I’m an experienced psychotherapeutic counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I work long-term with individuals in our Brighton and Hove practice.
I see therapy as offering clients a confidential space to step aside from everyday life where we explore difficulties together with curiosity and compassion. Working collaboratively and relationally, we uncover, process and come to understand what might be holding you back and open new ways of moving forward. My integrative approach means I’ve been schooled in various therapeutic modalities, with my main influences being psychodynamic and relational psychotherapy. This enables me to adapt the therapy to your unique and individual needs.
Working psychodynamically allows us to explore your lived experience, unprocessed emotions and behavioural pattens, throwing light on issues you’re experiencing in the present, such as anxiety, loneliness or depression. As part of a relational approach, I also work with a client’s experience of key relationships, exploring the embedded emotions and established patterns, to help understand the relationship issues which affect you today.
An overlapping influence in my work is my interest in and study of narrative, and in particular how it often plays a vital role in how we experience ourselves in the world. The creation of a self-narrative takes place from early in life and is often unseen by our conscious mind, and yet this dominant narrative drives many of our life decisions. Our therapy together allows us to uncover and review these self-stories and ask what they are and aren’t doing for you.
Having previously worked in pressurised creative and corporate environments, I have also developed an interest in working with people experiencing work-related stress, including anxiety, bullying and low self-esteem. And with Covid having profoundly affected people’s relationship to work, I increasingly support clients who seek to review the value and role work plays in their lives.
Through my years working for a community charity in London, I worked with a range of clients experiencing life crises such as job loss, relationship breakdown and also bereavement. Working with their lived experience and the difficult feelings evoked, the clients expanded their tolerance of life’s uncertainties, increased their resilience and were able to find renewed meaning and purpose.
I am committed to my ongoing study and personal development. Currently, I’m researching the importance and value of vulnerability within relational psychotherapy as part of a Master’s in Advanced Clinical Practice.
Blogs by Thad Hickman
Does your life story make sense?
Contact Thad directly
Thad works Tuesday to Thursday from our Brighton and Hove practice.
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