Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website. My name is Alison Rolfe and I am a Jungian Analytical Psychotherapist providing short term and long term therapy to adult individuals in South Birmingham.
Birmingham Based Psychotherapist
Life brings many challenges and at times, we may feel in difficulty, stuck, on the wrong path, or that our potential is not being met. We may need help to understand what is happening for us, to work out how to alleviate our suffering and live a life that feels more authentic.
I offer analytical psychotherapy, which can bring about lasting change, by getting to the heart of what you may be struggling with. In therapy, your thoughts and feelings can be voiced and experienced in a safe setting. This may allow you to gain greater understanding and over time, to feel more conscious, alive and at home in yourself.
As a Jungian analytical psychotherapist my role is to provide space to help you on your journey of self-discovery, and to engage with you and guide you in the struggle of it, even when there may be no obvious or immediate way forward. I am trained to listen to what might be occurring within you at a deeper level.
I work with people from all walks of life and backgrounds, coming to me with a diverse range of issues. As an experienced therapist, I also offer clinical supervision to qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. I am a professional member of the British Psychoanalytic Council.
Jungian analytical Psychotherapy
In Jungian analytical psychotherapy, you can explore the struggles that you face in your life, and work to process your feelings, thoughts and memories, in a quiet, confidential and boundaried space.
The aim is to identify your potential and to allow you to develop yourself more fully, learning to access to your unconscious wisdom. Carl Jung termed this process ‘individuation’.
Understanding Deeper Patterns
We will work towards understanding and experiencing what may be out of your current awareness, perhaps operating at an unconscious level. This includes how your past experiences may be still affecting you now and presenting obstacles to change. This can be painful, but gradually removing these obstacles can free you to be more yourself and to move forwards.
The Therapeutic Relationship
The relationship with your therapist is an important part of the therapy and a vehicle for change. It provides an opportunity for us to observe how you relate to people, through seeing it mirrored in the therapeutic relationship. This can enable you to understand and to work through relational difficulties.
What issues can therapy help with?
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues, and every individual is unique. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be worked with in analytical psychotherapy
- Feelings of depression, sadness, grief, emptiness or pointlessness
- Anxiety & chronic stress
- Feeling like you can’t cope
- Excessive self-criticism
- Difficulty coming to terms with losses
- Extreme mood swings
- Identity issues
- Relationship issues
- Effects of trauma or abuse
- Issues of sexuality
- Navigating life transitions
- Mind & body interactions
- Blocks to creativity
- Troubling dreams & nightmares
Experience & Background
I have more than two decades of experience as a therapist - as a counsellor and then a psychotherapist - and have had a private practice in Birmingham since 2009
I have a background in University lecturing in psychology and counselling. I am currently involved in the training of analytical psychotherapists through the Analytical Psychotherpay Training: Birmingham (APT:B)
Qualifications
Professional qualification in Jungian Analytical Psychotherapy (APT:B, 2021).
Graduate Diploma in Psychology (Aston, 2008)
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling (Birmingham, 2004)
PhD Applied Social Studies (Warwick, 2002)
Ethical & Professional Practice
I am a professional member of West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy (WMIP) and a registered member of the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC). I abide by the codes of ethics of both WMIP and BPC.
Therapy in Birmingham, West Midlands
I provide face-to-face therapy and clinical supervision from private offices located in a quiet part of Kings Heath, Birmingham, close to Kings Heath Park. I see clients from all over Birmingham and the surrounding areas, including Kings Heath, Moseley, Stirchley, Selly Oak, Edgbaston, Harborne, Kings Norton, Cotteridge, Hall Green, Bournville, Birmingham city centre, Solihull and further afield. I will provide full location details when we arrange an initial consultation session.
Please contact me to find out more.
Therapy Sessions & Fees
Before you commit to starting therapy, we will meet for an initial consultation process, which usually takes 2 sessions. Towards the end of this time, I will be able to discuss with you whether I, and the form of therapy that I offer, are likely to be most helpful. In some instances, I may recommend an alternative therapist, another form of therapy or something else. Each of the initial sessions lasts 50 minutes and is charged at my standard fee.
Once you start therapy, sessions take place at the same time and place each week, and last 50 minutes. Sessions can be once weekly, or more frequently. Whilst many people attend weekly, it can be helpful to have 2-3 sessions per week, depending on the depth of work needed and on resources. My current fee is £68 per session for once weekly work. For higher frequency there may be some negotiation in fee according to circumstances.
The length of therapy is difficult to predict at the outset, so I normally work in an open-ended way, allowing the process to develop at its own pace. Short-term therapy, perhaps for a few months, may be appropriate where something has happened in life to knock you temporarily off course, such as bereavement or redundancy. Long term therapy, where lasting inner change is sought, may be a much more lengthy undertaking. This can all be discussed during the initial consultation.
Get in touch
Please feel free to message me if you have any questions about how therapy works, to enquire about my current availability or to discuss arranging an initial consultation. You can also phone me on +44 07840 4572 if you would prefer.
When you get in touch, please provide a brief summary of why you are seeking therapy, and what days and times you are able to attend. If we both think this would be helpful, I will arrange a time to call you for a phone conversation. This is a chance for us to consider whether an initial consultation meeting seems like a good way forwards.
All enquiries are usually answered within 2 working days, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.