John Jeremiah Ahearne

COUNSELLING AND PSYCHOTHERAPY IN Angel Islington, HOLBORN,

Bond Street, Harley STreet, Cavendish Square, oxford street, and Marylebone


London Counselling and Psychotherapy (LCaP)

Integrative Therapeutic or Psychodynamic Talking Therapy

Counselling and psychotherapy are available across Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone.

Face-to-face & online counselling sessions for adult individuals, couples and other relationships (family and non-traditional).

Welcome to my website

I am a qualified counsellor with clinics across Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone.

I am committed to providing counselling, psychotherapy, and talking therapy in a safe, confidential, and non-judgmental environment. I work with individuals and couples using an open-ended counsellor approach or for an agreed-upon period to enable you to enhance your life experience(s) and live them more fully.

I understand that seeking out therapy might be a difficult decision for some, but I firmly believe that when an individual makes that step, it is because they are ready for change and growth. Using my counsellor training and counsellor knowledge, I will work with you towards a better awareness of yourself and yourself in relation to those around you.


Nothing you say will shock me, and everything you say is always confidential.


Together, we will recognise and explore patterns in yourself and others, what your triggers are, and where those patterns may have originated. I do not believe in immediate fixes; rather, most issues are relational problems.

I work from clinics in Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone. Currently, I have availability in the West End and Marylebone - behind Selfridges.

It's about the relationship we have with a problem that causes us pain; how you react to a topic, person or life event that causes upset in your personal and/or professional life.

“Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.”

– Sigmund Freud

”The fact that grief takes so long to resolve is not a sign of inadequacy, but betokens depth of soul.”

– Donald Winnicott

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

“Let me say to begin with: It is not neurotic to have conflict...Conflicts within ourselves are an integral part of human life.”

– Karen Horney

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

– Wayne W. Dyer

“It is a joy to be hidden, and disaster not to be found.”

– Donald Winnicott

“The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.”

– Eckhart Tolle

The Process for starting

The process is something like this:


  • We have an initial 15-minute telephone call.
  • You tell me a little bit about what is going on for you and why you have reached out for counselling and psychotherapy.
  • I will tell you a bit about what I can offer you as an integrative therapist.
  • If by the end of the telephone consultation we are both happy to go ahead, we move on to looking at both our diaries to agree on a weekly day/time slot for each week in person at Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone. I also offer online counselling sessions or hybrid counselling sessions.
  • I offer a once-weekly model, which can be short-term therapy or long-term therapy (open-ended).


  • If you would prefer a full in-person assessment session in Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone, please do ask.

Couns.Dip, Cert.Psych, MBACP

Enhanced DBS Renewed May 2023

My locations

I am a qualified counsellor offering face-to-face counselling and psychotherapy services in Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone, London.

I also offer online counselling sessions via the secure platform Zoom. Hybrid online and face-to-face counselling sessions are also available.

Angel Islington

N1, EC1V

Counselling & Psychotherapy

Holborn, High Holborn & Chancery Lane Counselling & Psychotherapy

Oxford/Bond/Wimpole Street, Manchester Square W1U Marylebone Counselling & Psychotherapy

Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Circus W1G Marylebone Counselling & Psychotherapy

Fees & availability

  • Adult Individual Counselling and Psychotherapy: £90–£145 per therapeutic session (50 minutes)


  • Adult Individual Counselling and Psychotherapy: more than once per week: £75–£95 per therapeutic session (50 minutes)


  • Adult Couple Counselling and Psychotherapy/ Separation Therapy: £125–£175 per therapeutic session, depending on length


  • Other Relationships Counseling and Psychotherapy: £125–£175 per therapeutic session, depending on length


I am available for a free 15-minute conversation on the telephone for clients to discuss what they want out of therapy. Please ask about an in-person full assessment session if you prefer—in Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Harley Street, Cavendish Square, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone.

Books of Interest

  • Christiane Sanderson - Counselling Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
  • The Origins of Psychoanalysis: Freud, Ferenczi and the Challenge of Thought, Maria Pierri
  • Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy: The Classic Handbook to its Principles - Eric Berne
  • Object relations & relationality in couple therapy - James L. Poulton
  • Mentalizing in Psychotherapy - Carla Sharp; Dickton Bevington; Peter Fonagy
  • Psychoanalytic Ideas series - Vol 1, Psychosis (Madness) & Vol 2, Perinatal Loss & Breakdown
  • From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Psychoanalytic Treatment of Psychosis - Danielle Knafo and Michael Selzer
  • Mother, Madonna, Whore, Estela Welldon
  • Psychoanalytic theories: perspectives from developmental psychopathology - Peter Fonagy & Mary Target
  • Games People Play - Eric Berne (Transactional Analysis)
  • Playing with Dynamite, Estela Welldon
  • Mad, Bad and Sad - Lisa Appignanesi
  • Is it Ever Just Sex? - Darian Leader
  • The Unconscious at Work - Anton Obholzer
  • Dreams That Turn Over a Page: Paradoxical Dreams in Psychoanalysis - Jean-Mitchel Quinodoz
  • Mapping the field of psychoanalytic psychosocial practice - Laurnece Spurling
  • Michael Balint and his World: The Budapest Years - ed. Judit Szekacs-Weisz, Raluca Soreanu and Ivan Ward
  • From Breakdown to Breakthrough: Psychoanalytic Treatment of Psychosis - Danielle Knafo and Michael Selzer
  • Christiane Sanderson - Counselling Skills for Working with Trauma and Shame


Some of the words that people seeking therapy search for in October 2024

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Low self-esteem
  • Low self-confidence
  • Family issues
  • Trauma
  • Stress
  • Bereavement
  • Couples therapy
  • Mental health
  • Feeling sad
  • Loneliness
  • Addiction
  • LGBTQ+ counselling
  • Neurodiversity
  • Person-centred therapy
  • W1G Psychotherapy
  • Social anxiety
  • Anger management
  • Integrative counselling
  • Panic attacks
  • Sex problems
  • Attachment disorder
  • Cognitive and behavioural therapies
  • Psychodynamic therapy
  • Health anxiety
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Affairs and betrayals
  • Eating disorders
  • Abuse
  • Work-related stress
  • Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • Dissociation
  • Perfectionism
  • Marylebone Counselling
  • Alcoholism
  • Emotional abuse
  • West End Counselling
  • Career counselling
  • Self-harm
  • Sexual abuse
  • Binge-eating disorder
  • Psychoanalytic therapy

As well as a humanistic Couples/Other Realtionships Therapy model I also offer the

Bader-Pearson Developmental Model of Couples Therapy - which lends itself to the Psychodynamic

The Bader-Pearson Developmental Model of Couples Therapy provides a

framework for understanding and addressing the deep-seated emotional

patterns and unconscious motivations that influence relationship dynamics.

Developed by Ellyn Bader and Peter Pearson, this model is particularly

effective in helping individuals and couples navigate the complexities of

breakups and separation. Key elements of this methodology include:

Developmental Stages of Relationships

Bader and Pearsonidentify specific stages thatrelationships typically

go through, from initial attraction to a mature partnership.

These stages include:

 

1.

Symbiosis:

· Bonding and falling in love

· Emphasising similarities

· Establishing a boundary around the couple

 

2.

Differentiation:

· Expressing individuality and asserting differences

· Developing the capacity to tolerate differences and conflict

· Establishing clear personal boundaries

 

3.

Practicing:

· Rediscovering self as an individual

· Engaging in independent activities and relationships

· Consolidating self-esteem and personal power

 

4.

Rapprochement:

· Balancing closeness and independence

· Enhancing intimacy and emotional sustenance

· Further resolving childhood issues that interfere with coupling

 

5.

Synergy:

· Supporting mutual growth

· Maintaining a strong, healthy connection

· Embracing a mature partnership dynamic

 

Attachment Styles

Attachment theory plays a significant role in the Bader-Pearsonmodel. Early childhood

experiences with caregivers shape how individualsapproach relationships. Recognising your attachment

style (secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganised) can provide insight into your reactions to

separation and help you identify patterns that may be influencing your current

emotional state.

 

Emotional Regulation

The model emphasises the importance of developing strategies for emotional

regulation. This involves learning how to manage intense emotions, such as

anger, sadness, and anxiety, which are often heightened during breakups.

Techniques such as mindfulness, cognitive restructuring, andemotion-focused

coping can be beneficial in this process.

 

Interpersonal Dynamics

The Bader-Pearson methodology examines the intricate dynamics between

partners. It highlights how each partner's behaviors and emotional

responses affect the other, creating a cycle of interaction. By

understanding these dynamics, individuals can gain clarity on how certain

patterns contributed to the relationship's end and how to avoid repeating these

patterns in future relationships.

 

Self-Awareness and Growth

A core component of the Bader-Pearson model is fostering self-awareness and

personal growth. Counselling encourages individuals to explore their

emotional landscape, understand their relationship history, and identify the

underlying factors that led to the breakup. This self-discovery process is crucial

for personal growth and for building healthier relationships

in the future.


Therapy for Breakups and Separation: A Path to Healing

The end of a relationship can feel like the ground beneath you has given way. Whether it’s a marriage, civil partnership, or significant partnership, breakups and separations often bring a storm of emotions that leave you feeling lost, hurt, and overwhelmed. This is where therapy steps in—not just to help you survive the storm, but to guide you toward rebuilding your life with purpose and hope.

Turning Pain into Growth

It’s natural to feel like nothing good can come from such heartache. But with support, you can use this moment as a turning point. Therapy can help you process what’s happened, make sense of your emotions, and take steps toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.

Why Breakups Are So Hard

The end of a relationship isn’t just about losing a partner—it’s about losing a piece of yourself and the dreams you shared. The emotional fallout often includes:

  • Trauma: The shock of separation can leave you feeling physically and emotionally raw, with symptoms like sleeplessness, anxiety, or feeling disconnected.
  • Grief: You may grieve not only the relationship but the life and identity you built around it. This grief is valid, even if the relationship was unhealthy.
  • Confusion: Separation can make you question everything—your choices, your feelings, and your future.
  • Overwhelm: From legal battles to emotional conflicts, the demands of separation can feel crushing.
  • Emotional Whiplash: Anger, sadness, relief, shame, joy—you may feel it all, sometimes within minutes.
  • Feeling Powerless: The loss of control over the relationship’s outcome or your future can be deeply unsettling.

What Therapy Can Offer

Therapy is more than a listening ear. It’s a process of rediscovering yourself, your voice, and your strength. Here’s how it can help:

  • Create space to grieve without judgment
  • Untangle the mess of emotions that come with separation
  • Help you find clarity in the chaos
  • Support you in rediscovering who you are outside the relationship
  • Empower you to regain control of your narrative
  • Help you process traumatic responses to the breakup

Moving Forward, One Step at a Time

Therapy isn’t about rushing you past the pain—it’s about walking with you through it. It’s a chance to ask important questions like:

  • What do I want for my life moving forward?
  • What really matters to me now?
  • What changes do I need to make to feel whole again?

Through reflection and support, therapy helps you plant seeds for the life you deserve, one rooted in strength, self-awareness, and hope.

If you’re ready to start this journey, reach out today. You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Note: This is not mediation or reconciliation-focused therapy. It’s about you—healing, growing, and moving forward.

Get in touch

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how counselling or psychotherapy works, or to arrange an initial assessment appointment. This enables us to discuss the reasons you are thinking of coming to counselling, whether it could be helpful for you and whether I am the right therapist to help.


You can also call me on 07549 165 155 if you would prefer to leave a message or speak to me first. I am happy to discuss any queries or questions you may have prior to arranging an initial appointment.


All enquires are usually answered within 24 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.


© John Jeremiah Ahearne

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Angel Islington, Holborn, Bond Street, Wimpole Street, Oxford Street, the West End, and Marylebone.

N1, EC1V, WC1V, W1, W1G, W1U, W1J, and W1R.