Sarah Dawnay
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am an experienced adult and couple psychotherapist working in private practice in London and Oxford. I offer a safe space where we can work together to identify, explore and work through things that are troubling you.
People come to therapy for many different reasons; perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or stuck, or struggling with relationships or seeking personal growth. I adapt my approach to respond to your individual situation and aim to help you to move forwards towards positive change.
My approach is compassionate and empathetic and I work collaboratively with you to identify any emotions and challenges you may be facing aiming to help you to feel heard, accepted and understood.
I hope to help you to make sense of any feelings and to develop a greater understanding of unseen behaviours that may underlie psychological distress. In exploring this it may then be possible to address the current and past life experiences to which such feelings and behaviours may relate, to try to create different patterns of relating in the therapeutic relationship and outside, and in doing so move forwards towards positive and lasting change.
I work with individuals and couples on a wide range of emotional difficulties including:
- Anxiety, stress, panic attacks (including generalised anxiety disorder, health anxiety).
- Depression (low mood, sadness, feelings of despair, emptiness, isolation, loneliness, lack of direction or sense of purpose).
- Relationship difficulties/changes (couples, friendships, work, divorce/separation, affairs, sexuality, fertility, miscarriage, abortion, child birth).
- Low confidence and low self-esteem.
- Challenges around identity, body image and purpose.
- Work stress (negotiating work/life balance or work relationships, imposter syndrome, career transitions, redundancy, perfectionism, loss of meaning)
- Loss, illness, bereavement.
- Phobias and OCD.
- Traumatic events, physical or emotional abuse, PTSD.
- Major life transitions (mid-life crisis, redundancy, retirement).
- Counter-productive coping strategies such as disordered eating patterns, self-harm, anger management issues, and addiction.
Prior to my career as a psychotherapist I worked as a dispute resolution lawyer at large global practices and also coached, mentored and trained international clients and postgraduates. I am able to use this experience to aid my therapeutic work and have an understanding of the personal, professional and environmental pressures placed on individuals in modern-day life.
About Psychotherapy
Starting therapy can be a daunting process and I believe it takes courage to do so. For this reason I offer an initial no obligation consultation where we can explore together what has has bought you to therapy now, what you hope to gain from therapy and whether you feel working together has the potential to change for the better. All enquiries are strictly confidential and this is an opportunity for you to explore whether you are comfortable in this setting and with me.
If after this consultation we decided to work together we would normally meet at the same time and location each week for 50 minutes.
I provide both regular open-ended psychotherapy and short-term limited psychotherapy (over 12 sessions) for more specific work. I am flexible in adopting whichever approach best suits your needs, life commitments and budget.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Accredited psychotherapist - 5 year postgraduate clinical and academic training.
- Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Theory and Practice. Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills from WPF Therapy London (University of Roehampton/British Psychotherapy Foundation).
- Advanced Jungian practice - Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Practice (SAP London).
- Trauma training - EMDR Accredited Training (EMDR Academy).
- Couples therapy - Certificate in the Couple Relationship (Tavistock Relationships London)
- Psychosexual therapy - Certificate in Psychosexual Studies (Tavistock Relationships London)
- Mindfulness - MBSR, MBCT- L and Frame by Frame Advanced Training (University of Oxford).
- Coaching (University of Oxford)
- Person Centred Approach (University of Oxford)
- Positive Psychology (University of Oxford)
- BA Joint Hons. in Economic and Social History and Politics (1st); Postgraduate Diploma in Law; Law Practice Course; MSc in International Dispute Resolution (Awarded international Prize), qualified dispute resolution lawyer.
- Member of the Trainee Liaison Committee for the Foundation of Psychotherapy and Counselling (FPC) 2019-2022.
- Mentor to psychotherapy trainees through FPC.
- Member of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
- Member of the Oxford Psychotherapy Society (OPS).
- My clinical experience working with individuals/couples of diverse race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religion in international corporations, finance, law, government, the creative arts, the public eye, start-ups, charities and universities in a central London Clinic and in Private Practice.
- Prior to my career as a psychotherapist I worked as a dispute resolution lawyer at large global practices and also coached, mentored and trained international clients and postgraduates.
- I am a member of the following professional bodies and abide by their code of ethics; UKCP, BACP, BPC, FPC.
Member organisations
school Registered / Accredited
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Relationship issues (partner, marriage, family, siblings, friends, colleagues).
- Panic Attacks.
- Sleep and eating disorders.
Therapies offered
Fees
£95.00 - £150.00
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
- Initial meeting - free (15 minutes)
- Initial no obligation consultation - £100 (50 minutes).
- Ongoing once weekly therapy from £95 (Individuals), £150 (Couples) - (50 minutes).
- Some concessionary rates available dependent on income.
When I work
Weekdays
In person and remote therapy offered.
