Counselling and psychotherapy for women in Bristol BS1- online and face-to-face

Many women choose to work with a female therapist. Others intentionally seek a male therapist. The decision is rarely superficial. It is often rooted in personal history, relational experience and an intuitive sense that something different is required.

Since entering the profession in the early 2000s, I have come to understand that for some women, working with a man creates a distinct therapeutic opportunity. The gender of the therapist becomes part of the psychological field. It is not incidental. It carries meaning.

Women tend to approach me when:

• abuse or emotional harm was carried out by a mother or significant female figure
• a father or important male presence was lost, became absent or was emotionally unavailable
• there has been conflict or harm within a relationship with a woman
• they wish to examine longstanding relational patterns with men in a live and boundaried setting
• they are partnered with a man experiencing sexual difficulties and need space for their own emotional and relational thinking.

In these contexts, therapy is not solely about insight. It is about experience. Patterns relating to authority, safety, intimacy, anger, desire or dependency often emerge in the room itself. What has previously been managed, avoided or enacted can be observed, understood and contained.