Counselling and Psychotherapy

“I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

I am a Psychodynamic psychotherapist working from comfortable and accessible consulting rooms in Brighton and Hove. I offer a secure and confidential space for you to bring whatever is troubling or challenging you in your life. If you are experiencing distress or anxiety, going through a life stage crisis or relationship difficulties then coming for therapy can be the first crucial step towards  getting help and support.

Psychotherapy is also an investment in yourself, a resource for personal growth and a place for you to begin to explore your potential for creative and purposeful living.

I hope you find this website helpful.

About Debbie Crookston

I am a qualified Psychodynamic Psychotherapist.

I offer both brief solution focused counselling and longer-term open–ended psychotherapy for individuals and couples. I have undertaken further training in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Systemic family therapy and
Psychosexual studies.

Prior to training as a counsellor I worked for sixteen years in the NHS in adult and mental health nursing where I specialised in HIV and palliative care.

I am an accredited member of the UK council for Psychotherapy [UKCP] and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy [BACP] and I practice under their code of ethics.

I strive to work holistically, tailoring my approach and use of psychotherapeutic models very much in response to the individual needs of each particular client. By developing a safe, secure and collaborative therapeutic relationship with each client I hope to create the conditions that make change and transformation through therapy possible.

People come for therapy with a diverse range of issues ranging from depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship breakdown, loss and bereavement and crises in their mental health. Others may come in order to make time and space to reflect on and explore their lives, thoughts and experiences in a way that might otherwise not be possible.

UKCP
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About Therapy

Sometimes emotional problems or mental health difficulties can feel overwhelming and not easily resolved without accessing professional help.

Much of the success of any therapy lies in the establishment of a secure and trusting relationship between client and therapist.
I strive to create a relaxed, safe and containing space for my clients to begin to explore   their particular issues and concerns.
A Psychodynamic training underpins my therapeutic practice.  I am interested in how past events and the unconscious mind impact on current events in a client’s life.  Therapy is an opportunity for the client to become curious about old and dysfunctional patterns of relating to the self and others, and to explore new ways of being. An awareness of current research into neuroscience, human growth and development and attachment theory further informs this approach.

Therapy is an investment in yourself and a resource for personal growth. It requires a curiosity of mind and a commitment to the process but the rewards can be profound.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

Counselling is a term used generally to describe focused therapeutic work, suitable perhaps when someone has had a specific trauma or crisis that they want some support for and to find strategies for coping. Psychotherapy tends to be longer term and more explorative, in depth work.

How long does therapy last?

The length of time you might come depends very much on your particular presenting issues and what you want to get out of the therapy. This is something that can be discussed at the outset of therapy and on an on-going basis. Sessions are generally held on a weekly basis and last for 50 minutes.

What are the first steps to beginning therapy?

An initial appointment gives you the opportunity to meet with me and get some idea if you think my approach to therapy might be one that suits you. It is really important that you feel you have a comfortable relational ‘fit’ with your therapist and so you are encouraged to come along to this initial session with no sense of pressure that you should make a decision then and there. It is often easiest if initially contact is made by email, we can then arrange a convenient time to speak over the phone if that is something you would like. I will endeavour to get back to you within 24 hours, and to arrange for an initial session within a week whenever possible.

Information and Fees

  • Ongoing therapy sessions are weekly and last 50 minutes. I can see clients more often if there is a need.
  • Sessions are generally at the same time and place every week.
  • My current fee is £70 for individuals and £90 for couples.

Location

198 Church Road, Hove BN3 2DJ

All locations are easily accessed by public transport with plenty of metered on street parking nearby.

Supervision

I am a qualified Clinical supervisor having undertaken a sixty hour in-house training at the Rock Clinic Brighton where I have been working as a Supervisor of trainee and qualified counsellors and psychotherapists since 2014. I take an Integrative approach to supervision, drawing in the most part from the Psychodynamic/psychoanalytic modality but also from the Person centred, Systemic and Cognitive Behavioural schools of thought. I strive to work supportively and collaboratively in supervising other practitioners and believe that supervision works best when it it approached as an opportunity for mutual growth and learning.

Fees: Qualified therapists. £55 per 50 minute session

My Blog

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Pornography, the Internet and the Couple Relationship

The growth in pornography is linked to the ease of access to the Internet and the sheer volume of online pornography …

Understanding and Living with Anxiety

To be anxious is to some extent a normative aspect of human experience. If inertia is the opposite of anxiety, then …

Living with an Alcoholic Parent or Partner

In the UK, alcohol abuse accounts for more deaths and chronic illness than any other single drug of choice.Beyond the effect …

The Pattern of all Losses

Often it seems that people turn to therapy in response to an experience that confronts them with some kind of loss.Certain …

In Praise of Small Pleasures

We construct the stories of our lives around the significant events that might seem, [at the time], to define us;  birth,deaths …

Attachment and Loss and the Work of Mourning. A Boy’s Story.

A teenage boy I know well, [son of a good friend], has been in mourning over this Christmas holiday period, bereft …

New Year, New You?

So it’s that time again, New Year’s Eve.  Standing poised between the closing hours of the old year and the opening …