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Psychotherapy in St John’s Wood & online

Clinical Psychologist and Chartered Psychologist

with a special interest in women’s mental health

Being human means navigating a whole range of emotions ranging from hope and joy to sadness or fear. None of us are immune to life’s complexities, and there are times in life when it’s helpful to have an opportunity to make sense of it all.

Whether you're facing a transition, relationship difficulty or an unhelpful emotional or behavioural patterns, I offer a calm and private space for you to slow down, reflect, and make sense of what’s unfolding in your life. At your own pace.

Over time, you may find yourself responding to life with more resilience, a renewed confidence in your inner strength and a greater sense of hope for the future.

If my approach and experience resonate with you, I invite you to explore the website further. If you would like to reach out, when you’re ready, please contact me via the confidential contact form and I will respond to your email during practise hours.

There are times in life when challenges, losses, or unsettling experiences can leave us feeling overwhelmed or disconnected from our sense of well-being. During these times, we may notice signs of emotional, psychological, or physical disharmony. These can take many forms — such as anxiety, low mood, a loss of pleasure or purpose, feeling stuck, or experiencing bodily symptoms linked to stress or unresolved trauma. In some situations, a person may be aware of painful or self-defeating patterns yet feel unable to create meaningful change.

Different therapeutic approaches can support this process in various ways. Psychodynamic or insight-oriented therapy explores the connection between current difficulties and past experiences. This exploration is not about identifying blame, but about understanding recurring patterns so that unhelpful ways of relating or coping can be transformed. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses more directly on challenging unhelpful thoughts and behaviours. At the same time, somatic-informed therapies strengthen the mind–body connection, helping individuals befriend the body, recognise internal cues, and learn to regulate dysregulation.

A confidential and supportive therapeutic relationship offers a safe space to explore these difficulties with curiosity and compassion. Whether your struggles arise from a recent event or reflect long-standing patterns, therapy provides an opportunity to understand what is happening beneath the surface and why it feels so painful or challenging to you.

Therapy aims to help you develop insight, strengthen internal resources, build emotional regulation, and deepen your resilience. Through collaborative work and an attuned therapeutic relationship, you may also experience improved relationships, greater stability in daily life, and, hopefully, find that life is moving toward a way of living that feels more balanced, fulfilling, and purposeful.

What is therapy?

  • Clinical Psychologists are highly trained mental health professionals who support individuals, couples, families, and organisations in understanding and overcoming emotional or behavioural difficulties. Training is extensive and typically spans around seven years. It includes advanced academic study, clinical placements in a variety of settings, regular professional supervision, and the completion of a doctoral-level research dissertation.

    After qualifying, Clinical Psychologists often choose to specialise in particular forms of therapy or areas of interest—such as psychotherapy, trauma-focused work, cognitive and behavioural approaches, or relational and interpersonal therapies. We are committed to Continued Professional Development (CPD) to ensure our skills remain relevant and that the support and interventions we offer are evidence-based and tailored to each person's unique needs.

    Clinical Psychologists are trained to assess and make sense of a wide range of emotional, psychological, and relational concerns. Working collaboratively with you, they help explore what is contributing to your difficulties and support you in making meaningful, lasting changes that enhance your wellbeing.

  • Chartered Psychology Status is the highest standard of professional recognition for psychologists in the UK. Accreditation with the British Psychological Society (BPS) requires high levels of academic attainment, supervised practice, applied experience, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

  • Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy (DIT) is a brief, structured psychodynamic therapy designed to treat depression and anxiety disorders. It focuses on the role of interpersonal relationships in emotional well-being and aims to help individuals identify and modify maladaptive relational patterns that contribute to their psychological distress.

  • Somatic-informed therapies are body-oriented approaches to psychological healing that integrate awareness of bodily sensations, posture, movement, and the autonomic nervous system into the therapeutic process. Rooted in the understanding that the body and mind are deeply interconnected, somatic-informed approaches aim to help individuals process and release trauma, regulate emotion stores in the nervous system, and cultivate greater self-awareness through embodied experience—not just through cognitive insight or talk therapy.

I

My Approach; Experience & Training

As a Clinical Psychologist and Chartered Psychologist, I am trained in psychopathology, clinical assessment, and a wide range of evidence-based psychological theories, including Psychodynamic Therapy, Person-Centred Therapy, Mindfulness, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), etc. My work is grounded in rigorous clinical training and shaped by ongoing professional development. 

I have been practising as a Clinical Psychologist since 2005 and remain committed to Continuing Professional Development (CPD). I regularly attend lectures, training sessions, and workshops across a variety of theoretical and therapeutic approaches, ensuring that the care I offer is tailored to each patient's needs. 

I am particularly interested in the psychology of women and in applying psychodynamic, interpersonal, and attachment-based principles to psychotherapy. I am interested in supporting women across the life span through life transitions. I completed the EMBERS® Professional Training Programme delivered by the Menopause CBT Clinic®, which has provided specialist expertise in Menopause-Informed Psychological Care. My interest in the mind–body connection, particularly in the context of women’s mental health, has led to further focus on Nervous System Regulation, Polyvagal Theory, and Somatic Experiencing. I am currently training as a Somatic Trauma Therapies Practitioner, which continues to enrich and inform my work at the intersection of mind and body. I am an accredited Dynamic Interpersonal Therapy Practitioner (DIT), which further enhances my work in the context of interpersonal and intrapersonal dynamics; relationship patterns; unresolved attachment issues, and unconscious interpersonal patterns contributing to distress.

In essence, my theoretical stance is integrative—grounded in psychodynamic understanding and informed by evidence-based perspectives. I draw from a range of therapeutic modalities to meet each patient’s individual needs. My therapeutic style is warm, relational and empathic. I work collaboratively to actively support you in your efforts to live a meaningful and fulfilling life. At the heart of my approach is the belief that the therapeutic relationship itself is a central agent of change.

  • My path into psychotherapy began long before I formally trained as a Clinical Psychologist. During my undergraduate studies in Drama and Psychology, I became interested in the creative and embodied ways human beings express emotion, identity, and inner conflict. I was particularly drawn to how the body communicates what words sometimes cannot, and for a time, I considered training in Psychodrama. This early curiosity about the interplay among the mind, body, and our emotions has been a thread throughout my career.

    Guided by this interest, I completed Honours and Master's degrees in Psychology and pursued further training as a Clinical Psychologist (ClinPsych) and a Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol). I have been practising as a Clinical Psychologist for over 20 years. My early career took shape across a variety of clinical environments. Between 2002 and 2017, I worked in NHS psychiatric hospitals, government services in the UK and abroad, and within the private sector, supporting in-patients, day-care patients, and out-patients with a wide range of psychological and relational difficulties. These years allowed me to engage with complex presentations and to work alongside multidisciplinary teams, deepening my understanding of how mental health, trauma, relationships, and life transitions shape our lives.

    Over time, I found myself increasingly drawn to longer-term, relationally focused work, i.e. therapy that allows space for depth, nuance, and meaningful emotional exploration. In 2016, I transitioned into private practice in St John’s Wood, where I continue to offer psychotherapy to individual patients. Working in private practice has allowed me to create a therapeutic environment that reflects my values: warm, relational, and grounded in the belief that meaningful change emerges through a trusting and collaborative therapeutic relationship.

    My diverse clinical experiences — from hospital settings to private practice — have shaped a compassionate, attuned, and integrative approach. They have also reinforced my long-standing interest in the connection between mind, body, and emotional life, and my enduring commitment to helping patients understand themselves more deeply and move towards lives that feel more grounded, connected, and fulfilling.

    • Accredited Clinical Psychologist (ClinPsych) registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

    • Chartered Psychologist (CPSychol) accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

    • Full Member of the BPS Clinical Psychology Division.

    • Dynamic Interpersonal Practitioner with kite-marked accreditation by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPS).

    • I completed the EMBERS® Professional Training Programme with the Menopause CBT Clinic®, specialising in Menopause-Informed Psychological Care.

    • I am currently training as a Somatic-Informed Trauma Therapist by completing a certificate in Integrative Trauma Therapy.

  • Attachment issues

  • Anxiety

  • Bereavement and grief

  • Blended family dynamics

  • Bullying

  • Burnout

  • Body image concerns

  • Complex family dynamics

  • Depression

  • Divorce and Separation

  • Eating disorders

  • Emotional abuse

  • Family issues

  • Identity issues

  • Infertility

  • Infidelity

  • Interpersonal and relationship difficulties

  • Life transition

I am experienced in supporting patients with a wide range of difficulties, some of which include:

Areas of interest & Expertise

  • Loneliness

  • Loss

  • Low self-esteem and confidence

  • Miscarriage

  • Motherhood

  • Perfectionism

  • Peri-menopause and menopause

  • Pregnancy and birth

  • Pre-natal and post-natal issues

  • Relationship problems

  • Separation anxiety

  • Shame

  • Spirituality

  • Sexuality

  • Social anxiety

  • Stress

  • Trauma

  • Women’s issues

Testimonials

"I came to therapy during a huge transition in my life: becoming a mother, experiencing marital difficulties and feeling so disconnected from who I used to be. Jeanne helped me piece together what I felt I lost and who I was becoming. She offered a space that felt both strong and soft. I feel that helped me to let go of the pressure to have it all figured out. I left each session feeling more connected to myself and my body.” A.B

"With Jeanne, I always felt emotionally safe, even when we were talking about the most vulnerable parts of my life. Her calm, steady presence helped me face things I’d avoided for years. She demonstrates so much compassion and care, and that has helped me learn how to hold space for myself too." J.L

"What I appreciated most about Jeanne is her authenticity. She doesn’t hide behind clinical jargon; she’s fully there with you, in a very human and grounded way. When I needed warmth, she offered it. When I needed clarity, she gave it. When I needed to be chellenged, she spoke directly, sometimes with humour and always with understanding. That balance helped me grow in ways I never expected and helped me repair a part of myself that has made a profound difference in my life and in my relationships.” E.X

"When I started therapy, anxiety was running my life. Jeanne helped me understand my fears and helped me rebuild myself. You met me exactly where I was and never made me feel ashamed of how hard it felt. I’m calmer, stronger, and finally hopeful.” A.S

"Working with Jeanne has been life-changing. She has a rare ability to see the heart of a problem without ever making you feel judged. Her insight runs deep, and yet her warmth and humour make the work feel safe — even when it’s hard. I’ve come away with a stronger sense of self, better boundaries, and a clarity I didn’t think was possible." R.D

Frequently Asked Questions

  • If you are considering therapy and would like to ask about my availability, please get in touch with me via the confidential contact form. If there is space to welcome a new patient, I will offer you a 15-minute telephone consultation. This allows us to discuss your needs, address any questions you may have, and see if we are a good fit for working together.

  • The initial session will allow us to explore whether working together will be helpful to you and discuss how you could benefit from therapy. However, if we decide that I am not the best person to help you, I will offer recommendations for what may be useful.

  • I offer time-limited or open-ended psychotherapy. Patients can attend sessions in person or via Zoom. The duration of therapy will depend on the depth and complexity of the issues you want to resolve. Sessions are scheduled for 50 minutes, commonly known as a "therapy hour".

  • The contents of therapy sessions are confidential. I will only discuss information about you after receiving your consent. However, I have a legal obligation to let other services know if you are at risk of harming yourself or someone else. Whenever possible, I will discuss this with you first.

  • Patients are billed directly for their sessions and are responsible for covering the full session fee. I am registered with several private health providers, so you may be able to submit a claim to your provider. Once the invoice is paid, proof of payment will be provided. Please keep in mind that, depending on your policy, you may be responsible for any difference if your provider only covers part of the treatment cost. It is recommended that you contact your provider directly to clarify your policy details, as some providers allow members to see health professionals only at a rate set by the healthcare provider.

  • Therapists are invested in establishing a collaborative relationship with you and offer predictability and consistency by applying therapeutic boundaries. An example of this is the application of a Cancellation Policy. The time of your session will have been secured by mutual agreement. A 48-hour cancellation policy applies to all missed or cancelled appointments.

Contact

If you would like to enquire about current availability, please share your details through the confidential contact form.

Alternatively, please send an email to office@jeannevorsternaidoo.com

Confidential Contact Form