Specialist Psychotherapy in Widnes, Cheshire: Narcissistic Abuse Recovery | Individual Counselling | Relationship Transformation. In person & online UK wide.
As a narcissistic abuse & couples therapist in Widnes, Cheshire, I specialise in helping individuals recover from narcissistic relationships. Additionally, I offer couples therapy using the Gottman Method alongside specialist individual psychotherapy.
Psychotherapy is about understanding the patterns that keep you stuck and doing the work to change them. This isn’t a space where you manage perceptions or justify your experience but an opportunity to examine the uncomfortable truths that surface level approaches avoid. I specialise in two areas: as a narcissistic abuse therapist in Cheshire, I help individuals recover from narcissistic abuse and reclaim their sense of self and working with couples using the Gottman Method to transform relationship patterns that no longer serve them. The work requires commitment to understanding what’s difficult and is designed for people who know they need something deeper than reassurance or coping strategies. Contact me to arrange a complimentary minute telephone consultation.
Lisa Major MA, PGDip, MNCPS Acc. Specialist Narcissistic Abuse Therapist & Gottman Method Couples Therapy
I’m a psychotherapist with two distinct clinical specialisations: narcissistic abuse recovery & evidenced based couples therapy.
Narcissistic Abuse Therapy: Specialised support in Widnes, Cheshire & UK wide
My work as a certified narcissistic abuse therapist draws on specialised training with Dr Ramani Durvasula, the leading clinical expert on narcissistic personality disorder & its impact on survivors. This therapy is about understanding how narcissistic abuse systematically dismantles your sense of self, your trust in your own perceptions and your capacity to recognise healthy relationships. Recovery involves more than identifying red flags or establishing boundaries. It requires rebuilding the internal structure that narcissistic abuse erodes: your ability to trust your own judgement, to recognise when you’re being manipulated and to maintain congruence between what you know & what you feel. This work addresses the specific psychological patterns narcissistic abuse creates, patterns that generic trauma therapy often misses.
I have also conducted extensive academic research on post-traumatic stress & the effectiveness of person-centred experiential approaches for complex trauma. This informs how I work with clients navigating the aftermath of these relationships.
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
My couples therapy practice is grounded in the Gottman Method, one of the most extensively researched approaches to relationship therapy. Rather than focusing on conflict resolution techniques or communication scripts, this methodology helps couples understand the deeper patterns driving their disconnection. Through structured assessment & targeted interventions, couples develop the capacity to recognise when they’re sliding into destructive patterns, understand what’s actually happening beneath surface level conflicts & build the specific skills that research shows create relationship resilience. The therapy is about transforming the fundamental dynamics that either strengthen or erode intimacy over time.
My Therapeutic Approach
I practice person-centred experiential therapy which means we explore both past experiences and present day patterns through the lens of your relationship with yourself & others. This approach is gentle but doesn’t avoid what’s difficult. We look at incongruences, in other words, where what you feel & think doesn’t align with what you do. It’s about examining the defences & patterns that keep you stuck. This therapy is about genuine transformation that comes from understanding yourself more deeply & having the courage to change patterns that no longer serve you.
Specialist Psychotherapy Services: Available face to face in Widnes, Cheshire, online throughout the UK & internationally, or by telephone
My practice in Cheshire offers three specialised services: individual psychotherapy, narcissistic abuse recovery & Gottman Method couples therapy. All services are available face to face at my Widnes practice, online throughout the UK & internationally or by telephone. My practice is conveniently located between Liverpool & Manchester for clients preferring in person sessions.
Individual Psychotherapy
For individuals working through relationship difficulties, life transitions, grief, anxiety, depression or other concerns. This work uses person-centred experiential therapy to explore patterns, examine incongruences & develop deeper self-understanding. Sessions are 50 minutes. I typically work with clients weekly or fortnightly as patterns become clearer & you develop greater capacity in between sessions.
£55
Gottman Method Couples Therapy
Evidence based couples therapy using the Gottman Method, one of the most extensively researched approaches to relationship transformation. This therapy involves comprehensive assessment followed by targeted interventions that address your particular relationship dynamics. Sessions are 75 minutes, weekly or fortnightly for 3-6 months though some continue longer for deeper transformation or maintenance support.
£100
Narcissistic Abuse Therapy
As a certified narcissistic abuse treatment clinician, I support individuals recovering from relationships with narcissistic partners, family members or colleagues. The work draws on Dr Ramani’s clinical framework for understanding narcissistic abuse & goes substantially deeper than generic trauma therapy or online advice about narcissistic abuse. Sessions are 60 minutes, timelines vary based on complexity & duration of the abuse experienced.
£65
My Approach to Psychotherapy: Understanding Patterns vs. Managing Symptoms
The focus of our work is understanding the patterns that keep you stuck, not just managing symptoms or learning coping strategies. We examine how you’ve adapted to difficult experiences, what you’ve had to defend against and how those adaptations now limit rather than protect you.
The Person-Centred Experiential Framework
I practice person-centred experiential psychotherapy which has a specific philosophy: You have the capacity to understand yourself & determine what you need. My role isn’t about diagnosis or prescribing solutions. My role is to create conditions where you can explore your actual experience without the distortions that come from trying to be what others expect or managing how you’re perceived. This approach requires your active engagement. Between sessions, you’ll pay attention to patterns, sit with uncomfortable realisations & begin making different choices. The transformation happens in your daily life, not just during sessions.
What This Work Requires
Some people find this work challenging because it doesn’t offer quick fixes or reassuring answers. It asks you to examine what you’d rather avoid & sometimes to take responsibility for patterns you might prefer to blame on others or on circumstances. For people genuinely ready for change, this discomfort is where the work happens.
Timelines & Expectations
Meaningful change takes time. Some clients experience significant shifts within 3-4 months. Others work with me for a year or longer. There’s no predetermined timeline, it depends on what you’re working on, how deeply entrenched the patterns are & your capacity to engage with material that’s difficult. I will work with you in a collaborative way throughout, offering gentle challenge & insight where appropriate. My approach is warm & conversational. The sessions don’t follow a set agenda & will always go at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
What benefits can I expect from Counselling & Psychotherapy?
- Increased openness to life’s experiences
- Less defensiveness towards self and others
- Greater understanding of personal motivation
- Greater capacity for coping with difficult thoughts and feelings
- More awareness of inner thoughts and feelings
- Less rigidity
- More able to adapt to life’s challenges
- Greater emotional resilience
- Greater understanding of self and others
- Acceptance of things that cannot be changed
- More authentic self-expression
- Greater clarity
