Claire Asherson Bartram

I am an experienced psychotherapist, counsellor, group facilitator and supervisor. I also teach counselling skills, and offer clinical and academic supervision for psychotherapy students. I am accredited by UKCP and my highest qualification is a doctorate. My original training was in Gestalt psychotherapy, which completed in 1991. Over the years my work has become more integrative but remains based on Gestalt. I have been running groups for over 15 years and have three ongoing groups at present, two fortnightly which I co-facilitate with Angelika Wienrich, and one for a full day monthly.

Qualifications I have a BA in Music, a Diploma in Gestalt Psychotherapy and a doctorate (DPsych) for which I researched Stepfamily relationships. The title is 'Narratives of Mothers in Stepfamily Situations, an Exploratory Investigation'. I am accredited by UKCP (United Kingdom Council of Psychotherapy) and am a direct member of the HIPS (Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy Section).

Relationships, stepfamily situations, personal development, grief, depression, anxiety, and life change. Among the people I have studied with are Gaie Houston (supervision), Ruella Franks' (Developmental Somatic Psychotherapy) and Judith Hemmings (Couples and Constellations). I have a special interest in and knowledge of stepfamily situations which was the field I researched for my doctorate and in Gestalt, which provides a basic perspective and guide for my work in a variety of areas.

My approach is humanistic and integrative and I have a relational, creative, improvisatory style. Among the traditions that inform my work are Gestalt, Person Centred, Existential, Psychodynamic and Attatchment based perspectives which I draw on according to the individual situations my clients bring. My understanding is that a persons accumulated life experience from childhood onwards, contributes to how they manage their lives and relationshipis in the present. My aim is to develop with my clients, a deep relationship which supports openness and trust, within which we can work together in gaining insight, and developing, ways of living and relating that enhance everyday life.