Meet the Therapist - Lesley Pollard

What attracted you to become a therapist?

I have always been a listener since I was young and tended to be the one that friends would talk to. This developed into learning more about psychology and understanding why we think and behave in certain ways. After working with adults with mental health difficulties, for several years, I wanted to expand my knowledge and began four years of training to become a Psychotherapist.

What type of therapy do you practice and what is it like?

The type of therapy I use is Transactional Analysis. This is a theory of understanding personality, human behaviour and social interactions. It helps us understand the way we interact and communicate with others and offers us explanations as to why we think, feel and behave the way we do.

I absolutely love this theory as it is so rich. It provides different ways of looking and explaining certain behaviours. These can be easily explained and discussed in therapy sessions as the language and concepts are accessible to all. The main philosophy is one of openness and the capacity to change.

What type of clients do you usually see?

I tend to see people who have experienced complex and difficult childhoods. I also see people who have noticed certain aspects of either themselves or their partners/family members that are causing them difficulty in some way. This could be anything from unhelpful patterns of behaviour, difficulties in communication or a feeling that something is not right, feeling anxious, worried or experiencing low mood.

What do you like about being a therapist?

I feel very privileged to meet and work with some truly wonderful and inspirational clients. I get the opportunity to meet a wide range of people, which is enriching as they help me learn, develop and grow as a therapist and as a human.

If you had one piece of advice for someone thinking about therapy, what would it be?

Go for it!

Therapy is an opportunity to learn more about yourself. It brings awareness to unconscious processes to enable change and growth. I had therapy for over 7 years and I still remember some of my sessions - it can be that impactful.

What do you do for your own mental health?

My mental and emotional wellbeing is very important to me, and it is something that I prioritise. I love running, going for long walks and generally being outdoors in nature - having three dogs helps.

I practise yoga and I meditate most days. I also enjoy reading and I am always open to book recommendations.

What happens in a first session with you?

The first or assessment session is different from usual therapy sessions. I am asking questions about your childhood, education and your family. I will also ask about your physical and mental health. This session is finding out a little about you and what you want from therapy, so I can see if I have the skills to work with you. It gives you the opportunity to see whether you feel comfortable with me. If we both agree to work together, we agree a contract, which is basically what you want to get from therapy.

In this first session I am writing down the information you tell me, but in subsequent session I do not write things down. The first session allows us to ask all the questions we both need to and then also to complete paperwork, go through confidentiality and our working agreements.