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Rosie Thewlis

Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Welcome to my website, please take a look around. Whatever brings you to therapy, I’m here to help create a warm space to encourage reflection and change as we work together on whatever may be troubling you. My consulting room is in Islington, London and I also offer sessions online. If you’d like to know more, do get in touch. I’d love to hear from you.

My consultation room - a blue sofa with a floral cushion, adorned with a green blanket, next to a small black side table holding a blue glass pitcher and a small green cup, placed on a beige and gray patterned rug on wooden flooring.

My consulting room

I completed my training as an attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapist at The Bowlby Centre in London. This included a year’s placement as a perinatal psychotherapist with a National Health Service Mental Health Trust. My previous experience was in BBC TV and Radio, language teaching and translation. I am currently working towards accreditation with the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I adhere to the ethical and professional codes of practice for these organisations. I have experience of helping people from different backgrounds and cultures with a variety of issues ranging from anxiety, depression, feelings of low self-worth, trauma and dissociation to relationship problems and difficult life decisions.

“The human psyche, like human bones, is strongly inclined towards self-healing. The psychotherapist’s job, like that of the orthopaedic surgeon, is to provide the conditions in which self-healing can best take place.”
— John Bowlby, A Secure Base: Clinical Applications of Attachment Theory
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About Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy


Attachment Theory was developed originally by psychiatrist Sir John Bowlby in the 1960s. The field of attachment research continues to expand and remains cutting edge and relevant globally. The message behind it is both simple and profound, acknowledging how the adult is moulded by their early childhood environment and developmental experiences. Problematic behaviours can be seen as a way of adapting to childhood adversities and the pain they cause. These influence how we relate to ourselves and others.

Attachment-based therapy provides the setting for witnessing and repairing these adaptations to early life difficulties. This takes place within a safe and supportive relationship, to provide the conditions for self-healing.

I run a private practice in the Highbury and Islington area of North London and also online. I work from an attachment-based and trauma-informed perspective, trained to deal with difficulties arising from attachment issues, trauma and dissociation in particular. I have a relational approach, preferring not to label or stigmatise but to recognise the impact of early experiences on adult life. I aim to provide the conditions for healing within an emotionally supportive relationship, as suggested by John Bowlby’s quotation above.

About me and my approach

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  • Depression

  • Anxiety

  • Trauma

  • Impact of abuse

  • Bereavement and loss

  • Obsessions and phobias

  • Relationship issues

  • Difficult life decisions

  • Sexual identity

  • Impact of discrimination, oppression and racism

Therapy can help when you need support and are struggling with issues such as:

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How can I help?

Valuing difference and diversity

I respect and value difference in age, class, culture, disability, gender, race and sexuality. Many people struggle against discrimination, racism, and intolerance. Understanding the impact difference has on us can be integral to therapy.

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Consultations

Please get in touch to arrange an initial consultation or to discuss how we might work together.