Billi Silverstein MBACP Snr. Accred Psychotherapy

17/09/2025

Billi Silverstein Psychotherapy

OUR MISSION

* To explore diversity of experience with empathy and without judgement.
* To enable every client to live a life of purpose free of emotional burden.
* We fight to be inclusive and just.
* We advocate for compassion and understanding in all matters wherever possible.

OUR VISION

Billi Silverstein Psychotherapy’s vision is to develop private sector counselling and psychotherapy in a non-judgemental environment, catering for low cost to full funded therapy and affording learning opportunities to training therapists.

OUR VALUES

Billi Silverstein Psychotherapy strives to apply the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions – Formally adopted 1 July 2018.

We endeavour to empower all clients to realise their full potential.

Head Office
2 Harley Street, London W1G 9PA
Email: billi@billisilverstein.co.uk�Phone: 07534 512207

15/09/2025

The Antidote to Fear: Finding Safety and Connection in Therapy

Fear is one of the most fundamental human emotions. It serves a vital evolutionary purpose, alerting us to danger and helping to ensure our survival. Yet when fear becomes persistent or disproportionate, it ceases to be protective and instead becomes limiting. Fear often lies at the root of anxiety, panic, intrusive thoughts and even compulsive or addictive behaviours. A question I am frequently asked is what is the antidote to fear.

The first step is awareness. Fear grows in the unknown. When past experiences remain unspoken or misunderstood, the imagination fills the silence with threat. By exploring fear in a safe therapeutic setting, its intensity begins to soften. Naming and understanding what lies beneath anxiety allows it to lose some of its authority.

Fear is not only a thought. It is a physiological response that lives in the body. The nervous system contracts, the breath shortens, and the body prepares for danger even when no danger is present. In therapy, the antidote is safety. Over time the body learns it does not need to remain constantly on guard.

Connection is essential. Fear often isolates, making us feel cut off and detached. Attachment and connection to others can reduce the intensity of fear and anxiety and create space for long-standing patterns of stress or trauma to ease.

Finally, presence itself is an antidote. Fear pulls us into imagined futures or swallows us up in the past. Being in the moment allows us to focus on what is rather than what if and reduces imagined fear. This in turn calms the nervous system and helps to diminish fear.

In psychotherapy we explore the diversity of human experience with empathy and without judgement.

10/09/2025

14/08/2025

Join our group therapy in the heart of London’s West End

Group therapy works because it creates a space for honest connection and shared growth. In the presence of others, we begin to reflect more deeply on our own experiences, while also gaining new perspectives. Listening to others, and being truly listened to, can build trust, clarity, and confidence. Over time, the group becomes a place where change feels possible and where small shifts begin to take root.

No prior therapy experience needed — just bring yourself.

Join our next term starting on Wednesday 10 September 2025 at 7- 8.30pm and runs for 10 ten weeks (Half term break 15 October)

Who It's For:

Anyone looking for support with:

Anxiety or stress
Low self-esteem
Relationship or family struggles
Grief and loss
Life transitions or feeling stuck
Details:

Start Date: Wednesday 10 September
Frequency: Weekly-Half term 15 October
Duration: 7:00 – 8:30 (90 mins)
Format: In person only
Location: Top Floor, 2 Harley Street, London W1G 9PA (ring the bell to London Hill Medical)
Cost: £180 including a remote 20-minute assessment consultation
“I didn’t realize how much I needed this until I joined. The group has helped me feel more connected and less alone.” – Previous Participant

📞 Ready to take the first step?

Reach out to Billi@billisilverstein.co.uk

Limited spaces, priority goes to those on current or past groups — reserve your spot today.

07/08/2025

Where Are My People? – A Psychodynamic Reflection on Not Watching Love Island

For many, the arrival of Love Island marks the start of a social season, group chats buzz, office conversations revolve around coupling up and hashtags trend daily. But for others, it brings a quieter, lonelier under tone. A subtle alienation from the collective!

Those who don’t watch Love Island may find themselves wondering, “Where are my people?” It’s not simply about television taste; it’s often about belonging. In psychodynamic terms, these moments tap into deeper relational patterns. Feeling like an outsider can reawaken early experiences of exclusion, perhaps from the family system, school friendships, or social groups where one felt misattuned.

There can be an unspoken cultural script that equates popularity with participation. If you’re not joining in, what does that say about your capacity to connect? In therapy, we often explore how individuals manage the tension between individuality and group belonging. Opting out of Love Island might symbolise a refusal to conform to dominant cultural appetites, but it can also stir inner conflict: the wish to be authentic battling the wish to feel included.

This dissonance can surface as quiet shame, masked superiority, or just numb disinterest. Each of these a defence against a deeper yearning to find kindred spirits.

In therapy, we listen for the symbolic layers: Love Island as the ‘other room,' the one everyone’s in, except you. Yet it’s also an opportunity. By noticing the ache of cultural dislocation, we can become curious about what we truly long for. Is it depth, meaning, intimacy? Perhaps even the kind of connection that isn’t packaged for entertainment, but discovered slowly and relationally.

So if you find yourself asking, “Where are my people?”, the answer might lie not in avoiding the noise, but in attending to the silence it leaves behind.

In psychotherapy, we explore diversity of experience with empathy and without judgement.

Get in touch today to consider your options.

27/07/2025

The d me Disease of More

The “disease of more” is not just a cultural issue or a personality flaw. It is a deeper psychological and existential condition, a sign that we have become disconnected from ourselves and from what gives life meaning. At its heart lies a constant urge to seek fulfilment through accumulation: more success, more possessions, more experiences, more recognition. But behind this craving is often a discomfort with simply being ourselves.

While the phrase is commonly used nowadays, the idea is described powerfully in The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. There, addiction is seen not only as a chemical problem, but as a spiritual illness, a constant yearning for relief. The book speaks of a “self-centred fear”, the belief that if only we could get more, we might finally feel complete. But that inner emptiness cannot be filled by achievement. It can only be eased through surrender, connection and a sense of purpose.

Psychologically, the “disease of more” reflects the well-known hedonic treadmill, the tendency for people to quickly adapt to better circumstances, only to return to their original level of contentment. What once felt exciting soon becomes ordinary. Then the search for more begins again. Left unchecked, this cycle can become unhealthy. It fuels consumerism, puts strain on relationships and drives burnout. In today’s world, shaped by endless scrolling, status updates and the selling of our attention, the disease of more is no longer just a personal issue. It is a societal one.

This condition thrives when we lack inner peace. The answer is not to give everything up or stop caring. It is about integration: returning to stillness, building meaningful relationships and practising the mindset of “enough”. It takes real courage to stop chasing, not because we have failed, but because we have finally realised we are enough. We always have been. We have enough, and just as we are, we are more than enough.

This shift begins with how we see ourselves and with the idea of mirroring. As children, we learn through our primary caregiver whether we are accepted just as we are. When that reflection is loving, we grow with a sense that we are fundamentally lovable.

In psychotherapy, we explore diversity of experience with empathy and without judgement.

Get in touch today to consider your options.

18/07/2025

Why We Don’t Pass the Tissue in Psychotherapy (And No, It Is Not Because We Are Mean)

Psychotherapists are taught not to hand out tissues when someone is crying.

I always find myself cringing when a therapist is shown handing a tissue to a client in films or on television. Real life therapy, however, is a little less Hollywood and a little more nuanced.

In training, us psychotherapists are taught not to hand out tissues when someone is crying. Why? Because therapy is not about tidying up emotions like spilled tea or wiping away tears like a polite guest at a funeral. It is about holding space for feelings and letting clients experience them fully on their own terms.

Passing the tissue can unintentionally send the message; don’t feel and move on. That is the last thing the client needs. Often the tearful moments are not just moments of sadness but signals of something deeper, grief, relief, anger or breakthrough. By rushing to fix the emotion, the therapist might close down the very experience the client needs to process.

There is also an unspoken rule of therapy: emotional self-reliance. Clients come to learn how to sit with discomfort and find their own resilience. If the therapist is always the one offering comfort through tissues or soothing words, the client might miss out on building that vital skill.

Of course, therapists are human. We do have tissues on hand, strategically placed. But we wait until the client reaches for one first. It is a small gesture loaded with respect and trust, teaching self-soothing as a way of creating and strengthening independence.

Beyond offering tissues, therapists support clients in cultivating independence by fostering self-awareness, encouraging adaptive coping strategies and building a strong therapeutic alliance. Rather than providing ready-made answers, therapists guide clients toward discovering their own solutions, challenging unhelpful thought patterns, and developing a deeper sense of personal agency.

In psychotherapy, we explore diversity of experience with empathy and without judgement.

Get in touch today to consider your options.

11/07/2025

Why do Psychotherapist need clinical Supervision?

Clinical supervision plays a vital role in the development and sustainability of effective practice. At its core, clinical supervision is designed to create a safe, supportive environment where practitioners can critically reflect on their work. This reflective space allows individuals to not only enhance their clinical skills and knowledge but also to maintain their emotional and psychological well-being amidst the demands of their roles.

The process of clinical supervision serves three interrelated functions: normative, formative, and restorative. The normative function focuses on ensuring professional standards are upheld and that practice remains compliant with organizational and regulatory requirements. This supports accountability and reinforces ethical and professional integrity. The formative function is concerned with learning and development. Through feedback, exploration of practice issues, and shared learning, practitioners are able to grow in confidence and competence. Lastly, the restorative function provides emotional support, recognising the emotional challenges inherent in clinical work. It offers a space where practitioners can process their experiences, manage stress, and prevent burnout.

These functions are not standalone; they are woven together to support a holistic approach to professional supervision. When effectively facilitated, clinical supervision helps practitioners manage the complexities of their roles, fosters resilience, and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. It strengthens the therapeutic relationship between practitioners and their clients by ensuring that those delivering care are themselves supported and ethically grounded.

Ultimately, clinical supervision is not just a managerial requirement but a dynamic and essential component of professional practice, contributing significantly to the quality and safety of care delivered.

If you are an integrative psychotherapist, I am happy to talk to you about your clinical supervision needs. Contact me today.