Ben Dustin, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Ben Dustin

SW2
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Ben Dustin, UKCP Accredited Psychotherapist

Ben Dustin

SW2
Shortlist Share

My Approach

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed or stressed and that life is miserable and lacking joy and that there is nothing to look forward to, life can feel particularly tiring. Additionally, you may not understand why you’ve been feeling this way and feel powerless to change things or hopeless about things getting better. You might want to talk to someone about how you’re feeling but don’t want to burden friends or family, and may feel nervous or apprehensive, or embarrassed about seeking help from a counsellor or therapist.

I work collaboratively to find the right approach for you, adapting to your individual needs in order to help you discover what you want to gain from counselling/therapy and indeed life, and how together we can help you achieve that. I believe in the importance of building a strong, supportive and non-judgmental therapeutic alliance in which you feel safe to explore your difficulties with a trusted and experienced professional who is on your side. I also believe in the value of compassion, and place this at the centre of my work to help people alleviate suffering through developing a kinder relationship with themselves and others.

Choosing the right therapist or for you can be a confusing, daunting and overwhelming experience, and it can be hard to know if you will feel safe and comfortable enough with someone to share with them painful and difficult thoughts, feelings and experiences. That’s why I offer a free initial telephone consultation for up to 15 minutes so that you can see whether I might be the right kind of therapist for you. Please contact me via text, telephone or email if you would like to arrange a call with me. I look forward to hearing from you.

I use Transactional Analysis (TA) to help explore feelings, thoughts, behaviours, and relationship patterns in a way similar to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), incorporating a mindful approach to facilitate awareness of thoughts and connection with feelings.

About Me

I’m a fully qualified psychotherapist with over 9 years’ experience helping individuals and couples work through and overcome a range of difficulties including anxiety, depression, panic attacks, stress, feeling sad, self-confidence and self-esteem issues, dating and relationship issues, communication, obsessions and compulsions, anger management, co-dependency, sex and sexuality, men’s issues, career and work issues. I can also help you with any other issues you may be having, from finding direction and meaning in your life to recovering your creative self.

I believe that with the right help everyone can find relief and freedom from their emotional suffering and effect the change they want to see in themselves, their relationships and their life. Which is why I provide the safety, support and understanding for you to work through your struggles and difficulties and heal from your pain and suffering. I’ll work with you to find solutions to the challenges and difficulties in your life, and explore new ways of looking at yourself, your relationships, and life in general.

I have a strong interest in mindfulness principles, and believe that much of human suffering is furthered through a lack of awareness of phenomena within the mind and the body, awareness which mindfulness promotes. I believe that through becoming aware of what is going in within our minds, and connecting with our feelings in the body we can find liberation from emotional pain and mental suffering.

I use Transactional Analysis (TA), which is a form of psychotherapy, to help people gain awareness of and explore their patterns of feelings, thoughts and behaviours in a way similar to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). I believe in the importance of the relationship between therapist and client, and in finding a way of working suited to your individual needs and personal style.

I work with

  • Couples
  • Individuals

Special Interests

Like all UKCP registered psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors I can work with a wide range of issues, but here are some areas in which I have a special interest or additional experience.

A certain amount of anxiety is part of being human, but when you feel like you’re constantly anxious, life can feel very unpleasant. I’ll work with you to help you understand the causes and triggers of your anxiety, the thoughts and beliefs that keep it going, as well as finding ways of soothing yourself when you’re feeling anxious or fearful.
When we’re feeling sad, lacking enthusiasm for anything, and that things are pointless, life can feel very difficult and tiring. We may even be feeling that life has no meaning, and hopeless and despairing of ever feeling any differently, as if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Often at such times, we can feel bad about feeling bad, criticising ourselves for not being able to get ourselves out of the pit of depression, and telling ourselves we shouldn’t be feeling this way, which can make the depression even worse. I’ll work with you to understand and work through your depression, how it started, what it means for you and your life, and the thoughts and behaviours that are keeping it going, as well as helping you respond to yourself with more kindness and compassion so that you can return to a life of enjoyment and meaning.
Sometimes we can find ourselves compulsively thinking about things or situations, seemingly unable to stop despite our will, or we may suffer from distressing, disturbing or simply unwanted thoughts or ideas, making us feel powerless and anxious, and often our attempts to try and stop or control the thoughts just make things worse. I’ll help you to understand your obsessions and find more helpful ways of responding to intrusive and compulsive thinking, ways which help you to regain a sense of inner peace and enjoyment of life.
Relationships can be a source of support joy and love, or they can be a source of pain, stress and anxiety. If your relationships are currently causing you suffering and you don’t understand why or how to how to change things, it could be that you’re stuck in a pattern of relating or an old dynamic. I work with individuals and couples to help them understand and work through the difficulties in their relationships, so that they can find healthier and more skilful ways of relating.
We all experience a certain amount of stress due to the pressures of modern living. But when you feel that your stress is affecting your relationships and your life to the extent that you are not experiencing much peace or enjoyment then it can be helpful to try and understand the causes and roots of your stress, as well as find ways to manage it more effectively.

Types of Therapies Offered

  • Transactional Analysis Psychotherapist

Types of sessions

  • Online Therapy

Office

21 Effra Parade
SW2 1PX
United Kingdom (UK)

  Wheelchair accessible View Map

Office


SW4 7NQ
United Kingdom (UK)

View Map

UKCP College

  • Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy College (HIPC)
Ben Dustin

Ben Dustin

SW2

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