Welcome

Counselling and psychotherapy in Bromley, South London

You may be considering psychotherapy for a specific concern, or 'symptom', that you would like to address (e.g. anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, etc.). Or you may have a specific question, or life transition, that needs attention. You may find you're repeating the same 'patterns' over and again. It may be that you have a general sense of uneasiness, meaninglessness, or a lack of playfulness in life. Or perhaps you want to get to know yourself more deeply and experience life more fully. Of course, you may also feel unsure about why exactly you'd like to talk to a psychotherapist, but still want to. I specialise in helping people experiencing anxiety, difficulties with mood and emotions, complex trauma, and challenges with establishing and maintaining relationships. Please read more to find out if you feel I may be able to help you.

Dr Aaron Roberts | Clnical Psychologist and Psychodynamic Psychotherapist

Professional Standards Authority Accredited Register

About Me

I am trained as a clinical psychologist and a psychodynamic psychotherapist. I work in private practice, in Bromley, London, where I meet with adults for individual, and group, psychotherapy. Previously, I worked in NHS psychological services for over a decade, and formerly held a role as Principle Psychologist, leading a psychological therapies service in London. I offer help for a variety of difficulties.

I provide supervision and reflective practice groups to individuals and staff teams, both in training and qualified practice. I also work as a lecturer and examiner in clinical psychology and psychotherapy.

Following my undergraduate and master's degrees, I completed my doctoral training in clinical psychology at the Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, before later training as a psychodynamic psychotherapist at the Tavistock Centre.

I have worked in 'mental health' settings for over 15 years. My specialism is in psychoanalytic / psychodynamic psychotherapy, and more broadly in 'depth psychology' (e.g. psychoanalysis, analytical psychology, archetypal psychology). These approaches carefully consider how things outside of our conscious mind shape our experience in important ways. My practice is, however, also informed by cognitive psychology, behavioural psychology, systemic psychotherapy, and critical and community approaches. I am also experienced in practicing mentalization-based therapy (MBT) and cognitive analytic therapy (CAT). My specialist areas of interest are adult mental health, psychoanalytic psychology, and critical perspectives on psychiatric and psychological treatment.

Current Posts

Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist (Private Practice)
Senior Lecturer (Introduction to Counselling & Psychotherapy (D12) and Psychodynamic Reflective Practice in Mental Health (D65); Tavistock Centre, Tavistock & Portman NHS Foundation Trust)
Reflective Practice Facilitator (Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology, Clinical Psychology Doctorate)
Visiting Lecturer at:
- Salomons Institute for Applied Psychology - Clinical Psychology Doctorate
- University of Essex - Clinical Psychology Doctorate
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) - Clinical Psychology Doctorate
- University College London (UCL) - MSc Mental Health Sciences
- King's College London (KCL) - BSc Psychology

Professional Training

Qualifying Training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)
Master's degree in Psychological Research Methods (MSc)
Undergraduate degree in Psychology (BSc, Hons)

Other Relevant Training

Practitioner Level Training in MBT (Anna Freud Centre)
Foundation Course in Group Analysis (Institute of Group Analysis)

Registration to Practice

I am registered to practice as a clinical psychologist with the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and I am a chartered member (CPsychol) and associate fellow (AFBPsS) of the British Psychological Society (BPS). I am registered to practice as a psychodynamic psychotherapist with the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and I am a member of the Tavistock Society of Psychotherapists (TSP). I am also a clinical fellow of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.

Psychotherapy

"A person goes to therapy because of a symptom, a problem, as we call them, or an upset, disturbance. The question is not so much how to get rid of that as it is 'Why is this disturbance coming in my life? What does it want? What kind of a life have I got that it needs this disturbance to it?'"

– James Hillman

Psychological Consultation

"All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them." – Karen Blixen

You may feel unsure about how to make sense of what you are going through and what might help you. A psychological consultation is an opportunity for us to discuss your concerns, develop a psychological understanding of them together, and consider what support may be appropriate for you. This is partly a psychological assessment and partly a psychotherapeutic experience to determine how psychotherapy could be helpful to you. This initial meeting is 50 minutes. We may feel it would be important to meet a second time to complete this.

Following the consultation, it may be that we agree to begin meeting for psychotherapy or that I suggest an onwards referral. Sometimes a consultation can feel helpful enough as a standalone meeting to make sense of a particular concern or 'process' something. Please contact me to book a psychological consultation.

Psychotherapy

"To speak freely, with someone freely listening, is a radical act."

– Adam Phillips

Psychotherapy proceeds as a conversation between two people who speak, and listen, to each other. One person (me, the psychotherapist) commits to the task of helping you to understand yourself. It begins with the idea that the ways in which we experience ourselves, others, and the world, are based on 'patterns' (of thinking, feeling, and behaving) that happen habitually and are often outside of our conscious awareness. These may have started out as ways of coping with anxiety and emotional pain and become relatively 'fixed', leaving other possibilities unimaginable, and the person feeling stuck, or even distressed. Psychotherapy is a place to bring what has previously been 'unthought' into mind. It is an opportunity to not only develop intellectual knowledge about oneself, but also to develop one's capacities as an emotional being, leaving one freer to have a deeper engagement with life. It is important to also note that, as this process unfolds, psychotherapy can sometimes feel challenging, as well as rewarding.

I offer both:

time-limited counselling and psychotherapy (agreeing a set number of sessions [usually 12, 16 or 24] to focus on a particular psychological concern or life event), and

open-ended (ongoing) psychotherapy (working in a more exploratory way, towards deeper, and longer lasting, change)

All sessions are weekly for 50 minutes.

Making a Beginning

To make a beginning with psychotherapy, you can contact me to arrange an initial psychological consultation meeting. We can arrange a brief telephone conversation beforehand, if you would like, to discuss whether a consultation might be suitable.

What I Don't Provide

I also do not provide medico-legal reports or prescribe psychiatric drugs.

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My consulting room in Bromley, London

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What Can I Receive Help With?

I provide consultation and psychotherapy to adults experiencing the following*:

Addiction
Attention and hyperactivity difficulties ('ADHD')
Anger
Anxiety ('generalised anxiety', 'social anxiety')
Asperger's syndrome
Autism
Bereavement
Chronic pain
Complex trauma / 'personality disorder'
Depression / low mood
Dissociation
Emotional turmoil
Impulsivity
Life transitions
Marital and premarital difficulties
Obsessionality / ‘OCD’
Peer relationships
Relationship issues
Self-esteem
Self-harm
Sexual difficulties
Sexual abuse
Stress
Trauma and ‘post-traumatic’ stress
Unusual beliefs / ‘psychosis’
Voices and visions / ‘psychosis’

*You may have had your distress described by someone in different language / terminology than that used here, e.g. a 'disorder'. If you are unsure and would like to know if I may be able to help you please contact me.

Information

Location

My consulting room is located at: 200-202 High St., Bromley, London, BR1 1PW

By train. This is a 7 minute walk from Bromley North station, a 10 minute walk from Bromley South, and 14 minutes from Shortlands. From central London there is a fast train (16 minutes) from Victoria to Bromley South.

By car. There is a multi-story car park ('The Hill') on Beckenham Lane, which is a 3-4 minute walk away.

Fees