Alistair Semmence
Hello, I’m Alistair (he/him).
I’m a UKCP trainee psychotherapist and counsellor based in Peckham, South London.
MY APPROACH
The foundations of my approach are relational and integrative psychotherapy.
What relational means is that I see therapy as a collaborative partnership, where we’ll start by building a strong and trusting relationship. This is crucial for two key reasons: to create a sense of safety where we can explore and make sense of the difficulties you might be facing, and because growth and healing happen through connection. I believe part of the power of therapy is having dedicated time and space just for you to pause and process with someone else. Another aspect of my relational approach is about looking at how you relate to yourself and to other people in your life.
What integrative means is that I draw from a range of psychological theories, like neuroscience, child development and attachment psychology and trauma-informed approaches. Each therapeutic relationship is different and I’ll draw on different techniques depending on what emerges for us in therapy and what your needs are. I also recognise that larger social and cultural forces have a profound influence on how we experience the world. In our work together, we may explore how aspects of your identity, like gender, race, sexuality, class, disability, are shaped by and connect to these broader systems.
My approach is also about understanding how you have been shaped by your experiences and how you’ve learned to cope with the challenges you’ve faced. I believe that we adapt to survive in the best way that we can and that we might reach a point where how we’ve adapted no longer works for us. There are difficult and painful realities of life that we sidestep for survival. Therapy can help move beyond just surviving and help transform us so we can live a more fulfilling and connected life.
About ME
I’m mixed-heritage (British-Thai), queer and I’m currently in my third year of a five-year MSc in Integrative Psychotherapy at the Metanoia Institute. Alongside my training, I’ve been a counsellor for the last two years at CliniQ, a holistic wellbeing and sexual health clinic for trans, non-binary and gender diverse people and Transform, a low-cost counselling service in South-East London.
I’ve worked with a wide range of people, each with their own experiences and struggles. Some come to therapy knowing they’re dealing with anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem. Others aren’t quite sure what’s wrong, just that something doesn’t feel right. I’ve supported people through difficulties in relationships, career changes, processing past traumas and through periods of uncertainty and turmoil.
I’ve come from a career in the tech industry as a qualitative researcher, where I worked at a dating app company researching sensitive topics like: dating as a single parent, dating during the COVID-19 pandemic, sexting and consent, and the experience of minoritised communities on dating apps. I started training as a psychotherapist because it felt like a good fit for me. I was drawn to a career in research because I'm curious about who people are and how they tell their stories, so therapy felt like a natural next step. I'd also had my own transformative experience being in therapy, which left me feeling better connected to myself. I wanted to provide that space for others, helping people navigate their own journeys and find meaning in their experiences.
Sessions
I work with adults individually on a weekly basis, which can be in-person in Peckham or online. Sessions are 50 minutes and we’ll meet at the same time every week.
My fee for an initial session is £40 and if we feel like we’re a good fit and want to work together, sessions are £60 after this.
During our initial session, we'll speak about what you're hoping for from therapy as well as understand whether you're looking for short-term or longer-term therapy.
If you want to get in touch to ask me any questions, arrange a free 10-15 minute phone call or book an initial session, you can reach me at hello@alistairsemmence.com.