Javier Calatrava

The longer I work as a therapist the more convinced I am that when I go into the therapy room I do not meet an issue, a problem, or a diagnosis, I meet a human being. And if we are going to work together, then I need to be seeing the client’s world (as far as I can) through the client’s eyes. So I hesitate to say that I specialise in any particular issue. I hope I specialise in listening deeply and with attention to human beings.
I think of therapy as something that can help you notice what you may have missed or learned to ignore. I work with clients to encourage different aspects of their personality to find their voice. Often these parts have been pushed aside because they once felt threatening or unacceptable, either to us or to those around us. Many of us spend years learning how to fit in, rather than how to be ourselves.
I see therapy as an opportunity for a more honest conversation with yourself, understanding the parts of your life that cause pain, anxiety, or dissatisfaction, alongside recognising your strengths. I often see personal crises as having a purpose, they can act as signals that something needs to change.
It seems that no one gets through life without some experience of emotional hurt. The therapeutic process is about acknowledging this and giving feelings the space and validation they deserve. Often it is through staying with difficult feelings that something new can begin.
I work with clients not by fixing what is broken, but by finding ways to listen differently, to hold complexity without rushing towards solutions, and to sit with the discomfort of not knowing.