Integrative therapy
Different ways of understanding yourself. Therapy shaped around your individual needs.
By Richard Mann · 15 October 2026
← How I work
Counselling shaped around your life.
What brings you to counselling may affect several parts of your life at once. Anxiety can sit alongside self-criticism, an old relationship pattern and a body that rarely seems to settle. You may want to understand why you feel this way and also find something that helps you get through tomorrow.
Integrative therapy brings ideas and methods from different approaches together in a considered way. The work is shaped around your needs, preferences and circumstances, within the therapist’s training and experience. It is not a matter of using every technique or switching approaches without explanation.
I believe that the relationship between us is the most important part of the work. You need to feel able to talk openly, ask questions and say when something does not feel right. We can then decide together what to explore and what might help.
Making room for your experience
Before looking for a solution, we can take time to understand what has been difficult and how you have been managing. Feeling heard can make it easier to speak about things you have kept to yourself.
Understanding what keeps happening
We can explore the links between feelings, thoughts, bodily responses and relationships. Earlier experiences may help us understand a pattern, while present pressures help explain why it is difficult now.
Finding something useful for your life
Change might involve a clearer boundary, a different response to an urge or being kinder to yourself after a difficult day. We can try manageable steps and review whether they make a difference.
What could that look like in practice?
As an illustration, imagine finding it difficult to disagree with someone. We might first make space for the fear and understand what disagreement has meant in your life. We could notice the thought that you will be rejected, explore what happens in your body and practise a small way of expressing a preference.
Those are connected parts of one difficulty. The point is not to work through a list of therapies, but to choose a useful focus together. Sometimes you need time to be understood; at other times a practical experiment helps you discover that something can be different.
You might notice progress in being able to pause, understand your feelings or have a conversation you previously avoided. We can talk regularly about what is changing, what remains difficult and whether another kind of support would be more appropriate.
Explore the different approaches
Each guide explains the approach, what sessions may involve and how it could help in everyday life. The examples are illustrations, not accounts of clients. You do not need to choose the right therapy before getting in touch.
Person-centred therapy
Feeling understood can help you recognise your needs, trust your own judgement and make room for yourself.
Read the person-centred guide →
Psychoanalytic therapy
Explore how feelings outside immediate awareness and earlier relationships can shape the way you live now.
Read the psychoanalytic guide →
Psychodynamic therapy
Understand recurring emotional and relationship patterns, so the past has less influence over choices in the present.
Read the psychodynamic guide →Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)
Notice the connections between thoughts, feelings and actions, and practise changes that make everyday situations more manageable.
Read the CBT guide →Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
Change your relationship with difficult thoughts and take small steps towards the life you want to live.
Read the ACT guide →Dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT)
Develop ways to manage intense emotions, get through difficult moments and communicate more clearly.
Read the DBT guide →Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Explore conflicting feelings and protective habits without treating parts of yourself as the enemy.
Read the IFS guide →The nervous system and emotional regulation
Understand why distress feels physical, explore what helps you stay present and consider Polyvagal theory with care.
Read the nervous system guide →The body has a place in this conversation too.
Sometimes understanding a thought is not enough when your body feels overwhelmed. The nervous system guide explores emotional regulation and Polyvagal theory, including where its scientific claims are debated. We can use helpful ways of supporting you without assuming that every feeling fits one theory.
Read about the nervous system and emotional regulation →Do I offer every approach described here?
These articles explain approaches you may encounter when looking for therapy. They are not a claim that I offer every specialist treatment or hold a separate qualification in each one. Formal psychoanalysis, comprehensive DBT and specialist IFS work have particular training and treatment arrangements. We can discuss my experience, how I work and whether what I offer fits your needs.
If an exercise does not help, or you want a different balance between talking and practical work, I want you to feel able to tell me. Therapy should be something we work on together.
Further reading
BACP: Integrative counselling · BACP: What is counselling? · NHS: Counselling
Each individual guide includes sources relevant to that approach.
We can begin with a conversation.
You do not need to work out which approach you need before getting in touch. I offer a free 15-minute consultation to talk about what is troubling you and whether working together feels right.
Sessions are available in North London and online across the UK.
Arrange a Consultation