Welcome to Amanda Rijlaarsdam Psychotherapy

Integrative Body Psychotherapy & Counselling in West London & online

Healing the body and mind – Helping you heal and reconnect – Bringing your body and mind back into balance

Are you struggling with anxiety or depression? Are you facing another issue that is troubling you?

Or do you just feel that something isn’t right, preventing you from living your life in the way that you want to? This is perfectly normal. We all face challenges in our lives from time and to time and need support to help us through it.

Taking the first step and reaching out to someone for support can be difficult. But it is a brave step, and the first on your journey towards a more satisfying future.

I’m Amanda and I am an integrative body psychotherapist

I am based in West London but also work online. I work with individual adults both long term and short term.

I provide a safe, empathetic and non-judgemental space for you to explore the challenges you are facing, to help you make sense of your feelings and make better decisions moving forward.

We can work together on a range of difficulties you may be facing, such as anxiety, depression, bereavement, loss and trauma, but we can also work together if something just doesn’t feel right and you’re not sure what it is.

How can Counselling and Psychotherapy help you?

In our busy lives, we don’t always take the time to address issues we may have, preferring to accept them and carry on as normal. Psychotherapy and counselling provide you with the time and space to explore your thoughts, feelings and behaviours, and reflect on your experiences in order for you to become more self aware and get to the root cause of why you feel the way that you do.

As your therapist , I am here to listen with warmth and empathy, offering you fresh perspectives and helping you to gently challenge your thoughts so that you can achieve your goals and fulfil your potential.

What is Body Psychotherapy?

Body Psychotherapy focuses on the intimate connection between the body and the mind, and your mental health and wellbeing are dependent on them working together, in unison. It is based on the principle that we experience through not only our thoughts and our emotions, but in our bodies as well. We hold our emotions in our bodies and so we need to look at both our body and our mind in order to make changes to our lives.

Body psychotherapy can be a more physical form of therapy, incorporating touch, breathing, and gentle movement techniques to help you connect with your body and start to notice how you are experiencing it. All movements are gentle and controlled, accessible for all.

Background

I have been in practice as a psychotherapist for over 16 years. I have worked in private practice and for a charity in Hammersmith and Fulham that offers free counselling for clients. After working in business for a number of years, I came back to my original university degree and trained as an Integrative Body Psychotherapist as I was keen to explore the connection between our bodies and our minds.

Qualifications

BA (Hons) in Psychology
Diploma from the Chiron Centre for Body Psychotherapy
Training in Somatic Trauma Therapy
Member of AHPP (Association for Humanistic Psychology Practitioners)
Member of UKCP (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy)

How I work

As an integrative psychotherapist, I can draw on a range of approaches to help you make sense of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. No two people are the same, and everyone’s experiences are completely unique, so an integrative approach means that I am able to tailor our work to your specific needs, goals and experiences.

I can help with a wide range of problems you may be faced with

If you don’t see your issues listed or you aren’t sure what the problem is but you just feel something isn’t right, please get in touch.

Abuse
Anxiety
Anger
Bereavement
Cultural issues
Depression
Health related issues
Identity issues
Loss
Personal development

Post-traumatic stress
Redundancy
Relationships
Self esteem
Self-harm
Sexuality
Stress
Trauma
Women's issues
Work related issues

Fees and Availability

Free initial conversation by phone or by email.

The first assessment session is free and lasts 30 – 60 mins.

I charge £70.00 per 50 minute session. At our first meeting we will discuss how you would like to pay, either in cash at each session, or I can send you an invoice at the end of the month for you to pay by bank transfer.

I am available daytimes and evening. I aim to be as flexible as I can for the clients that I work with. When we arrange our first session, we can discuss availability and I will do my best to accommodate your needs.

My location

I have a private and comfortable therapy room in Ealing, which is easily accessible from the West London area, including Acton, Brentford, Chiswick, Perivale, Greenford, Hanwell, Northfields, Kew, Richmond, and Isleworth.

My practice is a 20 minute walk from Ealing Broadway underground station and it is on 4 main bus routes. There is free on street parking except between 2-3 and 9-10 and there is also paid parking nearby. More precise location details will be provided when we arrange your first appointment.

As I don’t have a waiting room, please don’t arrive earlier than your scheduled time. As it is on the first floor, it is unfortunately not disabled-accessible.

I am happy to see clients online, but it is essential that you have a private space where you won’t be overheard or interrupted during your therapy sessions. It is important to be able to focus on yourself and feel free to say and feel what you need to, without worrying about your privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

We can’t predict this at the beginning of your therapy - normally we would work together until you feel you have resolved the issues that you came with. It’s something that we would discuss together and decide mutually, but you would be free to end therapy at any stage if you wanted to.

Psychotherapy is a talking therapy in which you have the time, space and freedom to focus on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours. Rarely in our busy lives do we take the time to reflect deeply on our lives, so therapy gives you the opportunity to explore your struggles in depth.

I am here to listen, to accept, and to help you explore the issues that you bring to therapy. Having the freedom to talk about our feelings in a non-judgemental space allows us to find fresh perspectives so you can begin to understand yourself better and make any changes so that you feel happier with your life.

I ask that you give me a week’s notice if you need to rearrange or cancel a session. I will do my best to offer you an alternative day or time, but if we can’t find a mutually agreeable time to reschedule, then I will charge you for the session you missed.

I will let you know in good time about my planned breaks and I ask that you give me 2 weeks’ notice of your holidays. I will not charge you for the first 2 weeks of your holiday time per year, but will charge for further holidays.

When you feel that you are ready to end your therapy we will discuss your ending period as this is an important transition. Our discussion about ending therapy could take 1 session or a few months depending on your situation and how long you have been in therapy. This will allow us to end your therapy smoothly and allow us time to discuss any issues that may come up due to therapy ending.

Get in touch

Before we begin working together we will have a short conversation on the telephone or by email. This gives me the opportunity to find out more about you, your background and your current situation and you have the chance to ask any questions you may have about counselling.

If I can feel I can help, we will set up an initial meeting to see if we could work together. There is no charge for the first assessment session, which takes 30 – 60 mins.

I normally work with clients on a weekly basis so that we are able to make consistent progress. However, if you have any specific requirements about the regularity of our sessions, please get in touch so we can discuss this further.

You can send me an email using my secure contact form, or phone me on 07745125468. If I’m not free to take your call, please leave a clear message with your name and contact number and I will ring you as soon as I am able.