Therapy

Making sense of what is difficult, and finding a way through.

People come to therapy for many reasons. Sometimes there is a clear difficulty that has become hard to manage alone. Sometimes there is only a sense that something is not right. You do not need a diagnosis, or the right words, or a tidy account of the problem before you begin. I work with adults across many walks of life — busy professionals, students, and many neurodivergent adults — and my aim is the same for each: to help you understand what is happening, and why, and to think together about what might help.

Get in touch See how it works

What brings people to therapy

Common reasons people come to see me.

The experiences below are some of the more common reasons adults seek therapy. You may recognise one clearly, or several at once. If what you are carrying is not here, you are still welcome to ask.

Anxiety and worry

Persistent worry, racing thoughts, or a body that stays braced for something to go wrong. We look at what keeps anxiety going, and at what helps it ease.

Low mood and depression

Flatness, loss of interest, or a heaviness that has not lifted on its own. We make sense of it together, and work at a pace that feels manageable.

Stress and pressure

When the demands on you have outgrown the resources to meet them. This is common for people carrying a great deal at work or in study. We look at the load, and at what can realistically change.

Burnout

Exhaustion that rest alone has not repaired, often after a long stretch of pushing through. We understand how you reached this point, and rebuild in a way that holds.

Trauma and difficult experiences

The lasting effects of frightening, painful, or overwhelming events. We work gently and at your pace, with your sense of safety setting the direction.

Health-related stress and adjustment to illness

A diagnosis, a long-term condition, or caring for someone who is unwell. I spent part of my NHS career in this work, and we approach it with the seriousness and gentleness it deserves.

Life transitions

Change that has unsettled your sense of who you are, whether you chose it or not. Leaving home, a new role, a loss, or a move between countries. We give the change room to be understood.

Confidence and self-esteem

A harsh inner voice, or a longstanding sense of not being enough, even when things look fine from the outside. We trace where these beliefs began, and loosen their hold.

Relationships and work

Recurring patterns, conflict, or feeling unseen, whether at home or at work. We make sense of the pattern, and consider what you would like to be different.

This is not a complete list. If you are unsure whether therapy is the right fit, the initial consultation is a good place to find out together.

What working together looks like

A calm, considered start, then a rhythm that suits you.

There is no need to commit to anything before we have spoken. We begin with a short, free call so you can tell me briefly what is going on, and so we can both get a sense of whether I am the right person to help. From there, the pace is yours.

A brief introductory call

A free fifteen-minute call to tell me briefly what brings you, and to ask anything you need before booking an appointment.

Initial consultation

A fifty-minute session to talk through what has brought you, and to begin making sense of it together. By the end, we will have a shared idea of what might help.

Ongoing therapy

Fifty-minute sessions, usually weekly or fortnightly. We settle into a rhythm that suits you. There is no fixed number of sessions.

Reviewing together

We check in on how the work is going, and adjust as we go. Therapy ends when you feel ready, and you are welcome to return in future.

What I bring

Curiosity, warmth, and a collaborative approach.

I bring genuine curiosity and warmth to my work, and I see therapy as something we do together. I am creative and flexible in how I work, and I adapt to the person in front of me rather than to a method.

Much of what I do is helping people make sense of difficult or complex experiences in a way that genuinely resonates. I tend to reach the heart of a difficulty quickly, and to offer a new perspective on it. I also provide a safe and validating space to explore, sit with, and process painful feelings, without rushing them.

Where it is helpful, I do not stop at understanding. Together we can identify coping strategies that work for you, shape a practical plan, and work through whatever gets in the way. I find this matters especially for people who arrive feeling that therapy has not helped them before, or that they have tried something and found it did not work.

My own background is international, and I am used to working with people whose lives span more than one culture, language, or country. Sessions are available in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Approaches I draw on

Several models, shaped to you.

I am trained in a range of evidence-based therapies. Rather than applying one method to everyone, I draw on whichever fits your situation, and I often combine them. Select any to read more.

CBT

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Looking at how thoughts, feelings, and behaviour feed one another, and finding practical ways to interrupt unhelpful cycles. I use it flexibly and creatively, shaped around you rather than followed from a manual.

ACT

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Learning to make room for difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than fighting them, so that they take up less space and you can move towards what matters to you.

CFT

Compassion Focused Therapy

Building a kinder, steadier relationship with yourself, particularly where a harsh inner critic has taken hold. We strengthen your capacity to soothe as well as to strive.

Narrative

Narrative Therapy

Stepping back from a problem so it no longer speaks for the whole of you, and reconnecting with the values, skills, and hopes it may have hidden from view.

Solution-focused

Solution-Focused Therapy

Paying attention to what already works, and to the times a difficulty loosens its grip, and building practical steps from there.

Systemic

Systemic Approaches

Understanding your difficulties within your relationships and the wider systems around you, rather than treating them as yours alone to carry.

Get in touch

If you have been thinking about starting therapy, I would be glad to hear from you.

You are welcome to send a short note about what brings you. I read every enquiry personally and will reply to arrange a time to talk.

Email hello@drcatherinecheung.com

WhatsApp +44 7515 110 829

Practice 85 Wimpole Street, London W1G 9RJ

Sessions In person, online, or hybrid

Languages English, Cantonese and Mandarin

A Cantonese and Mandarin service is also available. 繁體 · 简体