See below testimonials from clients that I have completed my work with which I hope will be useful in deciding if I’m the right kind of therapist for you.

A (she/her)

I would thoroughly recommend Ali as a therapist.  The treatment I received from Ali has allowed me to dramatically reduce my feelings of anxiety and I am also free from “compulsive behaviours” / OCD processing which I’d had for around 30 years.  Ali was recommended to me by a friend who was very pleased with the results she had seen.  

Ali struck a very good balance of putting in place a clear structure for the course of therapy but also building in flexibility to fit my needs.  During the first session Ali spoke to me about what I wanted to work on and achieve and we set out clear goals.  Over the course of the therapy we had regular sessions about how those goals were being met and whether the therapy needed to continue which I found very helpful. 

Ali mainly used internal family systems therapy which I had never tried before but I found to be extremely effective. 

I have seen psychologists and other therapists in the past and those therapies had been helpful in the short-term, but in the long-term my old feelings re-emerged.  The results with Ali have been long-lasting and significantly improved my life.

Thank you very much Ali!

S (he/they)

Finding a therapist can be such a challenge. You put yourself out there, vulnerably, again and again, hoping to find the right amount of chemistry, trust, and commitment to making the partnership work through the highs and the lows. 

These valuable qualities are exactly what I found with Ali. He is refreshingly clear on boundaries, expectations, his commitments and yours - mixed with a necessary amount of tough love and clever humour to soften and land the messages we need to hear in order to heal and grow.

The fact that he specialises in queerness, neurodivergence, gender, and sexuality issues meant that we could really expand my vocabulary of what I thought was possible in my life - leading to greater self expression, self-love, and joy. 

If you’re hesitating, try one of his ‘one-off’ sessions : it’s all I needed to know I had made the right choice of someone to support me in writing this chapter of my life.

J (he/him)

I’d had a poor previous experience of therapy before seeing Ali.  He could tell that I was apprehensive about opening up again.  I greatly appreciated the fact that he explained his approach to me.  He took the time to find out what I’d tried before and how that had worked out.  Building trust was a big thing for me and I valued Ali’s openness about how he would tackle things, being transparent about what he would share with his supervisor, and how he would respect confidentiality.

By the end of our time together, I had finally become comfortable – after very many years – with how I feel about a very significant relationship from my childhood.  It’s hard to find words to say how differently it feels than it did before.  Now, I am confident about remembering the past without feeling overwhelmed by a lot of weird and conflicting emotions.  Fundamentally, I now feel happier, less complicated, and a lot lighter than I have for most of my adult life.

Aaron

I really appreciate what Ali shared with me during those months of therapy.  I came to him looking for support in many areas of my life, and was looking for someone who could really offer wisdom and insights, and he was the perfect person.  He is far from the conventional therapist, but he is someone who cares deeply and did what he could to help me through a very tough period in my life.  I have a lot of gratitude for Ali and hope others find similar support.

Serena (she/her)

I wanted to share how it feels like to work with Ali as a neurodivergent and polyamorous person. I started therapy to deal with a serious personal crisis and have no regrets.

On polyamory:

I have worked with therapists who made me feel like there was something wrong with me for being polyamorous. It has been an incredible relief and joy to finally work with someone who understands it. Just not having to explain it makes a big difference, but Ali does even more, and is able to explore the complex positive and negative feelings and experiences that being a polyamorous person involves e. g. the desire, excitement and grief of relationships changing. I was anxious and guilty at the start of the therapeutic process, and became someone who's confident, more emotionally intelligent and grounded, and I cannot thank him enough.

On the neurodivergent front:

Ali understands that not every neurodivergent person is the same, while clearly having experience of working with neurodivergent people. He is very open to discussions about what works for me and what doesn't, and checks in regularly. As someone with ADHD and autism, I have left previous therapists because they couldn't handle aspects of neurodivergence e. g. a resistance to certain types of exploration. We've been able to find an approach that really works for me, which honestly has been priceless (I did not think it was possible to have such good rapport with a therapist!) and I do not hold it lightly.   

Emma (she/her)

Ali was recommended to me by a friend. She explained a little bit to me about Internal Family Systems (IFS), the therapeutic approach Ali uses. My friend confirmed she had hugely benefited from the intervention and I was intrigued. At the time I was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and had a sponsor, but I kept relapsing and I wanted to try a different approach. Ali worked with me to make me realise I was not powerless over alcohol. Working with Ali always felt like a safe space; I never felt judged. With Ali's support I gained control over my use of alcohol. I am now in a place where I feel I am making the decisions when to drink/not to drink, rather than some driving force, I was previously not aware of, until I completed the IFS work.

Although I approached Ali for support with alcohol, we went on to work on other aspects of my life, including my obsession with food control and my desperate desire to be loved by others. We also worked on my self-esteem. Again, through the IFS work my sense of self, my self-esteem and ability to enjoy food increased, way beyond anything I thought possible. By the end of my work with Ali, I felt that I could use the techniques within the sessions myself and despite now concluding our work, I feel it continues to benefit me in all the areas mentioned and can be applied to any further difficulties which arise, no doubt in the future.

P (he/him)

It was suggested to me that finding a therapist experienced in Internal Family Systems (IFS) would be a good way of addressing some previously challenging issues traditional talking therapy and CBT weren't able to address, and it turns out Ali's structured and outcome focused approach through IFS was just what I needed.

The sessions mixed good levels of challenge and support with regular check ins on progress and I always felt safe in exploring parts of my identity including my sexuality as a gay man, which through exploration was wrapped up in some of the challenging times I was facing at work.

The process was ultimately transformative, previously challenging situations I'm now able to step to with a whole new set of skills and understanding of myself, and feel privileged to have found this form of therapy and Ali as a therapist.

Laura and Richard

We wanted to come to therapy because we were experiencing difficulty  communicating with and relating to each other when it came to anything that involved conflict, because of fear.  He helped us park the fear so that we could own our experiences and be honest with ourselves and each other. It was utterly liberating. 

Ali used IFS techniques to facilitate difficult conversations between us as a married couple. His guidance was supportive yet impartial, giving us helpful suggestions and allowing us to talk directly to one another to say all the things we had been scared to say. He made space for both of us, always checking in with the other person. It was a gentle and effective process. 

Ali showed us he was the right therapist for us through his honesty and openness. We valued that he went with what was present in the moment as well as keeping us on track for our longer term therapy and relationship goals. Enlightened and congruent, his unconditionality and authenticity really put us at ease. It was fun at times too!

Ali was respectful about having open conversations about our sexualities and us relating sexually within our relationship. He brought a real sense of genuine understanding which really helped to create a sense of safety for us. 

Through this process we were helped to develop the courage to own our own points of view and to communicate in a more considerate and loving way. We are now better able to tolerate and understand any difficult things which might be said as we are able to empathise with each other. It gave us the brilliant foundation for life long relationship skills that we now have.

Ali’s presence and understanding was such an instrumental part of our alliance and we are so grateful - it always felt like a team effort - thank you!!

S (she/her)

I can't overstate the extent to which therapy with Ali changed my life for the better.

I thought I knew what therapy would be like when I started with Ali as I work in a helping profession, but it became clear there was so much more to it than just having a sympathetic, listening ear.

With Ali I discovered new techniques to welcome the anxiety that I'd been so afraid of. I wasn't sure what to make of IFS at first but ended up finding the techniques way more helpful than just talking logically through my feelings. Ali encouraged me to try more IFS and I'm really glad I did.

I deliberately sought out a Queer therapist and this aspect also helped me in ways I didn't anticipate. It opened up topics in relation to relationship dynamics and in unpicking what is "normal", which was really helpful in enabling me to make sense of my own thoughts and feelings.

Ali was consistent and caring. He gently challenged me when appropriate and therapy wouldn't have been as impactful without this. He helped me feel safe to say things I'd never said out loud to anyone before and never shamed or judged me. He literally held my hand through moments of high emotion and anxiety. He helped me realise I need to distance myself from an incredibly toxic relationship, the positive impact of which has been life-changing.

Ali also helped me to understand that life isn't supposed to be sunshine and rainbows and no negative emotions, and that I need to work with my brain to continue navigating the challenges of daily life. I now know I need to welcome the parts of me that are trying to protect me, such as the anxious part, but I would have continued trying to suppress it if we had never worked together and it would have just become more and more unbearable.

I'll be eternally grateful to Ali for this and many other wins, big and small!

Matt (he/him)

I came to Ali with an anxiety problem that have been around for years. Through supportive exploration, and then guided IFS work Ali was able to get to the root cause of the issues and shift some long held and outdated beliefs. He was always kind, empathetic throughout but with the ability to provide deep insight when needed. I would highly recommend him

Michael (he/him)

I have just completed two years of work with Ali. I am more than delighted with the direction of the therapy and a number of qualities Ali embodied during the process. In particular, Ali showed up. Every session, I felt a tangible dedication to helping me uncover my needs in the direction I needed. I never felt that he was distracted, other-orientated, or uncaring; his attention was on me and my process. This may seen a small thing for some, but, as a person who has seen a number of therapists, this is actually quite hard to master. 

Another quality that was very present was his knowledge of IFS. This helped me feel secure in the process, trusting him with the direction that IFS promises. And because of this, I felt safe enough to do deep work. 

These are two of many qualities I can speak about Ali. His professionalism, dedication to the profession and to the client, his wide variety of techniques and psychoeducation are some others. 

I highly recommend Ali.