The Therapist And The Chair | West London and Nationwide Online

Welcome to The Therapist And The Chair

West London and Nationwide Online

Making Counselling and Psychotherapy Accessible For Everyone

Welcome, and thank you for visiting.

Hello, I’m Sukh Thiara, a psychodynamic psychotherapist based in London, offering counselling services virtually across the country. I provide a secure and supportive space for you to explore your thoughts and emotions, helping you address the issues that are important to you.

My experience and training has provided me with a thorough awareness of the diverse and complex mental health needs of different cultures. I specialize in working with young people, adolescents, and adults. I have supported individuals from all walks of life in navigating challenges such as trauma, anxiety, depression, stress, and life transitions.

Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, I worked as a mental health practitioner. I subsequently completed my psychotherapy training at Goldsmiths College, University of London, accredited by the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), which upholds training standards across the UK.

Short - Term Therapy

I provide a 12-week introductory therapy program tailored for individuals with no previous therapy experience. This program is generally aimed at those dealing with present challenges, such as relationship breakups, job transitions, or the loss of a loved one. Although many clients opt to extend therapy beyond the initial 12 weeks, this choice will be reviewed and decided during our sessions together.

Open-ending Therapy

Open-ended psychotherapy does not have a fixed end date, allowing us the time needed to delve into the root causes of emotional distress, behavioral patterns, beliefs, and past experiences that may be contributing to your present difficulties. This approach typically involves a longer-term commitment, with sessions held once or twice a week, depending on the nature of the work.

Single Session therapy - Help at the point of need

SST therapy is ideal if you're facing a specific issue that can be addressed in a targeted manner and you're looking to resolve it as quickly as possible. The primary goal of SST therapy is to help you overcome obstacles and move forward with your life efficiently

Emotional Wellness Assessment

This single-session appointment is intended for individuals who are worried about changes in their mood or behavior, whether these changes have occurred suddenly or over time. In this session, we will evaluate your current situation and decide on the best course of action, whether that be psychotherapy or other forms of psychological support.

How can counselling help you?

Life brings many challenges, and it is understandable that at times we might look for support in facing them. As a counsellor my role is to provide space and guidance to help you on your journey of self-discovery; to enable you to examine your life and make new, meaningful choices within it.

I offer a chance to reflect on the difficulties or problems you are experiencing in a safe and confidential environment, with someone from outside your day-to-day life. Together we can explore your situation in a way that leads to fresh perspectives - and perhaps a new understanding of yourself. Counselling isn’t about giving you solutions or advice, but empowering you to make your own changes.

People come to me for help a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:

Feelings of stress or anxiety

Panic attacks

Relationship problems

Grief, loss or bereavement

Problems with addiction

Trauma and post-traumatic stress

Abuse

Bereavement

Post and Pre and life limited illness

Depression

Problems with confidence or self-esteem

Anger management

Issues relating to sexuality

Difficulties at work or in retirement

Problems with family or school life

Sexuality

LGBTQ*

My location

I am based in West London and offer online sessions to people throughout the UK.

Availability

I offer long term and short term therapy.

Along with Single - Session Therapy : Help at the Point of Need

Fees

Sessions usually last 50 minutes

Fees: £50 and students: £35

Get in touch

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.

You can also call me on 07564 625746 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.

All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.

Some frequently asked questions

Counselling is usually a good way to help with a current problem; something that can be discussed and - hopefully - resolved within a limited number of sessions. Over a certain number of weeks the understanding of the problem improves and away forward becomes clear. Therapy often describes work that goes a bit deeper, towards more substantial life issues and problems having a deeper effect on the client’s life. Therapy often requires a long-term approach, so the number of sessions can be open-ended.

Which option is most suitable depends on the client and the difficulties they are facing. In some cases counselling works well as an ongoing, longer-term option - or therapy can manage to resolve an issue in just a few sessions.

Everything that is said within the counselling room is private - this is one of the main ways counselling and therapy differ from talking to a friend or relative. Once you are comfortable with the format of weekly sessions and the safe space they provide, you will find the freedom to speak in confidence is of great value.

Note that there are some situations where you may be a risk to yourself or others, and there the law requires that I notify an authority; in these cases I may not be able to keep total confidentiality. Breaking confidentiality is very rare though, and only happens after the person concerned has been informed.

How long a period of counselling lasts will vary from person to person and depend on the depth of the issues they are facing. For some people a couple of sessions helps to bring their problems into focus, and they feel ready to move forward; other problems may require more of an open-ended approach.

Before we begin any work we will agree on the number of sessions we’ll undertake, and at the end of that number review our progress. As long as we both agree further therapy will be of benefit to you, sessions can continue.

My aim is to offer a first appointment - known as an initial assessment - within 1-2 weeks. Then we would arrange a set number of counselling sessions to take place at the same time every week, that is convenient for you and where I have availabity. How quickly these sessions can begin will depend on the availabity of that free ‘slot’.