Anxiety, addiction and relationship specialist in Crouch End and Muswell Hill
Comments from past clients
Former clients have kindly given their permission for me to publish extracts of their feedback on my website. I hope this will give you a better idea of what seeing me for counselling or psychotherapy might feel like.
I have changed the names of all clients to preserve their anonymity.
Counselling for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Annabelle in Muswell Hill:
Testimonial
"Over a 10 week course, Andrew has helped and empowered me to overcome my compulsive checking of perceived danger in the house. His calm, confident and intuitive approach gave me the space and belief I needed to focus on myself and stop unnecessary anxiety-led behaviour.
He motivated me to confront my anxiety and challenged me to reject the need to over-check. I feel liberated and proud that with Andrew’s help, I now feel in control of the anxiety that was controlling me. I cannot recommend him enough."
"I really appreciated you spending time getting to know me before we tackled my specific issue with checking [OCD]. This make me feel confident that you really understood me and quickly built my trust in your approach so that I felt sure that you could help me.
I also appreciated the way you presented the counselling as a process that would give me the strength and belief to overcome my anxiety-led behaviour. With your help, I quickly saw my problem as a challenge and our sessions as giving me the motivation and encouragement to succeed in overcoming my checking.
Another element to the sessions which I found fascinating was your descriptions of anxiety and the psychology behind anxiety. I will always keep the idea of being “antifragile” in my mind, especially at times of stress and self doubt."
Psychotherapy for panic attacks and panic disorder, Rajesh in Muswell Hill:
Testimonial
"I would recommend Andrew Martin without hesitation. I have been suffering from anxiety for over a few years on and off and suffered from a recent episode so overwhelmingly that it had started to cripple my capacity to manage both my work and personal life. This is when I sought help from Andrew.
Being of a shy personality, I find it hard to open up to people, but as soon as I met Andrew he put me at total ease and made me feel comfortable. He listened attentively and only asked questions that helped me elaborate or to clarify. He is very wise but also very down-to-earth and sensitive. I found that his forte is when he participated in the few exercises that he conducted along with me. Andrew made me feel like I was one of his only patients, and he wanted to bring me back to optimum mental health as soon as possible. After 8 weekly sessions, together we found the underlying root causes to my problems and he guided me on how to deal with them. Now, I can honestly say that I am confident that I have the tools to deal with my anxiety, thanks to Andrew."
"You did understand that I was not keen on doing one of the exercises, and the way you motivated me by joining in and doing the activity yourself helped me to take part in the exercises more willingly. I think this helped a lot."
Counselling for relationship issues, Suzie in Crouch End:
Testimonial
"Andrew came highly recommended by my GP after I admitted that I felt like crying every day but had nobody to turn to, to listen to me or help me make decisions on my failing marriage, daily stress from work, children, money and life issues in general. I needed to focus on why I had become this sad person every day.
Andrew listened, advised and guided me so much more than I ever thought I needed. He helped me face up to truths not only about my marriage but mainly about myself - even when I didn’t want to accept them. I found it so hard at times to deal with, but I am so grateful to him for that. My advice to anyone contemplating going to see him would be to just book in your first sessions and go. Sit down and just talk. He, without doubt, made me a better person, wife and mother."
"I particularly liked the homework tasks you set me. I found them very thought-provoking and perfectly chosen for each situation I was in. Sometimes frustrating but the most part very useful to learn more about me, my real inner thoughts and reactions, good and bad!"
Counselling for anxiety, Claire in Crouch End:
Testimonial
"I found the comfortable atmosphere Andrew created really reassuring. I appreciated his ability to be able to listen without judgement or pressure me to reach a certain understanding. Talking to him felt like unloading your anxieties onto a friend - but without the worry of being burdensome. My weekly sessions provided an outlet I needed to vent a constant spiral of negative emotions. I can't say my problems are all solved forevermore, but through the guidance he provided, I am continuing to learn how to manage and confront my anxieties! Would still be attending if I hadn't moved across the globe. Thank you for all your help, Andrew."
"I really liked the comfortable atmosphere. Other people I knew seemed to have a lot more structure to their counselling sessions (esp on the NHS). They would have to complete mood sheets, etc, homework essentially. I don't doubt the usefulness of this method but I much preferred being able to come into a safe space every week and just unload whatever was on my mind."
Counselling for work anxiety, Don in Crouch End:
Testimonial
"Andrew is extremely committed to his professional environment where I can rant about the world, people, and myself - but knowing it's not being vented and unleashed upon a supportive and sympathetic friend over a coffee, which to be honest, never helps. I not only got the sense Andrew was actively listening to me, he was seeking keywords too.
My favourite parts were when I stated something profound, and he jotted it down. That's part of the work, that's part of the process. We built from that and moved forward, even if there was a setback. It's all professional conversation and the reason why I am where I am now, almost a year on. We moved forward - the only direction I wanted, the only direction there is. Thank you Andrew."
"The fact that the process is set up to be a two-way street. Andrew is not in the business of lecturing, he's in the business of listening. But to make it work, you have to play your part too. Do the homework. The work you do outside of the sessions is essential. It keeps things practical."
Counselling for health anxiety and lack of self-esteem, Sarah in Muswell Hill:
Testimonial
"I went to Andrew to help me deal with some anxiety issues - particularly around social and health-related anxiety - which were making me feel very low and lacking in self-belief. The sessions were invaluable in providing me with ways to approach things differently. I feel I now have a helpful toolbox that I can use in day-to-day life, and am finding I'm seeing things in a more balanced and positive way than I was before. Andrew was a fantastic listener and he made me feel very comfortable in being honest with him about how I was feeling. I'm so glad I sought help from him."
"I found the approaches you went through with me - that I could then take away and apply to real-life scenarios - really useful. Particularly how to recognise and then challenge my unhelpful beliefs with the rigid/true/logical/helpful measures. I felt you were very good too at returning to the key learnings during all of our sessions. That really helped to consolidate the learnings in my head.
Finally, I just found it so helpful to be able to talk openly about how I was feeling - you're a fantastic listener and I felt I could be very honest with you in the sessions."
Counselling for anxiety, depression, and relationship issues, John in Muswell Hill:
Testimonial
"The sessions I had with Andrew were a real comfort to me and as we progressed I felt a genuine excitement on his side when trying to constructively solve problems and answer questions. He has a warmth and positivity that was of great help to me during difficult times."
"I found your relentless positivity regarding all potential action very helpful and comforting, I found I was put in a more positive mindset during and after the sessions. I found the direction of sessions quite natural. I felt genuinely listened to always, regardless of what I was talking about. I also thought I perceived a genuine excitement when trying to work through some issues which was encouraging, it was nice to think me and my problems were interesting."