Psychotherapy

With over 20 years of experience, I offer integrative psychotherapy grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic and body-oriented approaches, and the therapeutic relationship.

I work with trauma, early attachment wounds, anxiety, depression, grief, relationship difficulties and addictions, bringing particular attention to how our experiences shape both mind and body. My approach combines compassionate inner work with embodied processes that support the healing of unresolved trauma, helping people develop greater self-understanding, emotional freedom and connection with themselves and others.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

IFS is a therapeutic model that understands us as having different parts, each with its own feelings, beliefs and protective strategies. Some parts work hard to keep us safe, while others carry the pain, fear, shame or grief associated with difficult and traumatic experiences.

At the heart of IFS is the understanding that beneath these parts is Self: our natural capacity for calm, curiosity, compassion, courage and connection. Healing happens not by fighting or eliminating parts, but by developing a trusting relationship between Self and our inner world. As parts feel understood and no longer have to carry their burdens alone, they can begin to release the burdens they carry and take on less extreme roles.

IFS offers a compassionate, non-pathologising way to work with inner conflict, trauma and the patterns that can affect our relationships and everyday lives. Its growing research base is encouraging, and it offers a distinctive framework for understanding how our protective responses develop and how healing can occur.

I am a Level 3 Certified IFS Therapist and an Approved IFS Clinical Consultant through the IFS Institute.

Benjamin Rivers, psychotherapist, educator and applied theatre practitioner

Like all explorers, we are drawn to discover what’s out there without knowing yet if we have the courage to face it.

— Pema Chodron

Somatic Psychotherapy: Trauma, the Body and the Nervous System

Trauma can continue to affect us long after an experience has passed. Its effects may be felt through bodily sensations, emotional reactions, dissociation, persistent vigilance, shutdown or patterns of relating that are difficult to change through insight alone.

Somatic and body-oriented approaches attend to the ways traumatic experiences influence the nervous system, implicit memory and our automatic responses to the world. Rather than relying only on talking about the past, this work engages with what is happening in the present moment, including bodily sensations, impulses, emotional responses and patterns that emerge in the therapeutic relationship.

With appropriate support, these approaches seek to engage the body's innate processes for working through unresolved survival responses. By attending to these processes as they unfold, therapy can help protective patterns become less rigid and support a greater sense of safety, connection and choice.

This work is particularly relevant to early attachment relationships and complex trauma, where experiences of safety, connection and protection can shape how we relate to ourselves and others throughout life.

I am currently undertaking training in Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) through the Psychedelic Somatic Institute in the USA. PSIP emphasises embodied processing, autonomic nervous system responses and the therapeutic relationship, and can be practised with or without psychedelic medicines.

Man walking through steep rocky mountain terrain with blue sky

EMDR: Working Through Traumatic Memories

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an established, evidence-based psychotherapy, particularly for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma-related difficulties.

EMDR uses a structured process in which a person attends to distressing memories while engaging in bilateral stimulation, commonly guided eye movements. This can help memories become less emotionally distressing and less disruptive in everyday life, without erasing what happened.

I trained in EMDR through the EMDR Institute in Australia. Depending on your needs and circumstances, EMDR can complement IFS and somatic psychotherapy.

An Integrative, Relational Approach

There is no single approach that works for everyone. Alongside IFS, somatic work and EMDR, I may draw on mindfulness, imagination, dreamwork, psychodrama and other creative methods. The therapeutic relationship is central throughout: healing can involve experiencing a different kind of relationship, in which difficult feelings can be met with care, curiosity and respect.

My work is also informed by the understanding that personal suffering does not happen in isolation. Experiences of racism, homophobia, sexual violence, displacement and political oppression can profoundly affect our sense of self and belonging. Therapy can make room for both our personal histories and the wider circumstances in which we live.

About My Background

I am a psychotherapist, clinical social worker, drama therapist, trainer and international retreat leader. My work brings together clinical practice, embodied approaches and the therapeutic arts, informed by more than two decades of experience across different communities and cultural contexts.

I hold a Bachelor of Social Work from Deakin University, an MA in Counselling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies, and a PhD from the University of New England, Australia. My doctoral thesis explored the use of therapeutic and applied theatre for collective trauma response and cultural activism in Palestine. I am an Accredited Clinical Social Worker with the Australian Association of Social Workers, a Registered Drama Therapist and Board-Certified Trainer with the North American Drama Therapy Association, and trained in EMDR through the EMDR Institute in Australia. I am also a Level 3 Certified IFS Therapist and Approved IFS Clinical Consultant, and am currently undertaking training in Psychedelic Somatic Interactional Psychotherapy (PSIP) through the Psychedelic Somatic Institute in the USA.

Based in Galicia, Spain, I offer psychotherapy online to clients internationally.

Fees

Sessions last 60 minutes. I offer a sliding-scale fee of €120–€180 per session, with clients choosing an amount within this range according to their financial circumstances.

Getting in Touch

If my approach resonates with you, you are welcome to get in touch to ask questions and explore whether working together might be a good fit.

Contact Details