Hello everyone!
My name is Ryan.
I am a queer-identifying and queer-affirming therapist. My therapeutic approach is flexible, down to earth, and compassionate. I am interested in the influence of social and cultural dynamics and narratives in our lives, and use this framework to support others in finding clarity and relief from overwhelming anxieties and pressures. I am also interested in how we communicate with each other and the meaning behind our words and behaviours, different and diverse relationship structures, and general pleasure and aliveness. I have worked with substance misuse, trauma, adult and children’s mental health, giving me a well-rounded understanding of a person’s lifespan.
My intention is to facilitate people in building better connections to their identities, desires, relationships, and life journeys.
My mission is to support and advocate for an integrated experience within therapeutic spaces: to reduce shame and self-judgment, to shift and dismantle paradigms, to encourage joy, compassion, and pleasure.
I believe in the paradox that human experiences are both simple and complex. That every life is valid, AND that marginalised experiences must be uplifted, cherished, validated and supported with the utmost dedication, justice, and consciousness.
I work passionately to support individuals in their emotional and mental health integration, in dismantling the oppressive forces they’ve internalised which block their progress and self-love, and in the discovery of their autonomy and joy.
My motivation is reflected in the three pillars of my therapeutic practice:
Communication: Asking what you want to know. Saying what you mean. Letting go of the belief that people should be able to read your mind, and that you can read other people’s.
Slowing down: Resting, decompressing, being, not producing. Going beyond what we think we know. Imagining and living new paradigms.
Context: People, relationships, and life are complex and nuanced. It’s not either/or, it’s all of the above. Radically accepting the present moment as a starting point.
“Trauma in Person, decontextualised over time, can look like personality.
Trauma in a Family, decontextualised over time, can look like family traits.
Trauma in a People, decontextualised over time, can look like culture.”
I believe therapy is not just a treatment option for mental health difficulties but is also a tool for personal development and growth. It’s about connecting us to our own humanity, and then to each other. I believe and engage with therapy as a continuous, never-ending process of growth, as a healing and living continuum.
“Through the use of a range of creative techniques during sessions, Ryan skillfully and intuitively guided me to explore these aspects of myself, helping me to uncover and add more pieces to the jigsaw puzzle that is me, and develop a little more understanding, acceptance and compassion for myself. ”