Psychotherapy Overview
Psychotherapy is a broad and long-established body of theory and therapeutic practice. It recognises the powerful role that the unconscious plays in shaping our actions, thoughts, and relationships, both personal and social.
SIP has a network of fully qualified, rigorously trained, and professionally registered psychoanalytic and psychodynamic therapists across much of the South West.
Many of our members are based in Bristol and Bath, with others practising throughout Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Wiltshire, and Wales.
Please note: we don’t offer an emergency service. If you need help urgently, please contact your local NHS Emergency Mental Health helpline.
We cannot accept referral requests made on behalf of another person. We also can’t help with referrals for couples therapy, nor for individuals under the age of 18 – we can however recommend you use the British Psychoanalytic Councils’ (BPC) accredited register which can be filtered to show a list of local, qualified child and couples therapists.
Is psychotherapy right for you?
Many people come to Psychotherapy to find out who they are, what motivates them, and how they can most creatively live with the realities of their lives, their personalities and their circumstances.
This therapy works because we seek to engage with pain, distress and conflict without avoiding or glossing over. It often takes both time and patience, and it can be life-changing.
Psychoanalytic thinking can be applied to work at varying levels of intensity and time frames, with Psychoanalytic psychotherapy or Psychodynamic psychotherapy. Both approaches support lasting emotional insight and change.
How long does it take, and how much does it cost?
Psychoanalytic psychotherapy: up to 3 sessions/week, usually long-term (a minimum of 2 years)
Psychodynamic psychotherapy: 1-2 sessions/ week, often for a year (sometimes longer)
All SIP members are self-employed, so practical arrangements and fees are agreed directly between you and the therapist you are referred to.
Typically, fully qualified therapists will expect to meet at least once a week, with fees usually ranging from £45 to £75 per session.
If you are working with a trainee therapist through our reduced-fee Training Patient Scheme, fees are usually in the region of £25 to £35 per session.
What is the expected wait time?
Due to our small team size and the nature of the therapy services we offer, maintaining a waiting list is challenging and therefore don't have one.
The usual wait time for an initial consultation is 2-3 weeks. The time frame for commencing ongoing sessions depends on factors such as your availability and whether you have specific requirements.
Ready to take the next step?
Fully qualified consultation & Referral Service
This is for you if you are looking for a fully qualified therapist at full cost.
With so many different kinds of therapy and counselling available, our Consultation & Referral Service serves as a way of helping you find out more about whether psychodynamic or psychoanalytic psychotherapy, in particular, is right for you.
You will be asked to complete a referral request form which will be passed to one of our fully qualified and experienced psychotherapist, who will contact you directly to schedule an initial consultation.
Trainee consultation & Referral Service
This is for you if you are looking for a trainee therapist at reduced cost.
This service offers the opportunity to access face to face therapy sessions at reduced rates with a Therapist in Training.
Trainees are at an advanced stage of training, many of whom already hold formal qualifications in other therapeutic modalities, and are supervised by senior members of SIP who have been approved as training supervisors.
We will try to refer you to someone in your area but if we don't have any that matches your criteria, we'll arrange an online consultation or refer you to another service in your area.
Alternative low cost therapy options
SIP launched the Low Cost Clinic pilot scheme in the autumn of 2025.
The scheme provides two-year, once-weekly sessions for face-to-face psychodynamic psychotherapy to those who have not accessed long-term psychotherapy before and to whom cost, among other things, has been a prohibitive factor.