I try to keep in tension the reality of the impact of systemic oppression and violences, of trauma and harm, as well as the possibility of loving, living, and connecting meaningfully in this life

You may be part of the LGBTQIA+ community, and/or neurodivergent (ND), or perhaps you’ve often felt out of place, ‘weird’, ‘different’, or wondered if you are ‘broken’. Perhaps your experiences in life have meant that it is hard to feel a sense of belonging around people who have not seen, known and felt some of what you have encountered. I cannot know why you landed on this page, I can say that you are unequivocally welcome here.

My name is Louisa (she/her) and I am a queer, AuDHD, psychodynamically-trained therapist offering ND-friendly therapy and consultation face-to-face in Moseley, Birmingham, as well as online within the UK. On this page you can find examples of issues I work with, a little about how I work, and what you can expect from working with me. I look forward to hearing from you if you would like to arrange a free 15 minute call to see if I am right for you, or if you would like to ask any questions.

Text: 07719 985638

Email: psychodynamictherapybirmingham@gmail.com

Why Psychodynamic?

My training is in clinical psychodynamic practice but it would be more accurate to say that my work is first and foremost relational. By working relationally I mean to say that I take seriously the work of building a collaborative, responsive, and authentic therapeutic relationship with you, bringing the essence of who I am without overburdening you with content about my life, so that you remain the focus of our sessions and work. I am sometimes asked why – as a queer autistic person – I would choose to train in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic therapies because of the systemic harm brought about by psychoanalytic theories of autism and the heteronormativity embedded in a lot of the classical theories. There is much to be said on this, but the short answer is that there are elements of psychodynamic thinking that get at the depth and complexity of human relatedness that is hard to find elsewhere. I wholeheartedly reject classical psychoanalytic takes on autism and ascribe to the neurodiversity paradigm. You can see more about how I adapt the approach to be neuro-affirming here.

Examples of issues I work with

• dissatisfaction in relationships, wanting to understand your patterns in relationships better, managing double empathy problems and neuro-clashes.
• feeling low, anxious, and/or detached from feelings, difficulty knowing what you feel
• difficulties in living, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts
• body-image struggles/distress
• help with unprocessed experiences that have had lasting impacts on you
• understanding your autistic/ADHD/AuDHD self when late identified
• Issues related to LGBTQIA+ life, questioning around genders, sexualities, or relationship structures.

What I Offer

• A commitment to creating a space with you that feels safe enough (enough of the time) to share your life and what matters to you so that we can help you to explore things that you want to talk about.
• Space where you are believed, where your testimony will always be prioritised over my thoughts/ideas about what might be going on.
• A confidential, ethical, warm therapeutic relationship that centres you and your needs so that we can help you to listen to the parts of you that have been silenced, to understand what you want and need, and to identify what is getting in the way of you being able to live a life that feels sustainable and meaningful to you.

What can you hope to get out of therapy with me?

You are not a caricature of a client and it is impossible to say exactly what you might gain from working with me, but past clients have reported some of the following:

• Increased self-esteem
• Understanding where you are accountable for something and where you might be gaslighting yourself
• Deeper self-understanding and ability to bear feelings
• Identifying and communicating your boundaries
• To care for and appreciate yourself without collapsing into self-hatred
• Creating a life you want to stick around for

Read more about my approach, more About Me, and Things That Matter