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Psychotherapy Services

The CCPE operates a psychotherapy clinic which is open Monday to Thursday from 9am to 10pm and on Friday from 9am to 8pm.

Clinical services are available for couple, child, adolescent, family, group and individual psychotherapy.

A staff of 100 practising psychotherapists see approximately 50% of the clients, while the students in training see the remainder at reduced rates.

CCPE is offering assessments for psychotherapy to the public.

Adults 18+
Anyone wishing to book an appointment should email info@ccpe.org.uk and request a call back, please include your phone number. You will then be referred to one of our senior assessors who will make an appointment with you to speak by video link, on the phone or in person at CCPE in Little Venice. The assessor will then refer you to a psychotherapist who will make the necessary arrangements to hold regular sessions with you.  Assessments are a cost of £60 and regular sessions cost £60 and upwards, you will be able to discuss what you can afford with the assessor.

Children, adolescents and parents or carers needing support
CCPE offers psychotherapy for children and young people from 4 up to 18 years and for parents or carers needing support.
If you wish to book an assessment please email info@ccpe.org.uk with your name and phone number, requesting a call back. The initial assessment will be with a fully qualified UKCP registered child psychotherapist and takes place in person at CCPE with the child/young person and their parent(s) or carer(s) and costs £60.
Fees for subsequent individual psychotherapy sessions start from £55 upwards, depending on the level of experience of the UKCP registered child psychotherapist. You will be able to discuss with your assessor what you can afford.
For those in financial need, CCPE offers low-cost counselling and psychotherapy for children and young people through the charity FreshSteps. Sessions will be with a trainee on the CCPE master's child psychotherapy training and fees are from £35-50. You will be able to discuss with your assessor what you can afford. Therapy will take place in person at CCPE and trainees are fully supervised.

Can you benefit from psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy can be of great value to those who:

  • Are willing to look at themselves
  • Take some responsibility for what is going on in their life
  • Are prepared to consider things differently.

Psychotherapy is not advisable for those who are in the midst of a psychotic episode or other serious mental illness which needs hospitalisation.

If for any reason the assessing psychotherapist feels that CCPE is not the right place to help you, they will offer alternative suggestions.

How often and how long is the treatment?

Psychotherapy can be effective in both the short term (2-12 sessions), medium, and long term (6 months up to 3 years). The length of the therapy will depend on what the client wishes to resolve and develop in their life. The length of therapy is usually reviewed as part of the process. It is fair to say that, on the whole, bigger problems will need a few months work for progress to be made. It may be in some cases that just a few sessions is all that is needed at that time.

Sessions are usually held once a week, for 50/55 minutes. Payment is usually required at the time of the session and fees are charged on a sliding scale, ranging from £35 upward per session. At the lower end of the scale, you will probably be referred to a student counsellor/psychotherapist.

The initial 50 minute assessment with a senior psychotherapist costs £60 (concessionary rate £30). Appointments can usually be made within a week with referral taking about another week.

Please call CCPE on 020 7266 3006 to arrange for an appointment.

What is psychotherapy?

Psychotherapy is the 'passage from woundedness to hope'. The word psychotherapy literally means to 'nurse' the soul and is derived from the ancient Greeks and their interest in human nature and the psyche.

A psychotherapist and 'client' meet in a private and confidential setting to explore whatever it is that has brought the client to psychotherapy. It may be that the client is very clear about what the 'problem' is but not how to approach it, or it may be that they need help to discover what is causing their sense of not being 'right'. Underlying issues may emerge though the process of exploration.

Clients bring a wide range of issues and problems such as depression, stress, poor self image, relationship difficulties, destructive behaviour, addiction, issues of abuse, bereavement and loss, difficult childhood experiences. There may be feelings of dissatisfaction or unfulfillment, or a loss of direction or sense of purpose in life.

In the therapy sessions, the client has a safe space in which to consider their life and what they are struggling with and explore their thoughts and feelings in a way that is rarely possible with friends, partners or family. By listening attentively and patiently, the therapist can begin to perceive the difficulties from the client's point of view and to help them to see things more clearly and fully, or from a different angle.

The therapist is not there to judge or give advice but to act as a mirror for the client in order to facilitate deeper awareness and, perhaps, bring relief. Individual therapists have different ways of doing this and work in a variety of ways but will always be guided by the client. Therapeutic techniques involve talking, mirroring, relaxation practices, role playing, visualisation, etc. A technique is never used with the client unless they understand its use and are willing to try it out. Techniques are chosen to suit the clients temperament.

The relationship between therapist and client is itself important. The client's  experience of being in a trusted relationship where they are accepted and respected is part of the therapy. (This is why the initial 'assessment' appointment is important - so that the client's needs can be identified and matched with a therapist as far as possible.)

Through this process, the client is able, over time, to come to know themselves better and, in doing so, to make better choices for themselves. Psychotherapy may bring about a change in a person or their life or help with acceptance of the ways things are. It may create a clarity that was not there before. It may open up new possibilities of help to heal. Client autonomy is always important - the therapist is there to support the client in making their own choices and decisions in life.

It takes courage to go to psychotherapy and to stick with it even when it feels painful and difficult. But the rewards can be great and it is true of psychotherapy as it is with many things that the more you put into it, the more will get out of it.