ADAM CLAYTON MA MUKCP
Relational Intersubjective Therapy, Dream and Shdow Work
Alwoodley, North Leeds
In-person & Online
Archipelago Psychotherapy- Relational Integrative Psychotherapist in North Leeds
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Welcome, I'm Adam, a psychotherapist who prioritises humanity, compassion and responsiveness. I work relationally and intersubjectively to allow the many parts of you to emerge. Like an archipelago, those parts may seem seperate, but in therapy we explore how they are linked and what 'wholeness' might feel like, we also build awareness as what 'blocks to wholeness' emerge and how we navigate that in a safe, caring and real therapeutic relationship. ​I am influenced by Jungian and Post-Jungian emphasis on Dream and Shadow Work which helps bring more unconscious material into our work. I'm also rooted in existential and relational psychodynamic traditions which uses transference and countertransference to takes seriously how our past gets repeated in our 'here and now' experience of relationships.
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What kinds of issues do I work with?
Maybe the life you've always known isn't making sense any more, perhaps you are anxious, confused or depressed. You might desire a particular form of change or just some 'handholds' of awareness and understanding? Perhaps the pressure and strain of 'doing it on your own' or 'holding it all in' is getting too much? Maybe relationships are following the same painful scripts- and you are missing another pair of eyes and compassionate presence to be alongside you? Compulsions or addictions might be offering short term relief but long term shame and anxiety. If are carrying such burdens, you might be convinced that your are alone or uniquely bad- to explore what these burdens can look like click here.
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A UKCP accredited Psychotherapist
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I trained intensively for 6 years including 160 hours of personal therapy. I continue to receive high quality supervision and CPD. Read more about how I work and check out my blog and my FAQ.
How do I work?
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These are my clinical 'anchors' :
Safely: your goals, your pace; Soulfully: connecting with your real and deeper self; Creatively: harnessing imagery, dreams and symbols; Compassionately: honouring how you’ve thrived and/or just survived; Responsively: a person who actively cares about and accepts you and who responds to your needs in the moment & your way of being in the world; Somatically and neurally-inclusive, honouring how you bear the unspoken burdens from the past but also that your body, mind, brain and nervous system are unique, resisiting narratives of neuro-typicality ; Psychologically : casting light on how pain and trauma stays in our systems, responding to this difficult reality with acceptance.
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Therapy as a deeply human relationship
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Most crucially I bring humanity... yours and mine in compassionate dialogue and relationship. I work with what is not yet spoken and maybe never can be put into words. I listen for what lies beneath the immediate problem. I offer a space where we don't have to rush to quick fixes, but can endure the difficulty together until clarity emerges.
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Holding theory lightly
I'm informed by Relational Psychoanalysis, Jungian Depth Psychology, Intersubjective Therapy and Attachment Theory. I seek to hold these ideas lightly- they are useful concepts but the most important feature of our work will be the tangible landscape of human lives, relationships and history- as well as holding those more intangible feelings and sensations that might hover beneath conscious awareness. So when we sit down together, I'll have some maps in my backpocket but they won't dictate the journey.
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Sitting with you in the difficulty, working with your dreams
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I have over seventeen years experience in the NHS, sitting with grief, bereavement, difficult histories and the search for meaning and fulfilment. Whatever is on your heart and mind, I'll be really happy to hear from you and explore how we might work together: understanding your history, your 'way of being' in the World and what you long for in life. This 'prospective function' of where our Self might be leading us often shows up in our dreams, daydreams and fabtasy and I encourage my clients to bring this material to therapy. Sometimes though, life requires us just to sit with the difficult emotions and not too feel alone in them.
Inperson Therapy and Online Working
My therapy practice is rooted in North Leeds (LS17, LS6, LS7, LS8, LS16, LS18, LS19. LS20, LS21) and surrounding areas, I also work with clients across the UK and the World via secure video conferencing, offering the same relational depth as in-person sessions. Use the contact form below to book an initial consultation to explore further.
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UPDATE- March 2026. I am now also working from the well-regarded Tower Clinic in Cookridge. Please specify whether you'd like to meet there or my Home office In Alwoodley.
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If you've got to the stage of exploring therapy than there'll be a lot going on for you and some anxiety about meeting someone new and laying yourself open is natural. My first priority is to build an atmosphere of safe and responsive rapport.
How does therapy help to provide support during life transitions?
Good therapy allows more and more of your 'whole self' to be seen and heard. This is a delicate process, as in our history we are often used to showing an 'edited version' of who we are. Just reflecting together on how difficult and painful this has been can be a huge weight lifted. The call to discover ourselves can happen at all kinds of stages in life: radical changes like marriage, the birth of children, any kinds of loss and bereavement or changes in our professional life. Similarly, as we grow older, we can start questioning what we always assumed about ourselves- common experiences of this can happen around mid to late 20s (quarter life) or in our late 30s and 40s (mid life). You may be going through one of theses "crises" and you may be struggling to find solid ground. Therapy can be your invitation to slow down find a "place to stand", experience companioning in distress and begin reflecting on what is happening.
Does your way of working focus on past, present or future?
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I aim to allow past, present and future be equally present in our relationship. I don't see therapy as archeology or 'detective work', digging up the past in search of answers but I do believe that what actually happed in our history has a significant impact on how we experience ourselves and other people right now. Therefore, I believe that the present moment we share in the therapy room is the most alive and available example of how you are in relationship, as such it holds potential for old misunderstandings to occur and new possibilities for growth and repair (this is the cornerstone of relational psychotherapy). Furthermore, our work is as much about your future growth and potential as it is about dwelling in the past or even just sitting in the present- that's where dreams often function to introduce new possibilities or unseen/hidden potentials that our 'waking minds' don't think possible.
Are you a therapist who just nods and smiles or do you offer more?
The therapy relationship is a unique amalgam between two different people with different histories- as the therapist I listen, hold and mirror back your material but I'm also an active participant as well. As our therapeutic relationship deepens you might find that I share more of what is going on in me. I tailor the speed and extent of this process to meet your individual needs and never to overshadow what you need out of therapy. The lasting benefit of this relational way of working is that you get to experience a more human, mutual and collaborative relationship than if all I do is sit, nod and smile!
When are you going to 'fix me'?
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It's very common to arrive at therapy feeling bad, mad or faulty, more often than not this experience of shame and societel 'othering' has clouded our thinking, feeling and relating for years. Experience tells me that our 'true selves' are larger, more creative and more resilient than we've been led to believe and that therapy is so much more than 'fixing'. It can be discovering and experimenting new ways of being in a safe place, it can be coming to know and love our unique brain and bodies for this first time or it can be the experience of being psychologically 'held' in painful states of mind and not being alone there.
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Location and Fees
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I offer sessions in my home office in Alwoodley, the Tower Clinic in Cookridge and online via a secure, confidential video platform. All formats allow for a consistent, boundaried, and deep therapeutic relationship. Many clients find that working from their own space can actually facilitate a different kind of openness and reflection.
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Usually our meetings will be weekly and will last 50 minutes. In person sessions that take place in my home office require stairs to access.
I charge £75 per session although I do have some lower cost slots. This fee reflects your investment in the process, my level of training and my commitment to you.
If you're not sure about the time and financial commitment of long term therapy- why not contract to a self-contained block of 8 sessions which I can offer for cost of 6. We'll still work at relational depth, just with a tighter frame.
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Do you accept Health Insurance?
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I'm recognised by the following health insurers: Aviva, AXA, Vitality and WPA. If you have health insurance, please contact your provider and request a pre-authorization code to see me. My Provider Numbers are: Aviva [600189024]. AXA [AC08251] , Vitality [SP125451] and WPA [921528701].
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Contact
Please get in touch arrange an initial consultation, whether in-person or online.
2 Mount Drive,
Leeds, LS17 7QW
This page in 50 words and what it means for you:
Adam offers relational integrative psychotherapy in North Leeds. Grounded in Jungian and relational psychoanalytic approaches, the practice focuses on midlife transitions, family-of-origin dynamics, and navigating the friction of unconscious processes. Therapy provides a challenging, secure space to move beyond old enactments and develop authentic relational intimacy.
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