Dr Alistair McBride
My Therapeutic Approach
A collaborative, relational and integrative way of working
Therapy is not something done to you — it is something done with you. My approach integrates several traditions within psychotherapy while remaining grounded in the quality of the therapeutic relationship itself.
Why I Work This Way
I trained in and integrate the three core psychotherapy traditions: Humanistic, Psychodynamic and CBT.
Over time, I have found that a Humanistic and Existential approach most closely reflects the reality of therapy itself — two people meeting to explore your experience of life, the choices available to you, and how you wish to live meaningfully amid uncertainty.
My background in Medicine and Neuroscience deepened my understanding of how mind, body and lived experience interact. Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes.
Humanistic
Psychodynamic
CBT
The relationship itself is the method.
It is the technique.
It is the engine of change.
What This Means for You
You will be met as a unique person — not as a diagnosis or label. I aim to offer a non-judgemental space where we can explore the depth of your experience.
Your relationships
Your struggles
Your hopes
Your choices
Your pain
Your sense of meaning
"Therapy is collaborative. We will draw from different approaches depending on your goals and situation, rather than following a rigid model."
We will also regularly check in to ensure the work feels right for you. My focus is on providing a safe, consistent space where you can speak what is on your mind.
Counselling or Psychotherapy?
Counselling
Often shorter-term and focused on specific issues such as grief, stress, or decision-making.
Psychotherapy
Typically longer-term and explores deeper emotional and behavioural patterns, often rooted in earlier experiences, trauma, or longstanding anxiety — with the goal of more enduring change.
The two frequently overlap. Together, we can discuss what you are seeking and what approach best fits your needs.
Why Talk Therapy?
"Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knots up the over-wrought heart and bids it break."
— William Shakespeare
Talking about our thoughts and emotions is not passive — it transforms them. Speaking about difficult experiences brings them into the open, making them less overwhelming and more manageable.
Therapy can help you find clarity, meaning and connection rather than isolation. It is an active, reflective process that strengthens your ability to understand yourself and relate more freely to others.
Areas of Depth
Working With Complex Experiences
Confronting Illness and Death
When facing life-changing or terminal illness — or the losses that come with ageing — therapy can help you explore how to live meaningfully in the face of suffering.
Drawing on my medical background and experience in community healthcare, I support people in finding dignity, connection and purpose when life's fragility becomes clear.
Together, we can explore how you wish to live — and what matters most — even as circumstances change.
An Existential Approach to Trauma
Trauma is more than what happened — it is how it was experienced emotionally and physically.
An existential approach views trauma not only as a wound to be healed, but as a confrontation with life's core realities: freedom, responsibility, isolation, vulnerability and meaning.
This work does not seek only to remove symptoms, but to help you:
Reclaim agency
Develop resilience
Integrate the experience
Rediscover meaning
The goal is not to erase trauma, but to live authentically and meaningfully after it.
An Existential Approach to Neurodiversity
With neurodivergent clients, therapy focuses on exploring what it means to live authentically in a world that may misunderstand difference.
Rather than attempting to "fix" neurodivergence, this work supports you in finding belonging, agency and purpose on your own terms — respecting your sensory and cognitive experiences.
Difference is not a defect — it is part of the human condition.
What I Ask of You
I ask that you come open to exploring your experience — even the parts that may feel irrelevant, uncomfortable or difficult.
The more openly and consistently you engage, the more meaningful the work can become.
We will review progress together and adapt as needed.
Taking the First Step Can Feel Difficult
Reaching out for therapy often requires courage. If you are unsure whether it is right for you, I welcome an initial conversation to explore what you are seeking and whether we might work well together.