Couple & Psychosexual Therapy Team
Linsey Blair
Couple/Psychosexual Therapy Service Lead
Couple & Individual Psychotherapist &Psychosexual Therapist
UKCP & COSRT Accredited
Linsey is an experienced and thoughtful therapist who specialises in couples therapy, psychosexual therapy, and individual psychotherapy. With over a decade of clinical experience across private practice, the NHS, and specialist training institutions, Linsey offers a supportive, non-judgemental space for people navigating the complexities of relationships, sexuality, and emotional wellbeing.
Linsey works with couples and individuals to explore patterns that underlie distress—whether it relates to conflict, intimacy, or sexual function—and supports clients to make sense of their experiences and move forward in meaningful ways. With a particular interest in the intersection of sex and relationship issues, Linsey is skilled in integrating these areas within therapy when appropriate.
Clinical Experience & Areas of Focus
Linsey’s work is grounded in psychodynamic principles, with a strong emphasis on understanding relationship dynamics, attachment patterns, and emotional processing. Her areas of clinical expertise include:
- Sexual pain and dysfunction (e.g. vaginismus, low desire, premature or delayed ejaculation, erectile issues)
- Sexual identity and intimacy concerns
- High-conflict couples and communication breakdown
- Affairs, betrayal, separation and divorce
- Parenting challenges and their impact on relationships
- Individual difficulties around sexuality, self-worth, or relational trauma
Rather than only treating the individual, Linsey works systemically where possible—supporting couples to reshape their sexual and emotional connection through behavioural interventions, communication work, and deeper emotional exploration.
She has worked extensively with clients from diverse cultural, religious and gender/sexual identities and brings a respectful, open-minded approach to her work. Her past NHS experience also includes working with the impact of HIV diagnoses on sexual wellbeing and relationships.
Background & Training
Linsey’s academic and clinical training spans over 15 years and reflects her deep interest in psychology, gender, and relational health.
- BA (Hons) Psychology – University of Strathclyde
- Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Psychology – University of Ulster
- MA in Gender and Development – University of Sunderland (Scholarship Awardee)
- Postgraduate Diploma in Couple & Individual Psychotherapy – Tavistock Relationships, London
- MSc in Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy – Tavistock Relationships, London
She also completed specialist training in Mentalisation-Based Therapy (2012), enabling her to work effectively with couples experiencing high emotional conflict, often linked to parenting disputes or domestic violence. Linsey is a trained clinical supervisor, having completed a Certificate in Supervision with the Society of Analytical Psychology, and currently provides supervision to therapists working in couples and psychosexual contexts.
In addition to her clinical work, Linsey has taught on the MA in Couple Psychotherapy and the MSc in Psychosexual Therapy at Tavistock Relationships, and has delivered training to psychotherapists and frontline professionals in areas such as sexual functioning, relational dynamics, and intimacy.
Therapeutic Approach
Linsey offers a collaborative and emotionally attuned approach. Her work is underpinned by psychodynamic thinking, helping clients explore the unconscious patterns that repeat in relationships and may contribute to distress in both emotional and sexual domains.
She believes therapy is a space to understand not only what’s going wrong, but why we find ourselves stuck in patterns that no longer serve us. With warmth and curiosity, she helps clients shift from conflict or disconnection toward greater clarity, connection and self-understanding.
For clients working on psychosexual issues, Linsey integrates behavioural and systemic techniques, offering tailored exercises and interventions to rebuild sensuality, pleasure and intimacy.
She is experienced in working with clients from LGBTQ+ communities, has completed additional training with Pink Therapy, and is sensitive to how gender, identity, culture and religion shape experiences of sexuality and relationships.
Publications & Media Contributions
Linsey is an active contributor to her field through research, publications and conference presentations. Her work explores the nuances of sexual function, parenting dynamics, and identity in relationships. Select contributions include:
- Journal Articles
“How Difficult is it to Treat Delayed Ejaculation in Short-Term Psychosexual Therapy?” – Sex and Relationship Therapy Journal, 2017
“Intimate Sex and Sexual Dysfunction” – Journal des Psychologies, 2018 - Book Chapters & Edited Volumes
“Same-Sex Couples and Other Identities” – Routledge, 2022 (with D. Mucha)
“Couples as Parents: Explorations in Couple Therapy” – Routledge, 2024 - Conference Presentations
Topics presented across Europe, including Warsaw and London, on sex therapy, psychodynamic couple work, and diversity in relationships. - Media & Podcasts
Linsey has contributed to RTÉ Radio 1’s Today with Claire Byrne and appears in podcasts exploring sexual health, intimacy and communication:- The Answers for Cancers Podcast
- Female Pleasure, Intimacy and Communication in Sex
- Blogs
- “Sex: What a Pain!”
- “Penetration: Why is it Hard to Get Hard?”
Professional Memberships
- UKCP – Full Accredited Member (via ICP)
- COSRT – College of Sex and Relationship Therapists
Appointments & Supervision
Linsey offers therapy appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays
She also provides clinical supervision for therapists working with couples and psychosexual issues. To book an appointment or enquire about supervision, please contact the clinic on 091-727777 or use the contact page.
Afrah Al-yufrusi
Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist
Art Psychotherapist
DDP Practitioner COSRT | HCPC | BAAT
Afrah is a qualified and experienced psychosexual, relationship, and art psychotherapist, offering a unique, creative, and compassionate approach to therapy. She supports individuals and couples through a wide range of sexual, relational, and emotional difficulties and is especially known for her inclusive, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
Whether working with intimacy challenges, relationship breakdown, childhood trauma, or complex dynamics shaped by neurodivergence, Afrah’s focus is always on helping her clients build stronger connections—both with themselves and with those around them.
Clinical Experience
Afrah provides specialist support in the following areas:
- Pain during sex and penetration difficulties (e.g., vaginismus, dyspareunia)
- Erectile difficulties, premature or delayed ejaculation
- Low or mismatched desire, difficulty reaching orgasm
- Intimacy and connection challenges
- Relationship conflict, separation, or divorce
- Communication breakdowns and parenting challenges
- Impact of neurodiversity on relationships (ADHD, autism, etc.)
- Childhood trauma including neglect, abuse, and loss
- Working with relationship diversity, including polyamory, kink, gender identity, and sexuality
She is trained in Sensate Focus, a core technique in psychosexual therapy, and draws on both psychodynamic and behavioural approaches to support clients in making lasting changes.
Afrah has a particular interest in neurodiverse relationships, and her work explores how differences in communication, attachment, and sensory processing affect intimacy and connection. She leads EBTC’s psychoeducational group for neurodiverse couples and is passionate about helping partners build deeper mutual understanding and emotional resilience.
Therapeutic Approach
Afrah’s style is gentle, grounded, and collaborative. She brings playfulness and openness to her sessions, which helps clients feel at ease when talking about difficult or sensitive topics.
Her approach is integrative and trauma-informed, combining tools from:
- Psychosexual & relationship therapy
- Art psychotherapy
- Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP)
- Theraplay
- Mindfulness-based practices
Central to her work is the therapeutic relationship itself, a safe, non-judgemental space where clients feel heard, respected, and empowered to grow. She believes in clear communication and informed consent as foundations for meaningful therapeutic change.
Afrah is especially committed to supporting individuals and couples who feel outside of mainstream relationship models. She has extensive experience working with LGBTQIA+ clients and welcomes those exploring kink, polyamory, or fluidity in gender and sexuality.
Training & Professional Background
Afrah holds a Master’s Degree in Art Therapy and is an accredited Art Psychotherapist. Her early training involved work across a wide range of client groups including adolescents, older adults (including those with dementia), and individuals in psychiatric and medical settings. These experiences reinforced her belief in the deep connection between mind and body in emotional healing.
Afrah spent over a decade in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) within the NHS, where she provided Art Psychotherapy to children and young people in foster and adoptive families. This work deepened her understanding of attachment, trauma, and complex family systems.
In 2020, she completed her Diploma in Psychosexual and Relationship Therapy with Tavistock Relationships and began working with couples and individuals at Evidence-Based Therapy Centre (EBTC).
Afrah regularly lectures trainee therapists at MA level and continues to engage in ongoing professional development. She has completed further training with The Grove, PESI, and The British Psychological Society, particularly focusing on neurodiversity and relationships.
She also co-developed EBTC’s clinical model for supporting couples through separation and divorce, helping families navigate this transition with clarity and care.
Neurobonds Group Programme
Afrah is the therapeutic lead for EBTC’s online group programme for neurodiverse couples, offering psychoeducation and guided discussion to help partners better understand and support one another.
To learn more about the course or register for the upcoming January 2025 group, visit: Neurobonds course
Memberships & Accreditations
- Member – COSRT (College of Sex and Relationship Therapy)
- Registered – HCPC (Health and Care Professions Council)
- Accredited – BAAT (British Association of Art Therapists)
Appointments
Afrah offers online therapy appointments for individuals and couples.
To book a session or inquire about upcoming group programmes, please call the Evidence-Based Therapy Centre on 091 727777 or get in touch via the contact page.
Sharmila Dutt
Senior Individual & Couple Psychotherapist & Psychosexual Therapist
BACP Accredited | COSRT Member
Sharmila is a warm, insightful, and compassionate therapist with over a decade of experience working with individuals and couples. She brings a unique blend of psychodynamic depth, relational awareness, and psychosexual expertise to her work, supporting clients with a wide range of emotional and relational challenges.
Sharmila has a particular interest in how early experiences shape our adult selves, emotionally, psychologically, and sexually and how these dynamics play out in intimate relationships. Her approach is grounded in respect, openness, and a deep belief in the transformative power of therapy.
Clinical Focus
Sharmila supports individuals and couples navigating a variety of complex and sensitive issues, including:
- Communication breakdowns and recurring conflict
- Loss of intimacy or desire
- Affairs and relational ruptures
- Grief, identity, and intergenerational trauma
- Sexual health issues such as painful sex, erectile difficulties, low or absent desire, premature or delayed ejaculation
- Menopause and the impact of hormonal changes on relationships
- Parenting, life transitions, and separation
- Race, gender, and cultural identity in relationship dynamics
- Addiction, anxiety, and emotional regulation
She is skilled in working with people of all ages, genders, sexualities, and cultural backgrounds, and brings curiosity and empathy to each therapeutic relationship.
Therapeutic Style
Sharmila works in an integrative model, combining psychodynamic psychotherapy with couple therapy and a CBT-based psychosexual approach. This means she may use in-depth emotional exploration alongside practical behavioural exercises (such as Sensate Focus) to support clients in both understanding and actively reshaping their experiences.
Sessions are collaborative and tailored to each client or couple’s needs. Whether exploring unconscious patterns, building emotional resilience, or improving physical intimacy, Sharmila’s style is direct, thoughtful, and emotionally attuned.
At the heart of her work is a desire to help people feel more connected to themselves, to each other, and to their own sense of meaning and identity. She fosters a non-judgemental, affirming space where clients can safely reflect, grow, and work towards greater relational and emotional wellbeing.
Background & Training
Sharmila’s journey into psychotherapy began with a Certificate in Social Work from Eastleigh College, where she worked with young adults, the elderly, and led therapeutic groups for families affected by alcoholism. After a career in the corporate sector, she returned to her interest in the human psyche, training at WPF Therapy, a UK centre of excellence in psychodynamic therapy.
She went on to complete:
- A Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (WPF, 2012–2015)
- A Professional Certificate in Couple Therapy (BCS, 2017)
- A Diploma in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy (Tavistock Relationships, 2020–2023)
Her clinical experience includes placements at Basingstoke Counselling Services and within the NHS, where she worked with both individuals and couples. She has supported clients presenting with a broad range of concerns including trauma, identity struggles, and complex sexual health issues. She particularly values the opportunity to explore how culture, gender, and family history shape one’s experience of self and sexuality.
Sharmila also contributes to the wider therapy profession through writing and education. She is a contributor to the Talking Point panel for Therapy Today, the professional journal of the BACP.
Read her article here
Approach to Couple Work
Sharmila supports couples in making space for honest, often difficult conversations—whether about communication, parenting, sex, or life changes. She brings empathy and structure to the process, helping couples understand one another’s emotional worlds and take meaningful steps toward reconnection.
She understands that relationships are complex and often carry unspoken emotional legacies. Her approach is to meet each partner where they are, without judgement, and to work at a pace that supports healing, clarity, and mutual understanding.
Qualifications
- Certificate in Social Work, Eastleigh College (1987–1989)
- Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, WPF (2012–2015)
- Certificate in Couple Psychotherapy, Basingstoke Counselling Services (2017)
- Diploma in Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy, Tavistock Relationships (2020–2023)
Memberships
- BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) – Registered & Accredited Member
- COSRT (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapy) – Member
Appointments
Sharmila is available for evening appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
To book a session, please call Evidence-Based Therapy Centre on 091 727777 or reach out via the contact page.
Fiona Reidy
Couple & Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
MBACP | TRAPC | AiMH
Fiona is a warm, thoughtful, and deeply attuned psychodynamic psychotherapist who works with both individuals and couples. Her approach is grounded in insight, curiosity, and care, offering a safe and reflective space to explore relational difficulties, emotional distress, and life transitions.
She draws on her training at Tavistock Relationships, where she worked as a senior visiting clinician, and brings a wealth of lived and professional experience to her therapeutic work. Fiona’s practice is inclusive, non-judgemental, and sensitive to the impact of gender, sexuality, identity, trauma, and societal systems on our mental health and relationships.
Clinical Focus
Fiona works with people navigating a wide range of issues, including:
- Communication breakdown and emotional disconnection
- Conflict and recurring arguments
- Loss of sexual intimacy or desire
- Infidelity, trust, and relationship ruptures
- Grief, loss, and life transitions
- Anxiety, depression, and dysregulated emotional states
- Childhood trauma and its impact on adult relationships
- Parent-infant bonding and the transition to parenthood
- Perinatal and post-natal trauma
- Identity, belonging, and shame
Fiona also has particular expertise in perinatal mental health, supporting couples through pregnancy and the early stages of parenting. In this work, babies are often present in sessions, enabling families to think together about bonding, early attachment, and how parental emotional states shape a child’s experience of the world.
Therapeutic Style
Fiona works from a psychodynamic perspective, which means exploring the deeper emotional roots of current struggles, including those that may be outside of conscious awareness.
This approach can be especially helpful for people who:
- Feel stuck in recurring patterns or roles within relationships
- Struggle with trust, vulnerability, or intimacy
- Are navigating painful ruptures, such as infidelity or separation
- Are transitioning into or out of parenthood
- Want to better understand themselves and their emotional responses in close relationships
Fiona brings compassion, reliability, and openness to each session. She understands that it takes time to build trust in therapy and creates a space where people can explore even the most difficult experiences without fear of judgement. Her style is down-to-earth and collaborative, offering both emotional support and gentle challenge where needed.
Background & Training
Fiona originally studied English and Sociology at University College Dublin before completing an MSc in Sociology with a focus on Gender and Sexuality at the University of Amsterdam. Her master’s research explored the themes of shame and stigma, an interest that continues to inform her clinical work.
Before training as a psychotherapist, Fiona spent over a decade working internationally for non-profit and human rights organisations, focusing on issues such as child marriage, sexual exploitation, reproductive rights, gender-based violence, and modern slavery. Her work brought her into close contact with people impacted by structural trauma and power inequity, which deepened her understanding of resilience, marginalisation, and systemic change.
In 2017, she trained at Tavistock Relationships, one of the UK’s leading institutions in couple psychotherapy, and has since worked as a visiting clinician, supporting people through complex relational challenges. Fiona also has training in parent infant psychotherapy with experts from the Anna Freud Centre and completed further training in trauma-informed care and perinatal mental health at Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.
Fiona joined Evidence-Based Therapy Centre in March 2024, where she offers online therapy.
Professional Memberships
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP)
- Tavistock Relationships Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors (TRAPC)
- Association for Infant Mental Health (AiMH UK)
Appointments
Fiona is available for appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays.
To book a session, please call Evidence-Based Therapy Centre on 091 727777 or you can get in touch via the contact page.
Shannon Ashton
Couple & Individual Psychodynamic Psychotherapist
Psychosexual & Relationship Therapist
MBACP | COSRT Registered
Background
Shannon specialises in couple, psychosexual and relational psychotherapy, creating a balanced space where people can come to begin to explore the complexities of their relational, sexual, and emotional wellbeing. Her way of working encourages a deepening of reflection in the room, enabling people to begin navigating their way through difficult feelings and entrenched dynamics with a sense of safety and possibility that they may not have felt able to contact before.
She works with couples and individuals to help them to discover and recognise the recurring patterns that lie beneath the difficulties they are experiencing in terms of their relational functioning, both emotional and physical. In therapy she will explore your triggers, patterns and the dynamics that might keep you stuck in repetitive arguments or feeling isolated, lost or lonely. Once you have gained a fresh perspective, it can once again feel possible to find your way back to a more creative and fulfilling connection
Clinical Focus
Shannon’s work has developed from its foundations in psychodynamic practice to draw together the interconnected domains of the emotional, physical and relational. Areas of clinical expertise include:
- Concerns with sexual pain, dysfunction, and desire
- Concerns with sexual identity, intimacy, and self-worth
- Couples experiencing conflict and communication problems
- Affairs, separation, divorce and loss
She also address difficulties in how her clients talk about their sexual concerns, such as incompatible sexual preferences, physical changes after childbirth, menopause, illness or old age, and a history of sexual trauma.
Shannon has worked with clients from diverse cultural, religious, sexual, and gender identity backgrounds and orientations. She is particularly interested in the areas of intersectionality and difference, and how this may manifest in relational contexts.
Therapeutic Style
Shannon brings an open, curious mind to her work, merging clinical insight with creativity and adaptability. Drawing upon psychodynamic theory, she adopts an integrated approach, allowing her to meet clients where they are now. A compassionate and thoughtful manner encourages clients to confront painful relational material without feeling judged or shamed, aimed at making therapy accessible and relevant to diverse audiences.
She begins by exploring how you see sex and what it means to you, whilst reflecting on your past and how it can affect your present sexual self. A more holistic approach can then be taken, where you work together to understand what has happened and think about a curated programme of exercises to do at home to help get your sex life back on the track you would like.
Background & Training
Shannon became a therapist following a career in aviation, where she specialised in Cabin Safety & Risk Management. Her curiosity in psychological and emotional functioning developed from the analysis of human factors in safety critical events. Operating in environments where communication, trust, and emotional regulation were essential, left her with an enduring fascination in our behaviours. Why do we make the choices that we do? even more importantly, why do we choose to partner up with the people that we do?
Increasingly drawn to the emotional dynamics of human connection and decision making, her interest in relationships—what strengthens them, what breaks them down, whether they can be repaired—grew. Eventually, she made the decision to retrain as a couple, psychosexual and relationship therapist. She has a particular interest in understanding the influence our emotional and sexual experiences have upon the quality of our closest relationships, and the impact this can have upon our mental and physical health and overall sense of wellbeing.
She completed her clinical training at Tavistock Relationships in London because it is a renowned clinic with 75-years of relationship expertise and has continued to work there as a visiting clinician, assessor, and trainer.
- BA (Hons) English & Sociology – St Marys University
- Foundation Certificate Couple Counselling & Psychotherapy – Tavistock Relationships, London
- Postgraduate Diploma Couple & Individual Psychotherapy– Tavistock Relationships, London
- Postgraduate Diploma Psychosexual & Relationship Therapy– Tavistock Relationships, London
In addition to her clinical work, Shannon is a co-trainer on The Tavistock Relationships An Introduction To Therapy With Couples Course and has also taught Psychoanalytic Thought on The Couple and Individual Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy Course.
Professional Memberships
- MBACP – Member British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
- COSRT – College of Sex and Relationship Therapists
Appointments
Shannon offers therapy appointments on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
To book an appointment please call the clinic on 091-727777 or alternatively you can get in touch via the contact page.