My name is Gilead, I am a psychotherapist and I help those who struggle in their relationship to develop a greater capacity for emotional and interpersonal connection. I also help romantic couples to develop and nurture intimate and erotic relationships.
My approach to psychotherapy rests on several tenets that I find fruitful for couples and individuals. They are Gestalt therapy, existential philosophy, psychology, good research, our need for connection, our potential for growth and the importance of a healthy expression of our sexuality.
Underneath these tenets lies my conviction that the quality of our life is mostly determined by the quality of our relationships – all of them – and that the most honest way to understand ourselves is through understanding the quality of our relationships.
I find Gestalt therapy a solid and practical approach because it is essentially a relational one; it sees the person as part of his or her relationships and always as influencing others and being influenced by them. Whilst developing a good sense of autonomy and self-care is crucial to our wellbeing, crafting meaningful relationships is equally fundamental to a well-balanced and meaningful life.
I believe that in a relationship there are very few individual issues; love, sex, satisfaction, pleasure, anger, hate, depression, anxiety and disappointment to name a few, are of relational nature.
My aim is to help my clients to become more aware of what they are doing, how they are doing it, how they can change and at the same time learn to accept and value themselves – this is mostly done by working with what is directly perceived, felt and experienced in the therapy room and tried outside it.
My qualifications include Bsc in psychology, MA in psychotherapy, Diploma in group therapy, couple therapy, psychosexual therapy, attachment and trauma therapy. I am UKCP registered psychotherapist and I adhere to their code of ethics.