About Adam

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I feel a dilemma as I wonder what information about me might be most useful to you as you consider the possibility of us working together. Starting therapy can feel very vulnerable as you are invited to bring yourself 'in the raw', it is understandable that you might desire a similar level of openness from your therapist. As a relational therapist, it is foundational to my practice that ours is a relationship which is as mutual as possible and I'll take very seriously your questions and curiosity as they arise in our work together.

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Finding the right 'therapeutic fit' for you

 

Ultimately it is only by sitting together in the therapeutic space that we'll get to know each other and what kind of interpersonal flow and rhythm is best suited to you being known, seen and heard by me. My job is to be 'big enough' to support your journey, yet 'unobtrusive enough' not to crowd your space or drain your energy. As a human being  there will be times when I get that balance wrong and when I do I will aim to acknowledge my misstep and to ask you how I can get things right for you. It's by this process of shared learning that we'll develop the right kind of psychotherapy for you (this isn't a 'one size fits all' process).  These principles are the bedrock of Relational and Intersubjective Therapy. 

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What I learned during Psycotherapy Training and what I'm still learning.....

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I founded my practice, Archipelago Psychotherapy, in Alwoodley, Leeds, at the end of 2021, following nearly two decades in NHS pastoral and spiritual care. During the Covid pandemic, I retrained at the Scarborough Counselling and Psychotherapy Training Institute, taking a Diploma in Relational and Integrative Psychotherapy​. There, I learned that humans are innately wired for loving, supportive relationships (as shown in attachment theory)—yet many of us, for various reasons, did not receive enough of this growing up.  This is why the therapy I offer is relational. I believe the most crucial aspect of our work is the quality of our connection—often more healing than intellectual "aha" moments or simply dredging up memories.

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My training revealed that psychotherapy is fundamentally about making connections, both inwardly and outwardly and also experiencing interpersonal 'contact'- i.e. being known and seen as valuable by another human being.  Growing up, we often rely on specific 'superpowers'—perhaps being a skilled thinker, an empathic feeler, a problem solver or someone who relies on 'gut instinct'- these skills can get us attention and forms of love but can mean that our wider 'self' can be missed. Effective therapy can introduce us to new, more integrated ways of being and processing experience or just the experience of 'being ourselves'. A lot of this is about beginning to accept the unique brain, body and nervous system that we've been born with.

 

The physical and psychological tensions which we feel in daily life and the prescriptions of how we 'ought to be'  can also be inherited from not just our immediate family of origin but much further back through the generations too. Therapy can help dissolve some of these blockages and 'no go areas'. The more we understand parts of ourselves within a supportive relationship, the more we can 'rewire' our responses (neural plasticity) within the parameters of who we are, leading to a more real, multi-dimensional self. 

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What is the shadow? How do you work with it?

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Shadow work (arising from the work of Carl Jung) involves acknowledging and exploring  parts of ourselves we’ve been taught to feel shame or fear about. I believe these are not problems to be eliminated, but vital parts of us that, once integrated, can be harnessed for growth and maturity. We will approach this respectfully, at your pace, and in a trauma-informed way. My interest in Jungian psychology means that I am open to talking about your dreams, imagination, and fantasies, as these are ways the 'shadow-side' of personality seeks attention.

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Therapy as a human and organic approach 

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There are many other psychotherapeutic writers and theorists I could mention who inform my approach but I feel that they would distract from the fundamental aim of therapy together. It is not the point to construct something impressive or notable, true relational security doesn't reside in these things. Instead therapy is something organic which grows and develops by degrees and which is built on something more fundamentally human than theory or technique. If this is a journey you'd like to explore then I'll be delighted to hear from you. 

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With warmest wishes,

Adam

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