Click through the frequently asked questions to find out more about my practice, including location, cost, frequency, access, length of the work, types of problems, qualifications, approach and so on.
What is therapy?
Therapy is also known as psychotherapy or counselling. There are lots of different ways of doing it but my kind involves meeting regularly to talk. People usually come to therapy because they have problems and want help. There is no limit to what we might talk about. Together, over time, we develop an understanding of what is going on and we work out sound ways of improving things. It is a form of social healing, a powerful investment.
Where are you based?
My therapy room is in London E15, close to Stratford Station and bus routes. I also work remotely with people in the UK or British people living abroad.
How much does it cost?
Each session is £80 for 50 minutes.
Do you offer concessions?
No.
When are sessions available?
I schedule sessions within my core working hours, which are Tuesday and Thursday, 8am-6pm.
Are you seeing people in person?
No. At the moment all sessions are delivered remotely.
How can we start working together?
Contact me and tell me a bit about yourself and what you are looking for. We can arrange an initial meeting when a space is available to talk in more detail about how we might work. Then we can make a plan together.
How accessible is your therapy room?
If you have access requirements, tell me about them and we can work something out.
How often do we meet?
Once a week. I cannot offer fortnightly or monthly sessions at this time, or see people more than once a week.
How long does it take?
I work in an open-ended way. This means that you come and see me for a period of time and we end when you’re ready. That period of time can be weeks, months, or longer. Here’s a pie chart to show how long people usually stay in therapy with me. We take things at your pace. You can have as much therapy as you want.
Do you work in languages aside from English?
No. But I’m happy to work in English with people who have a different mother tongue.
What kind of people do you work with?
I work with individuals aged 18 and over.
I aim to be inclusive and culturally sensitive and I welcome people from every kind of background.
People generally come to see me because they know I work within a social justice framework and won’t stigmatise their particular situation or identity. That could mean age, beliefs, chronic illness, citizenship status, class, disability, ethnicity, gender, involvement with sex work, HIV status, nationality, occupation, sexuality, size, race, relationship style, or because they have been in contact with mental health services.
I often see people new to therapy or who have had bad or mediocre experiences previously.
What sort of issues do you work with?
I work with all kinds of issues, everyone is different. Here is a mind map of common issues that people bring. Click for a larger version.
Do you work with couples, partners and groups?
No.
What if I know you in real life?
Get in touch and we can decide what to do.
What are your pronouns?
She/her.
What are your qualifications?
My official title is Dr Charlotte Cooper BA(Hons), PGCert, PGDip, MA, MBACP (Reg. Accred). I have a BTEC too! These are my most relevant qualifications:
Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy (2006-2008, University of East London)
This involved over 400 hours of classroom and clinical contact, and 100 hours at a therapy placement. I worked at an award-winning community practice for LGBT+ people in East London. I took extra professional development classes because I was keen.
Postgraduate Certificate in Peace and Reconciliation Skills (2009, Coventry University)
This involved learning strategies for identifying, mapping and de-escalating conflicts at social and interpersonal levels.
Doctor of Philosophy (2008-2012, University of Limerick)
I devised a research project with a 100,000 word thesis, later published in an accessible form as Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement. My sociological training enables me to understand how society affects individuals.
I am a registered and accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, which demonstrates that I have achieved high standards of knowledge, experience and development.
I keep up with developments in the field through training, research and personal development.
What’s your approach, and what does that mean?
I am an integrative practitioner:
- Therapy is personalised and tailored to you
- It draws on a critical understanding of research evidence
- It is holistic, creative, collaborative and open
My therapeutic roots: community mental health, radical therapy, the survivor movement, Recovery/UnRecovery, Mad Pride, Healing Justice, decolonising psychology, Narrative Therapy, trauma work, problem-solving and process models of change, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness and a handful of psychodynamic ideas.
My philosophical influences: intersectional feminism, queer and trans theory, The Social Model of Disability, punk, Health At Every Size, decolonisation and anti-racism, the peace movement.
I see mental health and social justice as interconnected, with therapy a tool that can help people understand, dismantle and transform systemic oppression.
You don’t have to share these roots, influences or values to work with me, but it’s probably useful to know where I’m coming from.
What do your clients say about you?
I ask for feedback during sessions to make sure that I am working effectively, but this is not for public consumption.
Clients may not want to tell the world that they have been doing therapy, and there are ethical reasons not to solicit testimonials from people you are currently working with, so it is quite difficult for people to say publicly what it is like to do therapy with me. However, sometimes people are generous and offer comments that they are comfortable with being made public after we have finished being therapist and client. Here are two such examples:
I saw Charlotte for a dozen or so sessions and it was a great short term revisiting of needed therapy. She listened and reflected back helpfully. Charlotte was able to help me think through a lot of intense changes that have happened in a short period of time.”
I saw Charlotte weekly over several months during a time when I felt frequently overwhelmed by events both in my daily life and in my past. I found her to be a therapist I could wholly respect and trust, who gave me the space and guidance to work through complex feelings and get to a point of greater self awareness and acceptance. As a therapist I found her warm, sensitive and acutely perceptive – enabling a safe, non-judgemental and healing environment I haven’t found elsewhere.”
How do you work with fat in therapy?
I understand what it’s like to be a mid-sized fat person and have lots of experience of working with people of all sizes, including super-fat. I will meet you where you are at with your body and won’t add more pressure.
Are you a TERF?
No.
What is your stance on sex work?
I know that sex workers are poorly served by mental health services. Unlike some, I have no exiting or rescue agenda and I support sex worker empowerment. I work with what clients bring, which may or may not relate to work, and am also mindful of the particular pressures that sex workers might face.
Do you take insurance?
No.
Can you recommend another therapist?
No, I cannot refer you to specific therapists. The therapeutic relationship is very subjective, only you can decide who you’d like to work with.
Will you talk about me in public or use our sessions as source material for other projects?
No.