Originally based on the work of Sigmund Freud, and since developed by others, psychoanalytic psychotherapy is a therapeutic process which helps individuals understand and resolve their problems by increasing awareness of their inner world and its influence over relationships both past and present.

In particular, it can enable the development of an awareness of how unconscious factors influence behaviour. It differs from most other therapies in aiming for deep-seated change in personality and emotional development.

Not only can it be a treatment that is helpful for those with longstanding mental health problems: anxieties, phobias, depression, obsessional behaviour, personality problems, for example. It can also be beneficial for those who feel they have lost meaning in their lives, or who are seeking a greater sense of fulfilment.