Damien Kelly
Attachment-Based Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Central London
Exploring your emotions and attachment patterns
within a safe, confidential therapeutic space.
No matter what brings you to therapy, I am committed to creating a safe and reflective space where we can talk openly and work through whatever feels difficult. My focus is on developing an open and trusting therapeutic relationship to support growth and change at a pace that feels right for you.
I offer a steady and reflective place to make sense of emotional dysregulation, longstanding emotional pain, intense feelings, and relational patterns that repeat. Together, we explore the impact of trauma and early experiences, and to work at a pace that feels grounded and supportive.
I offer sessions from my practices in:
Marylebone (Cavendish Square / Harley Street)
&
Islington (Highbury Fields)
About Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy offers a space to talk about whatever feels painful, confusing or difficult. Its aim is to increase self-awareness and confidence, and to help you better understand the issues you face and the roots of emotional pain or relationship challenges.
By paying close attention to your emotions and relational patterns, we can begin to see how past experiences shape how you feel and connect today.
Psychotherapy can help you make sense of your past, understand its impact on your present life, and support you in making changes that feel right.
About Me & My Approach
I offer a warm, steady presence where your story can be explored with care and curiosity. My training at the Bowlby Centre emphasised how early relationships shape emotional life and the capacity to feel safe. The therapeutic relationship becomes a reliable place for deeper feelings and patterns to be understood.
I also draw on psychoanalytic thinking to explore the parts of your inner world that may be harder to articulate.
Across my two practice locations, I aim to provide a thoughtful, consistent space for reflection, healing and growth.
Areas of Interest and Specialities
Many people I work with experience longstanding emotional difficulties shaped by early relationships and past experiences.
- Longstanding emotional pain
- Intense emotions or emotional dysregulation
- Anxiety or feelings of overwhelm
- Shame or self-criticism
- Attachment struggles with closeness or distance
- Emotional disconnection or loneliness
- Impact of early experiences or inconsistent care
- Trauma, including childhood sexual abuse
- Feeling misunderstood by others or services
- Traits sometimes associated with EUPD
- Issues around sex, intimacy, sexuality or chemsex
Background
I first trained in psychology at Trinity College, Dublin and later completed an MSc in Clinical Psychology at Goldsmiths, where I deepened my understanding of human development and emotional distress.
Before qualifying as a psychotherapist, I worked across NHS and voluntary-sector services supporting people living with trauma, intense emotions, and experiences sometimes diagnosed as EUPD. This work highlighted how often emotional pain is rooted in lived experience rather than pathology.
I went on to complete four years of UKCP-accredited training in attachment-based psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Bowlby Centre.
Across all my roles, my focus has been to understand each person’s emotional world with depth, care and respect for their lived experience.
Services
I offer a thoughtful and supportive in-person therapeutic process for adults, beginning with an initial meeting and moving at a pace that feels right for you. Each stage of the work provides a consistent space to explore your emotional world and the patterns that shape your relationships.
Initial Consultation
The initial consultation is an opportunity for us to meet and discuss what has led you to seek therapy. We will explore your goals and what you hope to achieve through our work together. This session also gives you a chance to ask any questions you may have and to determine whether we might be a good match.
Preliminary Sessions
After the initial consultation, we will begin with five preliminary sessions. These give us time to understand your history, emotional patterns, and what you’re seeking from therapy.
This early phase lays the foundations for deeper work and helps us establish a pace and rhythm that feels right for you.
Psychotherapy Sessions
Ongoing psychotherapy sessions take place weekly. This consistency creates a reliable space where deeper feelings and patterns can emerge and be explored with care.
The work unfolds gradually within a supportive therapeutic relationship, offering the opportunity for lasting emotional insight and change.
Memberships
