About me

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I founded my practice, Archipelago Psychotherapy, in Alwoodley, Leeds at the end of 2021 after over a decade in NHS pastoral and spiritual care. As you consider therapy with me, I invite you to learn about my therapeutic influences and interests. This will help you understand what working with me might be like and addresses the natural desire to know more about your therapist, given the vulnerable openness therapy asks of you.

 

My interest in psychology and personality began over 15 years ago, drawing me to the Myers Briggs Type Indicator and, particularly, the Enneagram, largely through the work of Franciscan friar Richard Rohr. Around the same time, I completed a Transactional Analysis 101 course, an insightful introduction to Eric Berne’s system of therapy.

 

Turning forty was a significant catalyst for exploring new training and career paths. During the Covid pandemic, I was fortunate to begin and complete a Diploma in Relational Integrative Psychotherapy at the Scarborough Counselling and Psychotherapy Training Institute (I am receiving full UKCP acrreditation in January 2026). There, I encountered many wise teachers and talented trainees. I learned that humans are innately wired for loving, supportive, and compassionate relationships, and that many of us, for various reasons, don't receive enough of these as we grow and navigate the world. This is deeply connected to Attachment Theory, which psychotherapy has integrated to understand what constitutes a truly supportive, empathic, and responsive relationship. This is why the therapy I offer is relational, emphasizing that the most crucial aspect of therapy is our connection,  even more so than  "aha" moments, intellectual understanding or dredging up repressed memories.

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Connecting Mind, Soul, and Body

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My training quickly revealed that psychotherapy is fundamentally about making connections, inwardly and outwardly.  Those embarking on a therapy journey often grasp "part of the picture"; some are skilled thinkers, while others are fluent with feelings but struggle with distance or perspective. These natural "superpowers" usually stem from what we learned was acceptable or required (the power of persona) or from developing specific traits, skills, and habits to protect ourselves emotionally or survive challenging circumstances. Effective therapy introduces us to new ways of being in the world and in relationships that we hadn't fully recognized. I experienced this myself: my first year of training constantly amazed me as I discovered my thoughts weren't isolated in my brain but connected to my emotions, which in turn manifested as bodily sensations. I learned that anger resided in my chest, and anxiety appeared not just in my stomach but at the bottom of my throat.

 

The more we understand different parts of ourselves and can articulate the continuous process of "being human" within a supportive relationship, the more connections we can forge (the process of neural plasticity). These connections lead to a more real and multi-dimensional self, fostering greater compassion and curiosity. This is the relational experience of integration, proven to be how the adult brain can be "re-wired." For a good explanation of this, explore the work of therapist and neuroscientist Dan Siegel.

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Connecting to the Unconscious and to Shadow

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During my training, I began listening to the podcast This Jungian Life, where three Jungian psychoanalysts (Lisa Marchiano, Joseph Lee, and Deborah Stewart) discuss topics and interpret dreams. This resonated with my past, as my Dad had introduced me to Carl Jung's work in my teenage years. My re-introduction to Jungianism opened up a profound and mysterious layer of unconscious material that also contributes to the integration process. Therefore, if you work with me, I will be curious about your dreams, imagination, and fantasies, as these are ways the shadow-side of your personality surfaces and seeks your attention. It's important to recognize that shadow-work often involves acknowledging parts of ourselves we've been taught to feel shame or fear about. As with all aspects of therapy, our relationship will progress at your pace and in a trauma-informed manner, respectful of the vulnerable aspects being uncovered. Furthermore, I believe our shadow can offer crucial insights into the future direction of our lives; these are not problems to be pathologized and eliminated, but rather parts of us that can contribute to disquieting symptoms yet also be harnessed for growth and maturity.

 

Other therapeutic influences

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• Donald Winnicott - This mid-20th-century English pediatrician believed children create a "false self" for protection and to gain approval. He felt access to the "real self" was through play and creativity. While I acknowledge that playfulness and spontaneity can be challenging, especially early in therapy, it's a quality I will keep in mind as we work together.

• Iain McGilchrist - A contemporary neuroscientist, McGilchrist's work on the two halves of the brain supports psychotherapists like Allan Schore, who believe the therapeutic relationship intensively and compassionately engages the emotional/poetic right brain, working to integrate it with the more logical, linear processes of the left brain. I will often encourage the use of metaphor and imagery in therapy to bridge the gap between these different areas of the brain.

• Relational Psychoanalysts - I am influenced by writers such as Stephen Mitchell, Lewis Aron, Thomas Ogden, Philip Bromberg, and Jessica Benjamin. They have written extensively about the therapist-client relationship and how our psychological histories interweave during therapy. Two key guiding principles emerge for me from their work: first, I hope our work will become increasingly mutual and humane as we collaborate, and second, if and when misunderstandings occur, I will be very open to understanding what I've gotten wrong for you and "own my part" in what has happened. It is through repairing relationships that trust and security grow, often the lack of repair in our history is the source of greatest woundedness.  Furhermore. as we are open to each other in the therapeutic relationship, insight, awareness and growth take on a life of their own.

• Irvin Yalom - A revered existential psychotherapist, Yalom is known for his accessible stories about his practice. He particularly emphasizes the "here and now" experience of the therapeutic relationship. Rather than endlessly focusing on a client's relational experiences elsewhere, Yalom believes that what happens elsewhere will also manifest in the therapy room. By working in the "present frame" with the therapist, a client can experience both what blocks deeper connection and what new possibilities arise. Working in the "here and now" is something I will strive to do in most of our sessions together.

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 I hope that this has given you a sense of what kind of therapist I am and that you'll feel encouraged to explore working together.

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With warmest wishes,

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Adam

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