Fern Dickson
Fern trained as a psychotherapist and counsellor at Regent’s University, London. In addition to her private practice, she works at Claremont Psychotherapy Service. She has a special interest in performance anxiety, and also runs mindfulness groups and wellbeing workshops.
Approaches
Existential Psychotherapy
Integrative Psychotherapy
Qualifications
MA
PgDip Psychotherapy
Registrations
BACP
UKCP
My approach
I am an existential psychotherapist, working with adults in individual therapy, both long and shorter-term. Existential therapy is not based on theories – it is grounded in existential philosophy, which seeks to understand the human condition in all its contradictions, struggles and wonders. There are many reasons which might bring you to therapy: depression, anxiety, a life change or crisis, past problems which have re-surfaced or never went away, or perhaps a nagging sense that life just doesn’t feel ‘right’.
Existential therapy is essentially an ongoing weekly conversation in which we aim to shed light on the difficulties you face by gaining an understanding of how you experience life. We explore the possibilities and choices available to you, enabling you to take responsibility for the things you can change and find acceptance towards what cannot be changed. Through this collaborative, supportive working relationship we aim to identify what is meaningful to you and enable you to move towards that with a greater sense of your own agency and authenticity.
My qualifications and experience
I completed my Master’s degree at Regent’s University, one of the leading existential training organisations, and returned to do an Advanced Diploma in Existential Psychotherapy there. I have worked with clients with a wide range of issues including depression, anxiety, trauma, life changes, OCD, eating disorders and bereavement. I have a lifelong love of music and a special interest in working with performance anxiety. I also run wellbeing workshops and mindfulness groups.
My philosophy
Before training as a psychotherapist, I came from a background in writing and music, and there is a definite connection between these and psychotherapy: they are all creative ways of expressing and understanding ourselves.
The way I practice is rooted in my understanding that being human means being in relationship with others and the world around us. No matter how alone we might feel, we are interconnected and cannot avoid being affected by, and affecting, others. I do not see personal difficulties as illnesses to be cured so much as problems of living – something which has gone wrong in the relationship between a person and the world they live in. Psychotherapy provides a unique space that usually can’t be found in everyday relationships to clarify what is going on in your life and to challenge assumptions and established patterns, to give voice to what matters most to you and open up new possibilities.