About Me
I’m Claire Woodward, a counsellor and psychotherapist working with individuals and couples in Chiswick, West London, and online.
I’m interested in the person behind what brings you to therapy - not simply what’s happening now, but how you came to experience yourself, other people and the world in the way that you do.
I work in an engaged and relational way, with a particular interest in the experiences and relationships that shape us and the patterns we can find ourselves repeating.
My Approach to Therapy
The way we think, feel and relate rarely develops in isolation. Our experiences shape us - sometimes in ways we understand clearly, and sometimes in ways we only begin to recognise much later.
Therapy gives us somewhere to become curious about those influences and what we might want to do differently now.
Understanding ourselves can give us more choice about what happens next.
I came to psychotherapy after an earlier career in the corporate world and later in health and well-being. I didn't take a particularly direct route to becoming a therapist, and I'm glad I didn't. Life rarely unfolds neatly, and neither do people.
Most of us develop ways of coping, relating and protecting ourselves long before we understand what we're doing or why. Those ways of being often make perfect sense in the circumstances in which they developed. The difficulty is that we can carry them into adulthood - into our relationships, our work and the way we feel about ourselves - long after they've stopped being particularly helpful.
That's a large part of what interests me about therapy.
I'm less interested in asking "What's wrong with you?" and more interested in understanding "What happened, what did you learn, and how has that shaped the way you live and relate now?"
Sometimes we already know what we do. We know we overthink, avoid difficult conversations, choose unavailable partners, become overwhelmed, procrastinate, people-please, shut down, lose our temper or expect far more from ourselves than we ever would from somebody else. Knowing that intellectually doesn't necessarily mean we know how to stop.
For me, therapy is where we can become curious about the gap between the two.
My own way of working has evolved considerably since I first trained. My original training gave me a strong humanistic foundation, but over time I've become increasingly drawn to relational and psychodynamic thinking - particularly the idea that who we are cannot really be understood separately from the relationships and experiences that have shaped us.
I'm an engaged therapist. I won't sit silently while you wonder what I'm thinking. I'll listen carefully, but I'll also ask questions, offer reflections, notice contradictions and, when it might be useful, gently challenge you.
I work with individuals and couples, and relationships sit at the heart of much of my work. The ways we seek closeness, protect ourselves, withdraw, pursue, accommodate, control or avoid don't appear from nowhere. Often, they're adaptations we've learned over time. Understanding them can give us more choice about whether we want to keep repeating them.
I also have a particular interest in ADHD and neurodiversity. Some people come to me with a diagnosis; others recognise traits in themselves or have spent years wondering why things that seem straightforward for other people can feel disproportionately difficult. I'm interested in understanding the person rather than reducing them to a label.
I continue to study and develop my practice because I don't think qualifying means you've finished becoming a therapist. The more I learn, the more interested I become in the complexity of people - the less convinced I am that any single theory has all the answers.
Ultimately, I don't believe therapy is about turning you into a different person. It's about understanding more fully the person you've become, recognising what you may no longer need to carry with you, and having more freedom in how you live, relate and respond.
Areas I Work With
People come to therapy for many different reasons, and often what brings us through the door is only part of the story. These are some of the areas I most commonly work with, and they frequently overlap.
Anxiety, Stress & Overwhelm
Anxiety can take many forms - overthinking, constant worry, difficulty switching off, perfectionism or a sense of always needing to be one step ahead. We can explore not only how anxiety affects you, but what may sit beneath it and the role it has come to play in your life.
ADHD, Neurodiversity
Whether you're navigating an ADHD diagnosis, exploring autistic traits, or wrestling with perfectionism and the inner critic, I provide a thoughtful, validating space to explore these experiences and build confidence.
Relationships & Couples Therapy
Relationships sit at the heart of much of my work. I work with individuals and couples to explore the ways we seek closeness, protect ourselves, withdraw, pursue or accommodate - and how patterns developed over time can find their way into our relationships today.
Self-Esteem, Perfectionism & People-Pleasing
You may be highly capable while privately feeling that you're never quite doing enough. We can explore the expectations you place on yourself, where they may have come from, and what makes it difficult to trust your own needs, decisions or sense of worth.
Loss, Change & Life Transitions
Loss isn't limited to bereavement. Relationships ending, changes in identity, work, family, or simply finding yourself at a different stage of life can leave you questioning things you once took for granted. Therapy can provide somewhere to make sense of what has changed and what comes next.
Qualifications & Professional Development
BSc (Hons) Pluralistic Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy (Advanced Practitioner) - First Class Honours, Middlesex University
A comprehensive professional training in counselling and psychotherapy, providing the foundation for my work with individuals.
Diploma Pluralistic Person-Centred Counselling & Psychotherapy (Advanced Practitioner) - The Metanoia Institute
My professional counselling training at the Metanoia Institute provided the foundation for my therapeutic practice and work with individual clients.
Advanced Post-Diploma Certificate in Couples Therapy
Additional specialist training in working therapeutically with couples and relationship difficulties.
Relational Life Therapy (RLT)
I am undertaking further training in Relational Life Therapy, a direct and relational approach to couples work that explores the patterns partners create together and how these can begin to change.
Psychoanalytic & Psychodynamic Study
I continue to deepen my practice through ongoing study in psychoanalytic and psychodynamic thinking, with a particular interest in how earlier relationships and experiences can influence our present-day lives and relationships.
Registered Member of the BACP (MBACP)
My practice is informed by the BACP Ethical Framework and ongoing professional development, supervision and reflective practice.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Therapy begins with a conversation. Whether you’re ready to book your first consultation or simply exploring your options, I’d be happy to hear from you. Reach out today or browse the FAQs to learn more about therapy and my practice.