Psychotherapist and Counsellor
London-based
Mr Jan Sheppard BA (Hons) MA (Psych.) Adv.Dip.Ex.Psych.Couns.
MBACP (Snr.Accred.) UKCP regd.

I see existential psychotherapy as a simple and down-to-earth method for helping people get on with daily existence in a meaningful way. The type of counselling I offer therefore involves assisting people to come to terms with the dilemmas of living, the frame of reference being philosophical rather than medical, social or psychological. The assumption I make in my work is that people need to find ways of making sense of their life before they make sense of their problems and of themselves.

I see counselling therefore not as a problem-solving or skill-building exercise but as a process of enabling someone to come to terms with living life as it is, with all its contradictions. Such clarification and reflection, I believe, while often demanding, can lead to a renewal of essential strengths and a courage to move on beyond the current predicament.

The emphasis throughout our work will therefore be on you and on how you see and experience the world. You will have the opportunity to tell your story and and gradually come to a more satisfactory interpretation of your current situation until you find a way through it. The objective is for you to become more honest with yourself and more in tune with your limitations and possibilities. By paying attention to what is of most concern to you personally we will aim to bring your life back into harmony with your aspirations so that you become more able to live your life to the full. This means understanding where you are at before establishing where you want to go and how you might get there.

For me, psychotherapy is therefore a dialogue of depth. No matter how the life problem or issue presents itself, it often connects to our deepest assumptions about life, and raises questions about how we should live, and what is meaningful to us. These are the kinds of questions that do not have ready conclusions, but they inspire us to contemplate together, which I believe is itself therapeutic and exciting.

I am an active member of the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA). To visit the web-site for the SEA Click Here.

You are also welcome to call me with any questions you might have.