thanks all. very kind of you. good recommendations i can follow up on here.

Try www.positivehealthstrategies.com

I worked with Jannie Van De Merwe - he is excellent. They are not that local (near Waterloo) and not cheap, but investing in your health and happiness is the most important thing you can do and I cannot recommend them highly enough.

I was referred through the Thurleigh Road Practise to see Janet Dutton. She is very good and really helped me through a tough time. I have heard there is now another therapist on site too as the waiting list for these services can be quite long. If you have insurance, you could always ask the practise if she works privately.

Good luck and I hope you find the help you need.

Hello - I cannot reccommend a therapist personally but until you find one I can wholeheartedly reccomend Co-dependents Anonymous meetings. They are 12 step fellowship meetings and focus very much on releasing negative self beliefs and patterns of behaviour which is very similar to CBT. The meetings are very low cost and there are about 30 or so a week in London. So you can get support as regularly as you need it. There is no need to book meetings are just drop in, it is suggested to try 6 to see if it is right for you and to listen to the similarities and not the differences. There are lots of like minded people and there are meetings just for women too if that feels more comfortable. It offers wonderful support and a program for change for anyone experiencing any kind of emotional difficulties or issues particularly with boundaries, containment or relationships with other people and life.

There is lots of info and a meetings page on their website: www.coda-uk.org

Has anyone had experience of a good CBT therapist locally? I'd be very appreciative of any recommendations. Thanks