A deeper way of understanding the mind In-person analytic psychotherapy with Dr Francesco Manfredonia
A confidential space to explore recurring feelings, relationships, memories, dreams and patterns that may shape how you experience yourself and your life. Suitable adults are seen following an independent assessment by a senior analyst.
Understanding more than the symptom alone
Analytic psychotherapy is a way of understanding the mind that goes beyond symptoms. It rests on a simple idea: within each of us there is more than we consciously know - memories, feelings, patterns and possibilities that shape how we live, often without our awareness.
In regular sessions, you and your therapist explore what is happening in your life, but also what may lie beneath it: dreams, recurring themes, early experiences that still echo in the present and parts of yourself that may feel overlooked or unlived.
The aim is not simply to remove distress, but to understand what it may be expressing. Symptoms are approached with curiosity rather than treated only as malfunctions to be eliminated.
You do not have to be in crisis to seek therapy
People come to analytic psychotherapy for many reasons. Some are experiencing recognisable emotional distress, while others feel stuck, disconnected or drawn towards a deeper understanding of themselves.
Anxiety or low mood
Persistent worry, sadness, emotional flatness or distress that feels difficult to understand or shift.
Relationship patterns
Recurring difficulties in intimate, family, social or professional relationships.
Feeling stuck
A sense that life is repeating itself, that choices feel blocked or that change remains out of reach.
Loss and life change
Bereavement, separation, illness, retirement, professional transition or another major turning point.
Identity and meaning
Questions about who you are, how you want to live or what gives your life a sense of meaning.
Deeper self-understanding
A wish to know yourself more fully, even when there is no immediate crisis or single defining symptom.
From initial enquiry to regular sessions
The assessment process helps determine whether analytic psychotherapy is appropriate and whether the proposed therapeutic arrangement is likely to be helpful for both client and therapist.
Initial enquiry
Contact Dr Francesco Manfredonia through the usual enquiry route and indicate that your message relates to analytic psychotherapy.
Senior assessment
Your details will be passed to a senior analyst who will arrange an independent assessment and consider whether this form of therapy is suitable.
Therapeutic agreement
If the work is considered suitable, the practical arrangement, session frequency, fees, confidentiality and expectations will be discussed.
Regular sessions
Sessions then begin with Dr Francesco Manfredonia in person from a private consulting space in central Birmingham.
A gradual and collaborative process
Analytic psychotherapy is generally a sustained form of work rather than a brief intervention focused only on a single symptom. Change may emerge through growing awareness, reflection and a fuller relationship with parts of yourself that have previously been difficult to recognise.
During sessions
You are invited to speak freely about whatever comes to mind. This may include current experiences, relationships, memories, emotions, dreams, silence, uncertainty and what happens within the therapeutic relationship itself.
- Confidential one-to-one meetings
- Consistent appointment times
- Careful exploration rather than prescriptive advice
- Attention to conscious and less conscious patterns
Over time
People may develop a richer understanding of their inner life, relationships and repeated patterns. The outcome is individual and cannot be guaranteed, but the work may support more lasting psychological change than symptom management alone.
- Greater emotional awareness
- More freedom in relationships and choices
- Improved capacity to tolerate difficult feelings
- A life that feels more genuinely your own
Training with the West Midlands Institute of Psychotherapy
The Analytical Psychotherapy Training in Birmingham is an advanced clinical training recognised by the British Psychoanalytic Council.
Dr Francesco Manfredonia is working as an advanced trainee
Dr Francesco Manfredonia has completed the preclinical stage of his analytic psychotherapy training. He is now permitted to work clinically with suitable clients within the structures, assessment arrangements and supervision required by his training.
His work in analytic psychotherapy is professionally distinct from his role as a Consultant Neurologist and Neurophysiologist.
A private consulting space in central Birmingham
Sessions are currently offered in person. The full address and practical arrival information will be provided privately once an appointment has been agreed.
Questions about analytic psychotherapy
Do I need to have a diagnosis or be in crisis?
No. People may seek analytic psychotherapy because of anxiety, low mood, relationship difficulties or a difficult life event, but also because they feel stuck, want greater meaning or wish to understand themselves more deeply.
Why is there an assessment with a senior analyst?
The assessment is an important part of trainee therapy. It provides an independent opportunity to consider your needs, the suitability of analytic psychotherapy and whether the proposed therapeutic arrangement is appropriate.
How often will sessions take place?
Analytic psychotherapy normally involves regular and consistent sessions. The proposed frequency will be discussed during the assessment and initial agreement. It may vary according to clinical suitability and the requirements of the training arrangement.
How long does analytic psychotherapy last?
It is generally a longer-term process rather than a fixed short course. Duration varies between individuals and will be reviewed as the work develops. No specific outcome or timescale can be guaranteed.
Are sessions online?
The service described on this page is currently offered in person from a private consulting space in central Birmingham. Any exceptional alternative arrangement would need to be agreed in advance.
Is this connected to neurological treatment?
No. Analytic psychotherapy is a separate professional activity from Dr Manfredonia's consultant neurology practice. A psychotherapy enquiry should not be used to request neurological diagnosis, treatment or emergency advice.
What are the fees?
Fees, payment arrangements and the cancellation policy will be explained before therapy begins. Please ask about current fees when making your initial enquiry.
Will everything I say remain confidential?
Confidentiality and its professional or legal limits will be discussed before the work begins. As part of clinical training, anonymised aspects of the work may be discussed within professional supervision.
This is not a crisis or emergency service
Urgent mental health support
If you need urgent help for your mental health, call NHS 111 and select the mental health option. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or go to the nearest A&E department.
Make an analytic psychotherapy enquiry
Your initial message does not commit you to beginning therapy. Please provide only the information needed to arrange contact and avoid including highly sensitive personal details at this stage.