Psychodynamic therapy for individuals and couples.

Bereavement, anxiety, relationships, and the patterns underneath them. Decades in the helping professions, including mental health and hospice. Featured on BBC Radio and a regular contributor to broadcast and published media. Sessions in Lewes or online.

Takes under a minute · Free, no obligation
Three ways to work together

Who I work with.

For people who want to understand why, not just manage what.

From first message to first session

What to expect.

A psychodynamic approach to therapy means working with the roots of what you're feeling, not just the surface of it. Here's what that looks like in practice.

01

You get in touch.

You fill in a short form. Six questions about what brings you here, what kind of work you're considering, and how to reach you. Takes about a minute. No pressure to explain everything yet.

02

A free 20-minute call.

We talk briefly so you can hear what working together might be like, ask anything you want, and get a sense of whether it feels right. No commitment either way.

03

Your first session.

Fifty minutes. We talk about what's brought you here and what you'd like to come out of the work. Nothing to prepare. Wherever you start is fine.

04

Ongoing work.

Usually weekly, sometimes fortnightly. Open-ended rather than fixed at a number of sessions. We review what's useful as we go and adjust.

Prof. Denise Turner, PhD · BACP Accredited

A long career in hospice, mental health, and academia. Now in private practice.

Decades across mental health, hospice work, and the helping professions, alongside an academic career. A trained couples therapist working psychodynamically. Published author and featured on BBC Radio, with regular contributions to broadcast and published media on grief and bereavement.

A warm, grounded approach to deeply personal work.

In their own words

What people say.

Denise was brilliant and helped me immensely through a very challenging time. I am so very grateful to her.
Individual therapy
Denise focussed on what was important to me and always understood things from my point of view without judgement.
Individual therapy
Denise took great care to help us look at the emotions beneath the issues which were causing us to argue and helped us to refocus on each other and our relationship as the most important things.
Couples therapy

The work tends to start with one short message.

Send a few sentences about what's been on your mind, and we'll find a time to talk. No commitment.

Takes under a minute · Free, no obligation
01 · Individual therapy

One-to-one psychodynamic counselling in Lewes and online.

For bereavement, anxiety, life transitions, and the patterns underneath your relationships and reactions.

What people bring to this work.

  • A grief that hasn't moved in the way you expected it to
  • Anxiety with no obvious cause, or with too many
  • A relationship that keeps hitting the same wall
  • A life transition that has knocked you sideways
  • A pattern in how you react that you can see but can't shift
  • The sense that something is asking to be looked at

What we'd work on together.

  • Understanding where reactions come from, not just what to do about them
  • Making room for difficult feelings without trying to fix them
  • Looking at the links between your past and your present
  • Noticing patterns in relationships, in moods, in how you cope
  • Working out what's yours and what you've inherited
  • Finding your own way of putting things into words
Session length
50 minutes
Weekly or fortnightly
Fee
£60
Insurance and EAP accepted
Format
In person or online
Therapy room in central Lewes
Areas of focus

Where this work tends to land.

Most people arrive with one or two of these. They often turn out to be connected.

Bereavement and loss.

After decades in hospice work and as a published voice on grief, this is where I have the most depth. Bereavement that hasn't moved, anticipated loss, complicated grief, and the kind of grief that arrives when you weren't expecting it. Sometimes the loss is recent. Sometimes it's been waiting decades to be properly looked at.

Anxiety.

Anxiety with no obvious cause, or with too many. Panic attacks that started somewhere and have stayed. The psychodynamic approach looks at where the pattern began and what it has been protecting you from, which often opens up more than symptom management on its own.

Life transitions.

Becoming a parent. A relationship ending. Retirement. A diagnosis. The kind of changes that can knock you sideways even when you've chosen them. Therapy through a transition is partly about the change itself and partly about who you find yourself becoming through it.

Relationship patterns.

Why the same arguments keep happening. Why you keep ending up with the same kind of partner. Why work relationships go wrong in the same way. Patterns are usually faithful representatives of something earlier, and they tend to settle once they're seen.

From first message to first session

How starting tends to go.

01

You get in touch.

A short form takes about a minute. Six questions about what brings you here and how to reach you.

02

A free 20-minute call.

We talk briefly so you can hear what working together might be like. No commitment either way.

03

Your first session.

Fifty minutes. Wherever you start is fine. Nothing to prepare. We talk about what's brought you here.

04

Ongoing work.

Usually weekly, sometimes fortnightly. Open-ended. We review as we go and adjust together.

In their own words

What change can look like.

I would like to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for your help, guidance, knowledge, and most of all patience through this journey. I really have learnt a lot and feel like I have achieved what I didn't think was possible. Thank you for everything to date you have done for me to help me understand myself.
F · 40s · Individual therapy · Anxiety and self-understanding
Common questions

Before starting.

How long does therapy take?

Open-ended. Some people work with me for a few months around a specific issue. Others work with me for longer when the work is broader. We review what's useful as we go.

What if I don't know what to bring to a session?

That's normal. We start wherever you are. Sometimes silence does work too.

Will I have to talk about my childhood?

You don't have to talk about anything in particular. The past tends to come up when it's still showing up in the present, not because we go looking for it.

Is online therapy as effective as in-person?

For most individuals, yes. We talk about your preference at the intro call. Online suits some people better than in-person, and a few people choose to mix.

Do you accept insurance or EAP referrals?

Yes. I'm approved to receive insurance payments, so I'm covered by most health and employer insurance providers. We can talk through the specifics on the intro call.

What's confidential, and what isn't?

What you share is confidential, with the standard exceptions all therapists are bound by. The specifics are in the contract you sign before starting.

Ready to start?

A free 20-minute call to see if we're a fit, with no commitment to continue.

Takes under a minute · Free, no obligation
02 · Couples therapy

Couples therapy in Lewes and online, in any direction.

For couples finding a way forward together, and for couples separating with care.

What this kind of work looks at.

  • Communication patterns that keep ending in the same place
  • The unspoken weight you each bring from your own histories
  • How conflict actually works between you, beneath the content
  • Trust, intimacy, and the quiet erosion of either
  • What separating well might mean, if that's where you're going
  • Co-parenting, finances, and life logistics during transitions

How psychodynamic couples work differs.

Most couples therapy focuses on communication skills and tools. Psychodynamic couples work goes deeper, looking at what each of you is bringing to the relationship from your own past, and how those things meet each other in the present.

It's slower than skills-based couples work. It's also more durable, because the patterns it identifies are the ones that would otherwise repeat in the next relationship.

Sessions are 50 minutes, with both partners present. We meet weekly to start, then often shift to fortnightly.

Session length
50 minutes
Both partners present
Fee
£70
Per couple, per session
Format
In person or online
Therapy room in central Lewes
In the room

What a session actually looks like.

People are often anxious about this, especially the first one. Here's what to expect.

The shape of the room.

Sessions are 50 minutes with both of you in the room or both on screen. There's a small triangle: the two of you and me. I'll ask each of you, in turn, what's brought you here today. From there we work with whatever surfaces.

I'll often pause to ask about a pattern I'm noticing, or check in with the partner who hasn't spoken for a while. The room is balanced rather than equal, in the sense that whoever needs more space at a given moment tends to get it.

The pace is slower than most couples expect. Early sessions tend to be more about understanding what's actually happening between you than about resolving anything. The work tends to deepen over time rather than start at depth.

If conflict shows up.

Conflict can happen in the session. That's usually useful. We can look at what's actually happening between you in the moment rather than reconstructing it later, which is where most of the real work tends to be.

What we're never doing is taking sides. The work is on the dynamic between you, not on which of you is right. If you arrive feeling that you have the better case, that's normal. The room isn't a court.

When something gets stuck, I'll often slow things down further rather than push through. Stuck moments are usually the most important moments. They tend to mark where the pattern between you actually lives.

In their own words

What couples take away.

Denise took great care to help us look at the emotions beneath the issues which were causing us to argue and helped us to refocus on each other and our relationship as the most important things.
Couples therapy
Common questions

Before starting couples work.

What if only one of us wants to come?

The intro call can be with either of you, or both. If only one of you wants to start, we can talk about whether individual work might be a useful first step.

We argue a lot. Will we end up arguing in the session?

Possibly. If you do, that's useful information. The room is a place where the way you argue can be looked at, not just the content of what you're arguing about.

Can you help if we've already decided to separate?

Yes. I work with couples who want to find a way forward together and with couples who want to separate well. Both kinds of work are real, and they require similar attention to how each of you affects the other.

Do you do online couples therapy?

Couples work tends to land best in person. Online is possible if logistics make it necessary, and a hybrid arrangement (some in person, some online) sometimes works well too.

How long does couples work usually take?

Open-ended. Some couples work with me for a few months around a specific issue. Others work for longer when the work is broader. We review as we go.

What if we want different things from this?

Common, especially at the start. We talk about it openly in the first session. Sometimes the difference itself is the thing worth working on.

Speaking together is a start.

The free intro call can be with one of you or both. Whatever feels possible.

Takes under a minute · Free, no obligation
03 · Consultancy

Bereavement consultancy and workshops for organisations.

Specialist consultation, training, and speaking engagements on grief, loss, and the human side of organisational life.

What's available.

  • Workshops on bereavement, grief, and supporting loss in the workplace
  • Team consultation around organisational change, transition, or loss
  • Speaking engagements on grief, end-of-life, and emotional literacy at work
  • One-to-one consultation for HR leads and people managers
  • Bespoke programmes designed with you, in person or online

Background you can draw on.

Decades of frontline experience in mental health and hospice care. A long academic career, with peer-reviewed publications in bereavement and loss. Consultancy work with organisations during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Featured on BBC Radio and a regular contributor to broadcast and published media on grief and bereavement.

Comfortable with senior audiences, technical terms, and the human reality those terms describe.

Format
In person or online
UK-wide
Engagement
Bespoke
From single sessions to programmes
Fees
By arrangement
Quoted after a scoping call
Workshop topics

What I tend to be brought in for.

Most engagements end up bespoke. These are the starting points.

Loss in the workplace.

For organisations supporting bereaved colleagues, or working through collective loss after a difficult period. Half-day or full-day. In person or online.

Bereavement awareness training.

For frontline teams, healthcare, and any organisation likely to encounter grief in their work. A foundation in what bereavement actually looks like and how to respond well.

Building emotional literacy in teams.

For managers, HR teams, and leaders who want to handle the human side of work better. Practical, not theoretical.

Leading through change.

For organisations going through restructuring, redundancies, or major transitions. The work covers both the human reality of the change and how leaders hold it.

Format options.

  • Single workshop, half-day or full-day
  • Multi-session series, three to six sessions over weeks or months
  • Team consultation, smaller and ongoing
  • Speaking engagements and panels
  • One-to-one consultation with senior leaders
  • Online, in person, or a mix of both

What you tend to leave with.

  • Practical tools for the specific situation you're working with
  • Shared language for difficult topics, across the team
  • Confidence in approaching grief, loss, or change at work
  • Reflective space for leaders to think through hard decisions
  • Where appropriate, a written follow-up summary or framework

Tell me about your team.

A scoping call to talk through what you're working with and what would actually help. No charge.

UK-wide, in person or online
About

Prof. Denise Turner, PhD.

A psychodynamic therapist and academic with decades of personal and professional experience navigating the more challenging aspects of life.

Why I do this work.

My route to therapy was a long one. Most of my working life has been spent in the helping professions, alongside people in hospices, in homelessness services, in mental health settings, and across academic life. I came to this work with both personal and professional experience of trauma, including traumatic loss.

After decades of working with people at some of the most difficult moments in their lives, and after walking with people through what Covid asked of all of us, I trained formally as a psychodynamic therapist. The decision came from both sides of my life. I haven't looked back.

After decades in the helping professions, I trained formally as a therapist. I haven't looked back.

What I bring to the work.

Alongside the clinical work I've spent a long time in academia. I'm a Professor and I hold a PhD from the University of Sussex. The two sides of my career inform each other. Sitting with people in profoundly difficult moments has taught me what theory cannot, and academic work has given me a frame for what I see in the room.

My background spans hospice care, work with people who were homeless, work with people who had committed serious offences, and across mental health more broadly. Decades of life experience and decades of frontline work mean very little surprises me any more, which is often useful in the room.

I'm comfortable with people who arrive wanting to think analytically and equally comfortable with those who come more emotionally. Most days the work moves between the two. Outside the consulting room I've also worked in art and design, and that side of my training shows up in how I work too.

How I work.

I'm a psychodynamic therapist. In practice that means I'm interested in the links between someone's present life and what came before it, particularly early experiences and the things we don't yet have words for. I'm not here to advise or coach you. I'm here to think alongside you about what keeps happening, why, and what might shift.

Sessions begin with whatever you bring, and we move at a pace that feels right. The work tends to unfold as a slower kind of conversation. Closer attention paid to the things you might otherwise pass over. A shared process of discovery, gently exploring patterns and underlying reasons, and finding meaningful ways forward.

Credentials.

  • BACP Accredited member · MBACP #400746
  • Post Graduate Diploma in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy · University of Brighton
  • Professor · PhD, University of Sussex
  • Trained couples therapist
  • ICO Registered · Full public liability insurance

The work begins with a conversation.

A free 20-minute call to see if we'd work well together.

Takes under a minute · Free, no obligation
Book a free call

A few questions, then we find a time.

Four short questions to help Denise understand what you're looking for. Then you pick a time directly. Takes about a minute.

Question 1 of 4

What kind of work are you looking for?

Question 2 of 4

What's bringing you here?

Pick whatever fits, and add anything else in your own words.

Question 3 of 4

Where would you like to work?

Question 4 of 4

How can Denise reach you?

Used only to respond to your enquiry.

Preferred contact method
Sending

Just a moment.

Sending your enquiry to Denise.

Enquiry sent

Thank you, your message is on its way to Denise.

She reads every enquiry herself and will get back to you to arrange your free call, usually within two working days and often sooner.

Something went wrong

The enquiry didn't send.

Please try again, or email Denise directly at contact@deniseturnertherapy.com.

If you'd rather not use the form, email Denise directly: contact@deniseturnertherapy.com

Replies within two working days, often sooner.

Frequently asked

Common questions.

How long does therapy take?

It depends on what you bring and what you are hoping for. Some people come for a few months, others stay longer. We start by understanding what has brought you to therapy, and then keep reviewing how the work is going as we go. There is no set number of sessions and no commitment beyond what feels useful to you.

Do you accept insurance or EAPs?

Yes. I'm approved to receive insurance payments, so I can see clients whose therapy is funded through health or employer insurance. It's worth checking the details with your provider, and we can talk it through on our first call.

What's the difference between psychodynamic therapy and CBT?

CBT tends to work with your current thoughts and behaviour and gives you practical tools to change them. Psychodynamic therapy, which is what I do, looks at where those patterns come from, often in earlier experiences and relationships. Rather than advising or coaching you, I help you notice the patterns that may be holding you back, so they start to loosen their grip. Both approaches work. It comes down to what you are looking for.

Do you work with people online or only in Lewes?

Both. I see individuals in my therapy room in central Lewes, online, or a mix of the two, whatever suits you. For couples, I find the work goes best in person, so I usually suggest meeting in Lewes for that.

Is what I share confidential?

Yes. What you share with me is confidential. The only exceptions are if there is an immediate risk to you or to someone else, or where I have a legal obligation, for example around safeguarding. I keep brief, anonymised notes, stored securely. We go through all of this in the contract before we start, so you always know where you stand.

What if I don't know what to say in a session?

That is completely normal, and it happens often. You do not need to arrive with anything prepared. If you feel stuck, I will help you explore that, and I might sometimes suggest something like emotion cards or drawing to ease things along, only ever if you find it useful. We start wherever you are.

Can I come for one session, or do I need to commit to more?

There is no commitment to a set number of sessions. The first session is partly about seeing whether I am the right therapist for you, so it is completely fine to come once and decide it is not for you. If we do carry on, we agree together how often to meet and for how long. It stays in your hands.

What's your cancellation policy?

If you need to rearrange or cancel a session, please give me as much notice as you can. The full cancellation terms are set out in the contract we agree before we start, so there are no surprises later on.

Privacy

Privacy Notice

Last updated: 12 June 2026

Who we are

This website is operated by Prof. Denise Turner, trading as Denise Turner Therapy and Couples Counselling, based in Lewes, East Sussex.

For the purposes of UK data protection law (the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018), the data controller is:

Prof. Denise Turner
Lewes, East Sussex
Email: contact@deniseturnertherapy.com
Registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
BACP Accredited Member: 400746

What information we collect

When you submit an enquiry through the website, we collect:

  • Your name
  • Your email address or phone number (whichever you choose)
  • Information about what you'd like to discuss, if you choose to share it
  • Your IP address (kept temporarily, for spam protection only)

We do not use cookies, analytics, advertising trackers, or any third-party tracking on this website.

Why we collect it (lawful basis)

We process your information on the basis of your consent (which you give by ticking the consent box on the enquiry form), and our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries from people who contact us through the website.

Your IP address is processed under legitimate interest for the limited purpose of preventing abuse of the contact form. It is not stored long-term.

How we use it

We use the information only to:

  • Reply to your enquiry
  • Arrange an initial 20-minute call
  • Discuss whether ongoing therapy would be appropriate

If you become a client, a separate confidentiality and data agreement is signed at the start of therapy, and that document governs how clinical records are handled. This Privacy Notice only covers website enquiries.

How we store it

Enquiry messages are delivered to a secure email account. They are not stored on this website's server beyond the few seconds it takes to send them.

IP addresses used for spam protection are deleted automatically within one hour.

How long we keep it

If you don't become a client, enquiry emails are deleted within three months of your last contact with us.

If you become a client, your enquiry email is filed with your clinical record and kept for five years from the end of therapy, or from when I last heard from you, in line with my privacy policy.

Who we share it with

We do not share your information for marketing or analytics purposes. The only third party involved in delivering this website is:

  • Hostinger (web hosting), which transmits your enquiry from the website to our email account but does not access its contents.

We do not transfer your data outside the UK or EEA.

Cookies

This website does not set any cookies and uses no analytics or tracking.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • Ask what information we hold about you
  • Ask us to correct anything that's wrong
  • Ask us to delete your information
  • Withdraw your consent at any time
  • Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113

To exercise any of these rights, email contact@deniseturnertherapy.com.

Changes to this notice

If we update this Privacy Notice, the "Last updated" date at the top will change. Significant changes will be brought to the attention of existing clients directly.

Terms

Terms of Use

Last updated: 12 June 2026

About this website

This site is operated by Prof. Denise Turner, trading as Denise Turner Therapy and Couples Counselling. It is intended to provide general information about her therapy practice and to allow visitors to make initial enquiries.

Not medical advice

Nothing on this website constitutes medical, psychiatric, or psychological advice. The site is for information only. If you are in crisis or experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact the Samaritans on 116 123, NHS 111, or your GP.

Accuracy

Information on the site is provided in good faith and we make reasonable efforts to keep it accurate, but we make no warranty as to completeness or current accuracy. Specific arrangements, fees, and availability are confirmed at the point of booking.

Submitting an enquiry

By submitting the enquiry form, you confirm that the information you have provided is accurate and that you are at least 18 years old. We handle your information in line with our Privacy Notice.

Intellectual property

All content on this website (text, images, design) is the property of Denise Turner unless otherwise stated. You may not reproduce or republish material without written permission.

External links

Where the site links to external resources (such as the BACP or ICO), we are not responsible for the content of those sites.

Professional regulation

Denise Turner is an Accredited Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), registration number 400746, and works in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions. Complaints about clinical practice may be made through the BACP at bacp.co.uk.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Contact

For any questions about these terms, please email contact@deniseturnertherapy.com.