See below testimonials from clients that I have completed my work with which I hope will be useful in deciding if I’m the right kind of therapist for you.

S (he/they)

Finding a therapist can be such a challenge. You put yourself out there, vulnerably, again and again, hoping to find the right amount of chemistry, trust, and commitment to making the partnership work through the highs and the lows. 

These valuable qualities are exactly what I found with Ali. He is refreshingly clear on boundaries, expectations, his commitments and yours - mixed with a necessary amount of tough love and clever humour to soften and land the messages we need to hear in order to heal and grow.

The fact that he specialises in queerness, neurodivergence, gender, and sexuality issues meant that we could really expand my vocabulary of what I thought was possible in my life - leading to greater self expression, self-love, and joy. 

If you’re hesitating, try one of his ‘one-off’ sessions : it’s all I needed to know I had made the right choice of someone to support me in writing this chapter of my life.

J (he/him)

I’d had a poor previous experience of therapy before seeing Ali.  He could tell that I was apprehensive about opening up again.  I greatly appreciated the fact that he explained his approach to me.  He took the time to find out what I’d tried before and how that had worked out.  Building trust was a big thing for me and I valued Ali’s openness about how he would tackle things, being transparent about what he would share with his supervisor, and how he would respect confidentiality.

By the end of our time together, I had finally become comfortable – after very many years – with how I feel about a very significant relationship from my childhood.  It’s hard to find words to say how differently it feels than it did before.  Now, I am confident about remembering the past without feeling overwhelmed by a lot of weird and conflicting emotions.  Fundamentally, I now feel happier, less complicated, and a lot lighter than I have for most of my adult life.

Aaron

I really appreciate what Ali shared with me during those months of therapy.  I came to him looking for support in many areas of my life, and was looking for someone who could really offer wisdom and insights, and he was the perfect person.  He is far from the conventional therapist, but he is someone who cares deeply and did what he could to help me through a very tough period in my life.  I have a lot of gratitude for Ali and hope others find similar support.

Alex (they/them)

I wanted to share how it feels like to work with Ali as a neurodivergent and polyamorous person. I started therapy to deal with a serious personal crisis and have no regrets.

On polyamory:

I have worked with therapists who made me feel like there was something wrong with me for being polyamorous. It has been an incredible relief and joy to finally work with someone who understands it. Just not having to explain it makes a big difference, but Ali does even more, and is able to explore the complex positive and negative feelings and experiences that being a polyamorous person involves e. g. the desire, excitement and grief of relationships changing. I was anxious and guilty at the start of the therapeutic process, and became someone who's confident, more emotionally intelligent and grounded, and I cannot thank him enough.

On the neurodivergent front:

Ali understands that not every neurodivergent person is the same, while clearly having experience of working with neurodivergent people. He is very open to discussions about what works for me and what doesn't, and checks in regularly. As someone with ADHD and autism, I have left previous therapists because they couldn't handle aspects of neurodivergence e. g. a resistance to certain types of exploration. We've been able to find an approach that really works for me, which honestly has been priceless (I did not think it was possible to have such good rapport with a therapist!) and I do not hold it lightly.   

Emma (she/her)

Ali was recommended to me by a friend. She explained a little bit to me about Internal Family Systems (IFS), the therapeutic approach Ali uses. My friend confirmed she had hugely benefited from the intervention and I was intrigued. At the time I was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and had a sponsor, but I kept relapsing and I wanted to try a different approach. Ali worked with me to make me realise I was not powerless over alcohol. Working with Ali always felt like a safe space; I never felt judged. With Ali's support I gained control over my use of alcohol. I am now in a place where I feel I am making the decisions when to drink/not to drink, rather than some driving force, I was previously not aware of, until I completed the IFS work.

Although I approached Ali for support with alcohol, we went on to work on other aspects of my life, including my obsession with food control and my desperate desire to be loved by others. We also worked on my self-esteem. Again, through the IFS work my sense of self, my self-esteem and ability to enjoy food increased, way beyond anything I thought possible. By the end of my work with Ali, I felt that I could use the techniques within the sessions myself and despite now concluding our work, I feel it continues to benefit me in all the areas mentioned and can be applied to any further difficulties which arise, no doubt in the future.

P (he/him)

It was suggested to me that finding a therapist experienced in Internal Family Systems (IFS) would be a good way of addressing some previously challenging issues traditional talking therapy and CBT weren't able to address, and it turns out Ali's structured and outcome focused approach through IFS was just what I needed.

The sessions mixed good levels of challenge and support with regular check ins on progress and I always felt safe in exploring parts of my identity including my sexuality as a gay man, which through exploration was wrapped up in some of the challenging times I was facing at work.

The process was ultimately transformative, previously challenging situations I'm now able to step to with a whole new set of skills and understanding of myself, and feel privileged to have found this form of therapy and Ali as a therapist.