Charlie Allen

I see clients in person, online or a hybrid of both, and please contact me for my current availability.  

Hello. I'm a Â鶹ԭ´´ registered counsellor/psychotherapist working one-to-one with adults from a comfortable practice in Hove and online. I have experience supporting people who have come to therapy for a host of different reasons, including:

• difficulties or a breakdown in relationships
• feeling anxious, low/depressed or angry
• a sense of being directionless or stuck - personally and/or professionally
• low self-esteem and confidence
• a pervasive feeling that something’s not right, even if not knowing what or why
• work-related stress or burnout
• past or current trauma or abuse
• bereavement

It may be difficult to talk about these things with those closest to you, such as family or friends, whereas therapy can be a reflective space removed from your everyday life to help bring about the change you are seeking. 

I will listen deeply to you and provide a calm, confidential and non-judgmental space, where we can work together to navigate whatever it is that's troubling you. I believe that therapy can bring about enhancements to your relationships, sense of place in the world, and feelings of fulfilment in your work and life overall. 

My professional experience:

As well as supporting people in private practice, I have clinical experience working with young adults in a Higher Education setting, and in a specialist trauma counselling service for people who had experienced sexual abuse. Before training as a therapist, I volunteered at The Listening Place in central London with people who no longer felt that life was worth living.

Alongside being a therapist in private practice I work in professional learning and development, specialising in supporting peoples' mental health and wellbeing at work. This has provided understandings around the challenges of working within an organisational setting, the search for a purposeful career, and the impacts of workplace change, conflict and stress - all of which can be areas which may be examined within therapy.

I work in an integrative way meaning I value you as an individual and draw on different therapeutic perspectives to offer a way of working that’s best suited to you. I particularly draw on ideas from attachment theory and psychodynamic therapy, which emphasise the impact of your early relationships in life on how you think, feel and behave. We might also think about more existential ideas, for instance around creating meaning to your life, and considering the choices that are available to you.

During therapy we expect to understand more about what's happening in your life, your patterns of experience, and how this may be influenced by your past. This can help you to better make sense of your experience, and act as a foundation for growth. My aim is for us to develop understandings, meanings and solutions together, to help bring about lasting change.

I pay particularly close attention to how you experience relationships, which can offer us helpful insights into your difficulties and experience of the world. I believe that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is vital to help you feel heard and understood, and so emphasise the collaborative relationship between us. 

Short-term and open-ended therapy:

I offer short-term and open-ended therapy. Short-term work can be useful to focus on a current, specific difficulty, whereas open-ended work enables us to explore your difficulties more extensively - and can be helpful for longer-term issues.

Arranging weekly sessions at the same time each week enables us to get into the rhythm of your therapy. This becomes your slot for the duration of our work together, whether that’s for an agreed time-limited period, or on an open-ended basis. Sessions last for 50 minutes each.

As a practitioner I'm fully insured and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO reference number: ZB388752). 

I recognise that starting therapy may seem daunting, and that you may not be exactly sure what you want or need, and I am here to help you through the process. Please get in touch with any questions, or to arrange an initial conversation.

I offer a free, initial 15-20 minute phone or Zoom call before starting therapy, to begin thinking together about how I may be able to help you. This doesn't commit you to going any further.

Beyond this, a first meeting offers the chance to think together about your difficulties - and consider what might be most useful for you. It’s also a chance to get to know each other, an opportunity to ask questions and speak about any concerns. There's no obligation to continue, and sometimes it’s best to arrange a second meeting before deciding whether to carry on.