Gina Chinbat
Systemic Family Psychotherapist
I am a Family and Systemic Psychotherapist with over 15 years of clinical experience in the field of mental health. I bring multi-dimensional perspectives to thinking about families and I pay particular attention to the context in which people interact with each other and feel it is important in exploring and getting an understanding of how certain behaviours are given their meaning and influence an individual's choice of action.
What is Systemic Family Therapy?
Family and systemic psychotherapy – also known as family therapy- can help those in significant relationships to better understand and support each other more effectively. Whether it’s a family conflict, a child’s behaviour, Family therapy may be useful for people experiencing a wide range of difficulties and interpersonal issues and circumstances across the family life cycle. Family Therapy helps families to understand how they communicate, what is missing and what is in their blind spot so as to challenge the family’s old, dysfunctional ways and help to explore new ways of communicating by trying to identify ‘stuck dynamics’ and negative patterns of communication as well as difficulties in emotional expressions and handling of feelings. I do that from a position of guidance and I believe that everyone in the family plays a part in helping to create positive change to move things forward.
Many families I work with think it is a worthwhile process even though they have to open up about their lives and traumatic emotional experiences as it helps them to view the difficulties they are experiencing from a different perspective thus opening them up to new explorations. People can get upset exploring these topics and especially having different or opposing views but in family therapy I help them through these difficulties by, among other methods/techniques, enabling them and guiding them to increase their distress/discomfort and tolerance.
How does it work?
Taking part in therapy is a big commitment. I have keen eyes and expertise to better understand patterns that may be at play in your family /relationships and highlight the resources you already likely have but may not realise due to the stress of your given situation. I like to explore the intricate interplay between individuals and their relational systems thus uncovering different ways of thinking, reacting and living together. Family therapy enables family members to express and explore difficult thoughts and emotions safely, understand each other’s experiences and views, appreciate each other’s needs, build on family strengths, and work together to make necessary changes to move ‘stuck dynamics’ forward. It is the aim of therapists to help families and individuals talk about their hopes, and work towards their own goals as a family.
The time between sessions is also important and allows you to experiment with doing things differently…this is when the real work happens!
What Issues Systemic Approach address?
I work with individuals, couples, and families of all ages and from all walks of life, helping them navigate a wide range of challenges. Systemic and family therapy can provide support in many situations, including:
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Child and Adolescent Mental Health
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Anxiety and low mood /self-esteem
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School refusal
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Selective Mutism
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Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD)
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Psychotic disorders
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Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their impact on the family/siblings
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Parenting children with additional needs
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Managing sibling conflict in neurodivergent families/ Navigating delicate family dynamics
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Eating disorders
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Attachment difficulties
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Trauma
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Behavioral challenges and risk of school exclusion
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Psychosomatic issues
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Identity and gender-related concerns
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Foster care and adoption transition
​Adult Mental Health
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Anxiety and depression
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Alcohol and substance misuse
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Relationship and marital challenges, including communication difficulties, separation, and divorce
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Co-parenting struggles
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Family life cycle transitions and family-of-origin issues
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Session Fees
I understand that finding the right support is important, which is why I offer a free initial consultation over the phone. During this consultation, we can discuss your concerns, explore how I may be able to help, and answer any questions you might have.
My Session Fees:
Individual Systemic Therapy - £125 (up to 75 min)
Family Systemic Therapy/ Couples and Parents' Sessions - £165 ( up to 1.5 hours)
Financial situations can be taken into account. Please contact me if you wish to discuss any of the above.
We came to know Gina via family therapy services. Gina worked with myself and my son over a period of sessions. Gina was engaging and compassionate with both my son and myself (my son has complex needs)
Gina was always ready and focussed with an encouraging attitude, she supported my parenting approaches and offered insight and helpful gestures in a sympathetic style. Talking with Gina on a regular basis was so very important not only as a measure of my performance as a mum of a special needs child, but a record of her first hand witness of the challenges we faced in our home. Having a professional on your side is detrimental to the support we receive via other agencies/schools. Gina would not hesitate to go beyond her role and make contact/write letters of support and bring her honest evaluations to the wider network of other professionals, sometimes join our zoom meetings in the difficult stages of assessments and communications with school. She was a valuable member of my 'home' support team, always assuring me that I was not 'alone' and she was always able to stand by my side. This meant a lot to me and my son really looked forward to seeing her. Gina goes beyond her realm of services, because 'empathy' and 'character' cannot be measured with a certificate. Miss K. P. R