Well Action Psychotherapy

Well Action more information

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• Well Action Philosophy

  Wellbeing is a way of travelling, it's something you live, not land on: it demands continuing intentional, positive action - "Well Action". Our most profound resources are needed for well action, like life-sustaining water drawn from a deep well. I chose to specialize in Action Therapies, particularly psychodrama, because I have found them to be uniquely effective in accessing these resources and addressing a wide range of mental health challenges. Psychodrama is literally action that helps to keep us well, and metaphorically the action of drawing the water of vitality from our inner well.

• What is Action Psychotherapy?

  Action Psychotherapy, also known as Psychodrama, is a highly effective approach to resolving life problems. The Action methods of psychodrama comprise the only form of psychotherapy that allows rehearsal of possible futures as well as exploration of the past.

  Action Psychotherapy is often (understandably) confused with Drama Therapy; however, they are very different. Drama therapy, like art therapy, is recommended for people who struggle to express themselves verbally.

  Action Psychotherapy on the other hand is much closer to traditional talking therapies but uses Action Methods to intensify the therapy process. Action Psychotherapy sees life as a drama and explores the roles we find difficult: how we behave in problematic situations, the emotions we struggle with, the underlying beliefs that drive our behaviours, and the consequences of how we play our roles.

  Action Psychotherapy can help individuals manage and overcome a wide range of emotional, social, and mental health challenges as well as difficulties in coping with daily life, relationships, and stressful events.

  The premise of Action Psychotherapy is that the unconscious beliefs which influence our behaviours are held in our bodies, and that enacting or imagining our present, past, and future can help unlock our potential. The goals of Action Therapy are self-awareness, self-understanding, self-love and self-actualisation.

  Action Therapy is future-oriented, harnessing our innate creativity to rehearse our roles in the therapy room before applying our insights in the real world.

• What happens in an Action Psychotherapy session?

  Action Psychotherapy, or Psychodrama, can be used both as a group and as an individual mode of psychotherapy.

  • The Individual Psychodrama Session.

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    Individual psychodrama is quite different from group psychodrama. Although some of the same 'Action Methods' are used, they are very understated and only brought into sessions when needed.

    Here is a demonstration of an online individual psychodrama being led by one of my trainers, Jinnie Jefferies:

    What happens in an individual psychodrama session depends on how far into therapy the session is.

    1. The first few sessions

       These sessions are our opportunity to get to know each other a little before embarking on the psychotherapy journey. Think of it as deciding whether we make good hiking partners, and if so organising our hiking equipment, making sure our backpacks are ready, putting on our boots and donning our sun-hats.

       In the first session I will explain the structure of therapy, what we call "the frame": we will agree how often we meet, where, what it will cost, how you will pay, what happens if you miss a session, etc. I will take some essential details such as previous experience of therapy or counselling, GP details, medical conditions, next of kin contact details, current work situation, current partner relationship, and other relevant details. You will have the chance to ask any questions you have about psychodrama too. We will also explore, very briefly, what has brought you into psychotherapy, and what you hope to get out of it.

       In the next sessions we will draw your family tree, exploring just a little bit how you feel about your close family: parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, children nieces and nephews, uncles and aunts. We will also take some time to make a diagram of your friends and enemies: who you like spending time with, how long you have known people, how often you see them. We might also create a little life-history, half a dozen significant events that have shaped your life and brought you to where you are.

    2. Early sessions: embarking on the journey

       During the next dozen or so sessions we will decide the direction of our hike. We'll set a compass bearing on the distant hills or mountains you want to get across, and we'll take a look at the map and work out various ways we might be able to get there. We'll set off on our chosen path and see how the ground develops.

       In these sessions we will explore your current life: what's working for you, what isn't working for you, what you want to change, develop or leave behind. Psychodrama is a very action-focussed therapy, it's not just about understanding yourself or crying out your grief, or shouting out your rage (although you might do all these things). It's about making change.

       I will introduce some of the action methods with simple exercises: small world work in which you'll utilise small models (animals, people, vehicles, etc.) to "act out" situations from your life and explore how your emotions and your behaviour hang together. I'll introduce the "empty chair" and how to have an imaginary conversation with somebody who feels positively towards you.

    3. Toiling up the mountain pass

       This phase of therapy is where the "work" happens. It may be relatively brief, a dozen sessions or so. Or it may be a process of gradual self-discovery and personal development that you want to keep going with year after year. In this phase we find ourselves overshadowed by high mountains, and lost in perplexing river systems. We may find that the map has large bits missing and our equipment isn't as reliable as we'd hoped. We'll find ourselves improvising, making informed guesses, at times feeling lost, at times celebrating as we ford a deep river or find a path hidden in the landscape.

       In these sessions we will explore in depth how your past experience impacts your current life. You will make emotional connections with yourself as a child, you will find self-compassion, self-acceptance and forgiveness. You will find lost memories, both joyful and frightening, but however challenging it gets, I will always be at your side - encouraging, affirming, working alongside you. It can get tough, but I will always be your ally and your guide.

       We will reflect on the past and the present using a structure called "Role Analysis". We will investigate the context in which difficult things happen in your life. We'll look at your behaviours and the behaviours of those around you. We'll explore your emotions, and most importantly we'll identify beliefs that you have built up over the years, and we'll identify those beliefs that are holding you back.

       We will use small-world work extensively to analyse your roles, and we will use dramatic enactments of past events to gain insight into how your beliefs came into being, and how some self-compassion might change these beliefs. For instance, we could look at how the belief "I am useless, I fail at everything" might be changed by spending time looking at your uncelebrated successes, to a more balanced self-belief: "I'm good at some things, and not so good at others, and I can work to improve at things if I choose to".

    4. Moving into the future

       At last! We've reached the top of the pass: Ahead there are no longer jagged rocks and impossible scree slopes. We now look out over a new land the other side of the mountains. We'll find it's much quicker getting down than it was going up.

       In this last phase of therapy you will use the insights you have gained to start to change your life. Maybe your intimate relationship will be revitalised into a new passion, or maybe you'll realise the futility of trying to revive a dead marriage and make the decision to get divorced. Maybe you'll find new ways to work productively with your boss and colleagues at work, or maybe you'll realise this was never the job you wanted and you'll enrol on a new training, or take a new job with renewed self-confidence.

       This is where we'll use the technique of "Role Training". We will work together in an imaginary world as you enact possible solutions to your problems. You'll try out different ways of having those difficult domestic conversations that have always gone wrong in the past; or you'll try out different approaches to interacting with your colleagues. This is where you'll try out different futures for size and see which ones fit and which ones don't.

    5. Saying Goodbye

       In the last round of sessions we'll look back over the journey we've taken together. We may use the "Janus Chair" exercise and revisit how you felt when you arrived in therapy. In this exercise we'll also look ahead - you might have a conversation with yourself when you're old, or with your as-yet unborn grandchildren.

       We'll spend some time looking at your past experiences of "goodbye" moments. Do you have a pattern of just walking away? Do you hang on to people for dear life? Does this moment of "goodbye" between us finally unlock some grief from a past bereavement or abandonment? There will be empty chair work here, finding closure with those loved ones from the past who are no longer with you.

       Finally we'll say our own "goodbye". You will stride off into the sunset with new boots, a new map, and new skills that you never thought you'd acquire. And I will send you off with heart-felt wishes that you may now find the best life that you can lead.

  • The Group Psychodrama Session.

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    Here is a video of group psychodrama being led by one of my trainers, Jinnie Jefferies:
• About me

  At 62, some might consider it late to embark on a new training and enterprise. Yet, throughout my life, I have been deeply committed to supporting vulnerable people in various capacities. Since completing my doctorate at 27, I have worked directly by providing dream therapy, training, and other therapeutic interventions; I have also worked to house the homeless and ex-convicts through a housing project. Indirectly, I have supported organizations that aid vulnerable populations, for instance through staff training and IT support. Also I have raised awareness of social issues through arts projects and cultural events.

  For the past decade, I have managed teams creating software that empowers users of social care services. Now, I am bringing all these experiences together through a comprehensive psychotherapy training program. As part of this journey, I am currently gaining clinical experience by practicing as a "trainee" therapist, offering my services at a reduced fee. I anticipate completing my training, including the required experience and final examination, in July 2026, after five years of dedicated full-time study and practice.

• Qualifications

  BA Natural Science, Trinity College, Cambridge University. 1984.
  PhD Computational Psychology, University of Sheffield, Dept of Psychology. 1989.
  CEng (Software), UK Engineering Council. 2019.
  PGCert(Psychotherapy), London Centre of Psychodrama. 2022.
  AdvPGDip Group and Individual Psychodrama Psychotherapy, London Centre for Psychodrama. Expected Summer 2026.

• Experience

  Dreamcraft dream coaching: Dream groups; dream coaching; CPD training for counsellors and psychotherapists. 2004 - 2010.

  HMP Grendon Honorary Group Psychodrama Psychotherapist for serious offenders. Sept 2023 - ongoing.

  Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Partnership Trust Honorary Individual Psychotherapist in Personality and Commplex Trauma service (PACT). Sept 2024 - ongoing.

• Clinics and availability

  As I write (September 2025) I have 3 weekly appointments available and 3 spaces available in a weekly group. Please send me a message through my contact page to book a slot. I will arrange a free online assessment session right away and if we both think we can work together I'll let you know as soon as I have availability.

  Psychodrama Psychotherapy Group: The Mill Arts Centre, Banbury. Monday evenings 18.00 to 20.30.

  Individual Psychodrama Psychotherapy: Banbury and Kings Sutton - Hands-on creative therapy clinic in my well-equipped studio.

  Serving Banbury, Oxford, Northampton, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stratford and surrounding villages.

Contact me now for a free online assessment session.