Integrative Counselling in London
A flexible, personalised approach that combines the best of multiple therapeutic modalities to create truly tailored support for your unique journey.
What is Integrative Counselling?
Integrative counselling is a flexible, client-centred approach that combines multiple therapeutic modalities into one cohesive practice. Rather than rigidly adhering to a single method, integrative therapists draw from different schools of thought to create a personalised approach tailored to your unique needs, personality, and goals.
The philosophy behind integration is simple: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to therapy. Different people, different issues, and even different moments in your journey may benefit from different therapeutic techniques. Integrative counselling honours this complexity by offering flexibility and responsiveness.
Rather than making you fit into one therapeutic model, integrative counselling adapts to you. This is exactly how I work: combining Transactional Analysis, Person-Centred Therapy, and Gestalt Therapy within a humanistic framework to offer truly personalised support.
Why Therapists Integrate Modalities
Therapeutic integration emerged from the recognition that no single approach works for everyone. Research shows that different modalities have different strengths, and combining them can enhance outcomes.
Here's why integration matters:
You Are Unique
Your personality, background, needs, and preferences are unique. Integrative counselling recognises this and offers flexibility rather than a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach.
Different Issues Need Different Approaches
Anxiety might benefit from body-based Gestalt techniques, while relationship patterns might be better understood through Transactional Analysis. Integration allows the therapy to match the issue.
Your Needs Change Over Time
Early in therapy, you might need Person-Centred warmth and acceptance. Later, you might benefit from more active Gestalt experiments. Integration allows the therapy to evolve with you.
Combining Strengths
Each modality has unique strengths. By integrating them, we can draw on the best of each: the relational depth of Person-Centred, the experiential power of Gestalt, and the clarity of Transactional Analysis.
My Integrative Approach
I integrate three humanistic modalities, each bringing unique strengths to create a truly tailored therapeutic experience.
Transactional Analysis
Understanding patterns in how you relate to yourself and others. TA provides clear frameworks for recognising ego states (Parent, Adult, Child), life scripts, games, and relationship dynamics.
Clarity, pattern recognition, relational insight
Person-Centred Therapy
The foundation of my work. Providing a warm, accepting, empathic space where you feel safe to explore your feelings, discover your own answers, and move towards authenticity.
Safety, acceptance, self-discovery
Gestalt Therapy
Bringing awareness to the present moment, body sensations, and unfinished emotional business. Gestalt techniques help you integrate fragmented parts of yourself and take responsibility for your choices.
Awareness, integration, experiential depth
How Sessions Adapt to Your Needs
The beauty of integrative counselling is that sessions are truly responsive to you. Here's how integration might look in practice:
You're feeling overwhelmed and need to be heard
I draw primarily on Person-Centred therapy, providing empathic listening, acceptance, and space for you to explore your feelings without judgment or direction.
You notice a recurring pattern in your relationships
We might use Transactional Analysis to understand the ego states, games, or life scripts playing out. TA provides clear frameworks that help you see patterns and make conscious choices.
You're stuck and can't articulate what you're feeling
Gestalt techniques like body awareness or two-chair work can help you access and express what's happening beneath conscious awareness.
You have unfinished business with someone
The Gestalt empty chair technique allows you to have a dialogue and find closure, within the safety of the therapy room.
You want to understand your internal critic
We might use TA to recognise the Critical Parent ego state, and Gestalt two-chair work to externalise and dialogue with it.
The key point: Integration isn't random. It's guided by your needs, what's emerging in the session, and what will be most helpful in each moment. The therapeutic relationship—built on trust, warmth, and collaboration—is always the foundation.
Training Requirements for Integrative Practice
Integrative counselling requires rigorous training. It's not enough to dabble in different modalities—therapists must be properly trained in each approach they integrate.
My training includes:
- •BSc (Hons) Humanistic Counselling from Metanoia Institute, one of the UK's leading therapy training institutions
- •TA 101 certification from the Berne Institute, the world's leading Transactional Analysis organisation
- •MBACP registration (Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), demonstrating adherence to professional standards and ongoing supervision
- •Ongoing professional development to deepen my skills in all three modalities
Integration is an art and a discipline. It requires deep knowledge of multiple approaches, clinical judgment about when to draw on each, and the skill to weave them together seamlessly.
When Integration Helps vs. Single-Modality Therapy
Integrative counselling is ideal when:
- •You want flexibility and a personalised approach
- •You're dealing with complex, multi-layered issues
- •You've tried single-modality therapy and want something different
- •You value relational depth, insight, and experiential work
- •You're seeking long-term personal growth, not just symptom relief
Single-modality therapy might be preferred when:
- •You want a specific, structured approach (e.g., CBT for phobias)
- •You prefer consistency and predictability in technique
- •You have a clear, focused issue that responds well to one approach
Ultimately, the "best" approach is the one that feels right for you and creates the conditions for your growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Experience Integrative Counselling
Book a free 15-minute consultation to discover how integrative counselling can be tailored to your unique needs and goals.