Therapy & Counselling in Islington, London | City Road Therapy

Integrative Therapy 
in Islington, London

People are complex. No single therapeutic approach captures everything a person needs — and no single framework fits every difficulty, every history, or every stage of life. Integrative therapy starts from this recognition: that the best therapy is the therapy that fits you, not the other way around.

At City Road Therapy, integrative therapy is not one approach among many — it is the way most of our therapists work. Drawing thoughtfully on the most relevant techniques and frameworks from across the therapeutic landscape, our integrative therapists tailor their approach to each individual client — in person at our Angel therapy rooms and via online therapy across London and the UK.

Book a free 15-minute consultation

You can either choose the therapist yourself or you can let us help you find a good match.

Choose a therapist
Help me find a therapist
Private therapy session at City Road Therapy, 335 City Road, Islington

What is integrative therapy?

Integrative therapy is an approach that draws on multiple therapeutic frameworks rather than adhering to a single model. An integrative therapist is trained in several different approaches — CBT, psychodynamic therapy, person-centred therapy, EMDR, attachment theory, mindfulness, and others — and selects or combines techniques based on what is most likely to be helpful for each individual client at each stage of their work.

This is different from eclecticism — randomly applying whatever seems useful — because integrative therapy is underpinned by a coherent philosophical position: that human beings are too varied, and human difficulties too complex, to be served well by a single approach applied uniformly. A skilled integrative therapist brings both breadth and depth — understanding multiple frameworks well enough to move between them thoughtfully, and always with the client’s needs as the guide.

Integrative therapy has grown significantly as a field over the past three decades, as research has increasingly shown that the therapeutic relationship and the fit between client and approach are stronger predictors of outcome than any specific technique. The question is no longer “which approach is best” but “which approach is best for this person, with this difficulty, at this point in their life.”

How integrative therapy works at City Road Therapy

Integrative therapy is the default approach at City Road Therapy — the way most of our therapists work, regardless of what specific techniques they draw on in any given session.

In practice, this means:

Your therapist begins with you, not a protocol

Rather than arriving with a fixed plan, your therapist starts by genuinely understanding you — your history, your current difficulties, your strengths, what has and hasn’t helped before. The approach emerges from that understanding, not the other way around.

The work adapts as you do

Therapy is not static. What you need in the first month of therapy may be very different from what you need in the sixth. An integrative therapist adjusts — bringing in different frameworks, techniques, or ways of working as the work evolves. If one approach isn’t generating movement, a skilled integrative therapist can shift without starting from scratch.

Structure and depth are not either/or

One of the most common frustrations people bring to integrative therapy is having had previous experiences that were either too structured and surface-level, or too open-ended without sufficient practical support. Integrative therapy holds both — practical tools when tools are what’s needed, depth and exploration when that’s where the work needs to go.

The relationship remains central

Across all the approaches an integrative therapist might draw on, the therapeutic relationship is never secondary. It is the foundation from which everything else operates — and a good integrative therapist pays as much attention to what’s happening between you in the room as to the specific technique being used.

Calm therapy room at City Road Therapy, Islington, London
Book the consultation

What integrative therapy draws on

Our integrative therapists draw on a wide range of approaches — the specific combination varies by therapist and by client. The most commonly integrated frameworks at City Road Therapy include:

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)

Practical techniques for identifying and shifting unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviours. Particularly useful for anxiety, depression, OCD, and specific phobias. → CBT Therapy in Islington

Psychodynamic and relational therapy

Depth-oriented work exploring unconscious patterns, early experiences, and the relational dynamics that shape present-day difficulties. Particularly useful for long-standing patterns and relationship difficulties. → Psychodynamic Therapy in Islington

Person-centred and humanistic therapy

The relational foundation of most integrative work — warmth, empathy, unconditional positive regard, and trust in the client’s own capacity for growth. → Person-Centred Therapy in Islington

EMDR

Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing — a highly effective trauma processing approach often integrated into broader therapeutic work. → EMDR Therapy in Islington

Attachment theory

Understanding how early relationships shaped the internal working models through which you experience intimacy, trust, and connection — and how these patterns show up in the present.

Mindfulness-based approaches

Developing awareness of present-moment experience — thoughts, feelings, and body sensations — as a foundation for responding more skillfully to difficulty.

DBT skills

Emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness — often woven into integrative work for clients who struggle with emotional intensity. → DBT Therapy in Islington

Somatic and body-based approaches

Attending to the body’s role in holding and expressing emotion — particularly relevant for trauma, anxiety, and the experience of being disconnected from physical sensation.

What integrative therapy can help with

Because integrative therapy is not tied to a single model, it is suited to a particularly wide range of difficulties. Our integrative therapists work with:

Integrative therapy is also well-suited to people who present with more than one difficulty simultaneously — anxiety and depression together, trauma and relationship difficulties, burnout and identity questions — where a single-approach model may not adequately address the whole picture.

Is integrative therapy right for you?

For most people — especially those coming to therapy for the first time — integrative therapy is an excellent starting point. It is flexible, responsive, and not dependent on you arriving with a clear sense of which specific approach you need.

Integrative therapy is likely a good fit if:

  • You’re not sure which therapeutic approach is right for you and want your therapist to guide that
  • Your difficulties are complex or involve more than one area — for example, anxiety and trauma, or depression and relationship difficulties
  • You’ve had therapy before with a single-approach therapist and felt the work was limited by the constraints of that model
  • You want both practical support and deeper exploration — not one at the expense of the other
  • You simply want a skilled, thoughtful therapist who will tailor their work to you rather than fitting you into a framework

A single-modality approach may suit you better if:

  • You have a specific, well-defined difficulty where a particular approach has the strongest evidence — for example, ERP for OCD, or EMDR for single-incident trauma
  • You have prior experience with a specific approach and want to continue that work
  • You prefer a clearly defined structure and a specific protocol

What to expect from integrative therapy at City Road Therapy

First session — understanding you fully

Your therapist will want to understand you as a whole person — your history, your current difficulties, your strengths, what has and hasn’t worked in therapy before. By the end of the first session, your therapist will usually have a sense of which approaches and frameworks are likely to be most helpful, and will discuss this with you openly.

Transparency about approach

One of the hallmarks of good integrative practice is transparency. Your therapist will tell you what they’re drawing on and why — you will never be in the dark about what kind of work you’re doing. If something isn’t working, you can say so and the approach will adjust.

Sessions and duration

Sessions are 50 minutes, typically weekly. Integrative therapy can be short-term — 8 to 16 sessions for a focused difficulty — or longer-term, depending on what you’re bringing. Your therapist will discuss timelines honestly and review progress with you regularly.

We offer both in-person sessions at our Islington therapy rooms and online sessions via Zoom or Teams.

Integrative therapists at City Road Therapy

The following therapists at City Road Therapy work integratively — available in person at our Islington therapy rooms and online across London and the UK:

→ Browse the full therapist directory

Not sure who is right for you? Let us help you find the right match.

Integrative therapy in Islington — City Road Therapy’s approach

City Road Therapy is based at 335 City Road, Angel, Islington, London EC1V 1LJ — a short walk from Angel tube station (Northern line) and easily accessible from Old Street and Highbury & Islington. We serve clients from across North London and beyond — and offer online therapy via Zoom or Teams across London and the UK.

Integrative therapy is not a compromise — it is, for most people, the most sophisticated and responsive form of therapeutic support available. It requires a therapist who has trained rigorously in multiple frameworks and has the clinical judgement to know which to draw on and when. Our therapists meet that standard.

All our therapists are registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP), HCPC, or other recognised professional bodies. City Road Therapy has been based in Islington since 2011.

Find us

Common questions about integrative therapy in Islington

Is integrative therapy evidence-based?

Yes. The evidence base for integrative therapy is strong — both in terms of research into integrative approaches specifically, and in the broader finding that the quality of the therapeutic relationship and the fit between client and approach are the strongest predictors of outcome in therapy. Research by Norcross and Lambert, among others, has consistently shown that therapist flexibility and responsiveness to individual client needs produces better outcomes than rigid adherence to a single protocol.

How do I know what approach my therapist will use with me?

Your therapist will discuss this with you openly — good integrative practice is transparent, not mysterious. After your first session or two, your therapist will usually have a sense of which frameworks are most relevant to your situation and will share their thinking with you. You are always welcome to ask, to question, and to say if something isn’t feeling right. The approach belongs to both of you.

Is integrative therapy more expensive than single-modality therapy?

No. Session fees at City Road Therapy do not vary by therapeutic approach — you can find individual therapist fees on their profile pages in our therapist directory. Some therapists offer lower-cost options for people on lower incomes, and several accept clients using private health insurance.

I’ve had CBT before and it helped but didn’t fully resolve things. Could integrative therapy go further?

Yes — this is one of the most common reasons people come to integrative therapy. CBT is highly effective for surface symptoms but doesn’t always address the deeper roots — the early experiences, relational patterns, or existential questions that continue to generate difficulty even after the immediate symptoms have eased. Integrative therapy can build on what CBT achieved while going further into the territory that CBT didn’t fully reach. → CBT Therapy in Islington

Can I ask my therapist to focus on a specific approach within integrative therapy?

Absolutely. If you have a preference — for more CBT structure, for more psychodynamic depth, for EMDR — tell your therapist. Good integrative therapy is collaborative, and your preferences and instincts about what will help are part of the information your therapist works with. The integrative framework doesn’t override your voice — it creates more room for it.

Therapy that fits you — not the other way around

If you’re looking for a therapist who will meet you where you are, bring the right tools for what you’re dealing with, and adapt as you change — integrative therapy is likely exactly what you’re looking for.

Most of our therapists work this way. We’d love to help you find the right one.

📍 City Road Therapy, 335 City Road, Angel, Islington, London EC1V 1LJ

In-person integrative therapy in Islington. Online sessions available across London and the UK.

Please select preferred days to be seen:

Please select preferred times to be seen:

Please select preferred gender of therapist:

Please select preferred mode:

From us, would you prefer:

City Road Therapy is not a crisis service. If you need immediate support, please contact the Samaritans — free, 24 hours — on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org. You can also contact us directly at consultations.cityroadtherapy@gmail.com.
Please note: Our building at 335 City Road is a period property and is not currently wheelchair accessible. Online therapy via Zoom or Teams is available to all clients and works just as well as in-person work for most presentations.