Depth psychotherapy for life beyond childhood patterns
When early roles follow you into adult life
You may have grown up learning to be the capable one — emotionally aware, responsible, and attuned to others. Perhaps you learned early how to stay calm, avoid conflict, and look after yourself before anyone noticed you needed support. Independence became a necessity, not a choice.
These ways of being once helped you adapt.
They often came at a cost. You may have learned to suppress parts of yourself that were uncomfortable or unacceptable to those around you, your anger, needs, sensitivity, or voice. Subtly or directly, the message may have been that you were the problem: too much, too emotional, too demanding. Staying calm, agreeable, or self-contained became a way of staying connected.
Over time, this can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself, unsure of what you feel or need, and constantly monitoring the impact you have on others. You may function well on the outside, yet live with a quiet sense of pressure, over-responsibility, or unease, even when nothing is obviously wrong.
This isn’t a personal failing.
It is often the emotional imprint of childhood patterns that are still shaping how you relate, to others and to yourself.
How therapy helps
Depth psychotherapy creates space to understand and gently loosen these early patterns, rather than pushing past them or trying to “fix” yourself.
Together, we explore how your inner world was shaped, what you had to adapt to, and which parts of you were left unattended. Many traits that now feel limiting, being agreeable, self-sufficient, emotionally contained, or highly responsible, began as intelligent ways of coping. They are not who you are, but how you learned to be.
As this understanding deepens, you begin to reconnect with your more authentic self, not by forcing change, but by allowing what was suppressed to return into awareness and relationship.
As a result, the need to abandon yourself softens. Boundaries begin to feel more natural rather than effortful. Relationships become less driven by fear or responsibility and more grounded in choice and mutuality.
This work is not about blaming the past,
it is about growing beyond it.
My Approach
My name is Catriona, and I am a BACP Registered Therapist.
Therapy with me is a steady, grounding process. We work at your pace, with care, consistency, and compassion. Some sessions may feel light and clarifying; others may feel tender or tiring. This is all part of meaningful change. Real growth comes through consistency, not intensity.
My approach is informed by psychoanalytic and Jungian therapy, which means we work beneath the surface to understand the emotional patterns shaping your anxiety, people-pleasing, and struggles with boundaries.
Understanding Your Emotional Blueprint
We explore the unspoken emotional rules you learned growing up, not to blame, but to understand. When these early patterns are brought into awareness, they lose their power to quietly run your life.
Healing Self-Abandonment
Many people learned to disconnect from their needs and feelings in order to cope. Together, we gently reconnect you with the parts of yourself that were overlooked or suppressed, helping you feel more grounded, whole, and self-connected.
Building Boundaries & Self-Worth
As your sense of self strengthens, boundaries begin to feel safer and more possible. Over time, anxiety softens, clarity grows, and you start making choices based on self-respect rather than fear or guilt.
This is not quick-fix therapy.
It is deep, supportive work that creates lasting change.
Find me on the BACP Register - https://www.bacp.co.uk/therapists/416661/catriona-armstrong/gelves-41
Who I work with
I work with adults who appear capable on the outside but feel unsettled, stretched, or quietly overwhelmed on the inside. There is often an underlying awareness that something feels off, a sense of not feeling fulfilled, not quite living authentically, or living more from adaptation than from choice.
Often, the people I support grew up in environments where emotions were minimised, unpredictable, or had to be carefully managed. They learned early how to keep the peace, take responsibility, or stay self-contained in order to feel safe or connected. While these adaptations once helped, they can later show up as anxiety, people-pleasing, difficulty with boundaries, or a sense of losing yourself in relationships.
You may recognise patterns of over-giving, self-doubt, or emotional exhaustion, particularly in close relationships. This can include becoming caught in dysfunctional or emotionally one-sided dynamics, struggling to leave unhealthy situations, or repeatedly questioning yourself. Overthinking, negative self-talk, and spirals of self-criticism may feel familiar — even when you are competent and reflective in other areas of life.
I am especially well suited to working with you if you are emotionally aware, sensitive, and curious about your inner world — and if you grew up in an environment where your authenticity was not fully welcomed or mirrored. Perhaps you learned to tone yourself down, stay reasonable, or be “easy” rather than fully yourself. Depth-based therapy offers space to explore and reclaim those parts safely.
This work is not about quick solutions or surface-level coping strategies. It is about understanding long-standing emotional patterns and creating change that is meaningful and lasting.
If you are looking for short-term tools or a highly structured CBT approach, my style may not be the right fit. If you are ready for thoughtful, relational work that supports growth beyond childhood patterns, we are likely to work very well together.
Get in Touch
Therapy with me offers a calm, consistent space where you don’t have to hold everything together. It is a place to slow down, reflect, and be met with care, particularly if you are accustomed to managing, coping, or staying composed for others.
This work supports you to explore long-standing emotional patterns at a pace that feels safe and respectful. There is no pressure to perform, explain yourself neatly, or know exactly what you need. We work thoughtfully and collaboratively, allowing understanding and change to emerge over time.
What Working Together Looks Like
Online sessions from the comfort and privacy of your own space
Weekly hourly appointments for steady, meaningful change
Safe, confidential, non-judgemental support
Warm, compassionate, depth-oriented therapy
Growth does not mean revisiting the past for its own sake.
It means understanding how early patterns continue to shape your present, so you can relate to yourself and others with greater freedom, choice, and self-trust.
If you feel drawn to this way of working, you’re welcome to get in touch to ask questions or arrange an initial appointment.