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Systemic Psychotherapy
For Individuals,
Couples & Families
plus systemic supervision for clinicians

Learn More
 
 
I have over 30 years of experience in working as a highly specialised systemic family and couples psychotherapist and organisational psychologist. I focus on helping children and adolescents, adults, couples and families in overcoming mental illness, relationship issues and difficulties in their lives.

I work both in the NHS and privately and am an accredited trainer, lecturer and supervisor. I operate an independent practice as a clinician and clinical supervisor. I treat a wide range of mental health issues, which include eating disorders, depression, anxiety, self-harm, OCD and family and couple issues. I also offer carer and partner support.

I work closely with the Priory in Roehampton, The London Centre in Richmond and The Schoen Clinic in Chelsea. I am a qualified Association of Family Therapy (AFT) supervisor, a Chartered member of the Institute of Family Therapy (IFT) and the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I have a background in organisational psychology, where I have worked with large corporate clients for many years and am a member of the British Psychological Society (BPS).
Mental illness and other disorders can feel overwhelming and they can place many demands on individual family members and family life overall. Support, advice, and guidance with navigating around the complexities of such mental heath issues can make a significant difference to the recovery journey. Through systemic family and couples psychotherapy, I am able to provide support, help and guidance for individuals, couples and families experiencing such difficulties.

Systemic psychotherapy helps facilitate understanding and collaboration between family members by building on existing strengths. My goal is to work in collaboration with families to encourage change. I am highly-sensitive to complex family structures, nuanced relationships and diverse beliefs and cultures. I am happy also to work in partnership with existing care professionals as part of a total care solution.
  • BSc Psychology (University of Manchester)
  • MSc in Systemic Practice with Families and Couples (Institute of Family Therapy)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Systemic Supervision (Institute of Family Therapy)
  • Qualified Supervisor with AFT (Association of Family Therapy)
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Services Offered

I operate my private practice from Richmond, Surrey and also offer treatment and therapy through The Schoen Clinic in Chelsea, the Priory Hospital Roehampton, and with The London Centre for Eating Disorders in Richmond. I also offer virtual sessions on Zoom - you can find out more by visiting the virtual sessions section below.

I work with Children & Adolescents, Adults and Couples and also offer Clinical Supervision to qualified and part-qualified clinical professionals. Please click on your relevant group below to find out more about the treatment options I offer.
 
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Children & Adolescents

Children and adolescents are not immune to emotional hardship and can face difficulties with their behaviour or mood. In such cases, they can benefit greatly from systemic family psychotherapy. I am well versed in helping young people and their families deal with the following problems:
  • Eating Disorders and Food Issues
  • School, College & Behavioural Issues
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Anxiety, Self-Harm and Depression
  • Grief and Bereavement
  • Communication and Family Issues
Systemic family psychotherapy can help a young person and their family form better relationships, communication and enhance understanding as well as support the young person with coping with difficult feelings.

Other Mental Health Issues: I work with families with there may be other mental issues with the young person or within the wider family. This can include ASD, ADHD, bipolar diagnoses, drug and alcohol issues, stage psychosis and emerging personality disorders in young people. Systemic psychotherapeutic support for the young person and family can help in support, building knowledge and understanding and help in managing the issues involved. This can include consideration of relationship issues and trigger factors and how to prevent or manage these.
 
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Adults & Couples

Therapy with your partner or family needs to be a safe and private space to come for professional support so you can talk together about yourselves, your lives and any issues that might be causing you difficulty and hardship. The main goal of our sessions will be to help you to discuss and understand your issues, challenges and strengths within the context of your wider relationships, background and culture. We will work together to consider solutions and new possibilities in the ways you approach your lives.

You are reading this because you have taken the first step in acknowledging that something isn’t quite right and that you might benefit from therapy.

In adults, I work with a wide range of clients with differing mental health and relationship problems. These can include:

  • Eating Disorders
  • Depression, Anxiety & Self-Harm
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Early Stage Psychosis
  • Partner & Couple Issues
  • Carer & Partner Support
 
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Clinical Supervision

I offer systemic clinical supervision (generally 1-1.5 hours monthly) to those who are either training in or fully qualified as systemic family psychotherapists. This generally takes place through use of technology on-line or in Richmond, Surrey. I have extensive experience in clinical supervision and will work with you on your cases and other clinical issues to help you think about your client and wider issues. I lecture in systemic psychotherapy up to and including MSc level and will help you in applying theory to practice connections as part of this supervision. I particularly like to use narrative, dialogical, post Milan and solution focused ideas. Over the years I have provided supervision to the following disciplines both individually and in groups:

  • Qualified Systemic Family Psychotherapists
  • Systemic Practitioners
  • Social Workers
  • Clinical Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Nurses
  • Other Clinical Disciplines Seeking Systemic Input
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    How I Work

    I offer a free telephone consultation to all prospective patients to get a sense of the challenges you're facing - and if I believe I can help you down the road ahead. In order to book a consultation, please go to the contact section below and be sure to select 'initial consultation' from the drop-down menu.
    If you are new to therapy, the run-up to your first session might make you feel a little nervous from fear of the unknown. This is especially true with children but also applies to adults.

    My job is to ultimately provide a calm and stress-free environment in which we can talk about your challenges. The first session is all about getting to know each other and to have a frank and open conversation about your illness, disorder, challenges, or carer support needs. It is also the perfect time to set mutual expectations.
    • Each session lasts around 60 - 70 minutes and we can decide together on how often and when we meet.
    • In terms of duration of therapy, I offer various packages from six, twelve and eighteen sessions.
    • Together we constantly assess the need and modify the engagement based on progress and goals being reached.
    Due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and patient ongoing concerns with the potential risks of person-to-person contact, I offer a video service through Zoom and Microsoft Teams to all my client families.
    Confidentiality is key within this work. I am bound by implicit trust due to the highly-personal and deeply sensitive nature of the work I do and the patients I deal with.

    Everything we discuss is confidential. The exception to this rule is if I believe a client or family member is in immediate danger from themselves or another person. If I believe a client is being harmed or abused in any way or is at risk to themselves or clinically, then I reserve the right to break confidentiality. This will be discussed with the family at that time, as appropriate.
    Life happens and plans change. So if you need to change or cancel an appointment, I would appreciate at least 48-hours notice and can re-arrange on a no charge basis.

    If you cancel within 48-hours, you will be charged in full for the cancelled or missed session. The only exception to this is if there has been a medical emergency and a certificate has been provided.
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    Get In Touch

    Please email me at: sylvia@metzertherapy.com stating the nature of your inquiry, or click the appropriate button below.
    I aim to respond to all enquiries within 1 business day.