Stuart Gibson

About me:

I provide focused, short-term counselling and in-depth, long-term therapy. I work online, on the phone and at comfortable consulting rooms in Farringdon. I offer dedicated support to people facing challenges and can help treat most emotional and psychological difficulties. I work with adults of all ages, cultural backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations.

The relationship between counsellor and client (or therapist and patient) is a key element of the treatment I offer. My demeanour is warm, empathic and supportive. For some people, I simply provide a much-needed opportunity to be heard and understood.

Approach:

Mindful of boundaries, I offer a safe, confidential and reliable space in which people can talk openly about themselves so as to help them understand what might have contributed to their problems. Exploring emotions, thoughts, dreams, memories, behaviour and relationships can help people to change the way they respond to situations. I aim to assist this process by being curious and attentive to links and patterns.

My approach is based on the understanding that difficult experiences in the past can continue to affect the way we feel and behave in the present. Applying psychodynamic, attachment, humanistic and cognitive concepts and methods, I address both the causes and the symptoms of emotional and psychological distress.

Experience:

Alongside my private practice, I have worked as a psychotherapist in the NHS, employed by Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust and the Harrow Psychotherapy Service. I have also worked as a Dynamic Interpersonal Therapist at Queenswood Medical Practice in Haringey.

I have worked as a counsellor in the charity sector for Waterloo Community Counselling and the Multi-Ethnic Counselling Service. I have provided counselling for students at London South Bank University. I also have over twenty years’ experience of working with alcoholics, addicts and their families and my approach is compatible with Twelve Step recovery.

Before my career change to Counselling and Psychotherapy, I was a senior manager in Advertising, Marketing and Media. I have since participated in several Group Relations Conferences and I am qualified to offer interpretations of organisational and group dynamics.

Areas I deal with:

Abortion, Abuse, Addiction(s), Affairs and betrayals, Alcoholism, Anger management, Anxiety, Attachment disorder, Avoidant personality disorder, Bereavement, Binge-eating disorder, Body dysmorphic disorder, Borderline personality disorder, Bulimia nervosa, Bullying, Cancer, Career counselling, Carer support, Child related issues, Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME, Dependent personality disorder, Depression, Disabilities, Discrimination, Dissociation, Domestic violence, Drug addiction, Eating disorders, Emotional abuse, Family issues, Feeling sad, Gambling, Gender dysphoria, Generalised anxiety disorder, Histrionic personality disorder, HIV/AIDS, Hoarding, Infertility, Internet addiction, Loneliness, Low self-confidence, Low self-esteem, Miscarriage, Narcissistic personality disorder, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder, Panic attacks, Paranoia, Passive aggressive behaviour, Personality disorders, Phobias, Physical abuse, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Postnatal depression, Pregnancy and birth, Redundancy, Relationship problems, Self-harm, Separation and divorce, Sex addiction, Sex problems, Sexual abuse, Sexuality, Smoking, Spirituality, Stress, Suicidal thoughts, Trauma, Work-related stress

Special interests:

As a male counsellor and psychotherapist, I have a special interest in helping people work through issues relating to men. I have had profound therapeutic relationships with people who have had absent, abusive or negligent fathers; similarly with people who have had traumatic experiences and abusive relationships with men.

I understand the specific challenges and expectations facing men who are dealing with difficult issues such as job insecurity, relationship problems, traumatic events and drug and alcohol misuse. Men have told me they find it easier to talk honestly and openly, man to man, particularly when they need to discuss sexual matters.

Therapies offered:

Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy
Integrative therapy
Interpersonal therapy
Psychoanalytic therapy
Psychodynamic therapy
Psychodynamic counselling