rata.

Please message or email me to schedule  a free initial phone conversation. This can also be in person if preferred in my Bromley office.

Other areas of therapy I work with

• Absent fathers and mothers
• Family Issues and breakdown 
• Sibling conflict or abuse
• Painful childhood or school experiences
• CSA - Childhood sexual abuse
• Therapeutic Writing 

Single Session Therapy -  no long-term commitment, just one focused session (50, 75, or 90 minutes) to untangle what’s on your mind

Fat Positive - Fat acceptance is the recognition that bodies of all shapes and sizes, including larger ones, are inherently worthy. Body size is neutral.  The systemic oppression people receive day to day life, in healthcare,  employment and even fashion due to body size is deeply harmful.