Christina Moutsou (Ph.D), Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist, UKCP Registered
PSYCHOTHERAPY & COUNSELLING, QUEENS PARK
RELATIONSHIP THERAPY, WEST HAMPSTEAD
MOTHER AND BABY COUNSELLING, KILBURN
CLINICAL SUPERVISION NORTH WEST LONDON
The soul becomes dyed with the colour of its thoughts
Marcus Aurelius (Artwork by Siegfried Knittel)
Who is it for?
I provide psychotherapy and counselling as well as clinical supervision in NW6, in the Kilburn/Queens Park area in Zone 2. I offer therapy to individuals, couples and mothers and babies. We live in a world where, increasingly, the cultural impetus is for the repression and dismissal of difficult feelings, which often leads to emotional isolation, loneliness and even worse to increasing mental health problems. Therapy can provide a safer space for exploring issues which are difficult to share with friends and family. Some examples of issues often explored in therapy are loss and feeling lost, feeling trapped in unhealthy patterns of behaviour, often informed from the past, getting involved in dysfunctional relationships, not looking after oneself, shame and social anxiety. Therapy is conducted by a fully qualified, accredited and experienced psychotherapist.
The kind of psychotherapy offered
Therapy is a form of active, attentive listening to the client's experience and a meaningful conversation in the context of a professional relationship. Emotional suffering such as depression can often be a state of not feeling comfortable in one's skin and in one's ways of being, a state which can be altered and alleviated through accepting and understanding one's experience in the world. Making sense of a person 's history and how it has contributed to their difficulties can be empowering. I have a strong interest in diversity and thinking about difference, be it cultural, ideological, political, gender etc. rather than adopting a universal theory of health and pathology. I also have an interest in existential struggles that come about through important life events such as bereavement, dislocation, having a baby, mid life crisis and other life stages.
How does it work?
A therapeutic relationship, when it works, can provide a safer platform from which one can explore and reflect on one's difficulties. Through being given space to listen to their voice, opinions and needs, people can activate and use their own healing powers.
SESSIONS
The area
Therapy and clinical supervision sessions take place in North West London, NW6 within easy reach of Central London and in close proximity to the areas of Queens Park, West and South Hampstead, Willesden Green and Kilburn. Queens Park is a vibrant area in NW London with a strong ethos of community, multicultural living and a tradition of harbouring cutting edge political and philosophical thinkers from many fields. Kilburn, Queens Park and West Hampstead have a distinct international and cosmopolitan vibe in NW6 where for many years, people from all over the world have lived harmoniously with one another. I offer psychotherapy in Queens Park which takes into account this sociocultural milieu as well as its more recent political context.
Length and Frequency
Sessions last 45-50 minutes for individuals and one hour for couples. Once in ongoing therapy, sessions take place between one and three times a week. Short term therapy is also offered, when suitable for the client's needs. Clinical supervision takes place weekly, every two weeks or monthly depending on the level and experience of the supervisee and the size of their practice.
Rates
There is a sliding scale from £70 to £100 per session for individuals and from £90 to £120 per session for couples, according to the client's income.
Initial Consultation
The initial consultation lasts fifty minutes for individuals at £80 per session, and one hour for couples at £100. One session is usually sufficient to assess whether therapy is suitable treatment at the particular moment in the client's life, but occasionally, a second session for assessment might be necessary. An initial consultation is also an opportunity for the client to explore whether the therapy offered is suitable for them, and whether we can work well together. It is a good idea to come prepared with questions that feel important to ask, but also to think about the history of one's difficulties and what one is hoping to achieve through therapy as a way of making the most of the session. Usually, the first six sessions are exploratory and a prelude to longer term therapy.