ABOUT
Matthew Frener
integrative therapist London.
I'm Matthew Frener (he/him), an Integrative Psychotherapist and Dialectical Behaviour Therapist working from Fitzrovia, Central London, and online. I work with adults seeking to understand themselves more deeply, whether that's exploring anxiety, trauma, addiction, identity, relationships, or the patterns that quietly shape how we move through the world. My practice is rooted in compassion and a commitment to anti-oppressive care, with space for all of who you are and everything that brings you here.
THE NATURE OF CHANGE
Relational psychotherapy London
My approach is shaped by a set of core beliefs about what it means to be human, and what makes change possible.
I believe the self is formed in relationship, that distress often reflects disruptions to how we learned to connect, regulate, and make sense of ourselves and others.
The ways we learned to cope were intelligent adaptations. The difficulty is that they were built for an earlier relational environment, and do not always translate well to the present one.
"The patterns we bring into adult relationships are rarely arbitrary. They are the residue of earlier relational experience, shaped by what felt safe, necessary, or survivable at the time."
This is where the therapeutic relationship becomes central.
HOW I WORK
The therapeutic
relationship matters
At the heart of my practice is the therapeutic relationship; a connection built on trust, understanding, and mutual respect. How we are together in the room matters as much as the content of what we discuss.
Research consistently shows that the quality of the therapeutic relationship is one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes in therapy. This reflects something more fundamental: our capacity for meaningful connection with others is central to emotional wellbeing. In relational work, the therapeutic relationship is not just a nice backdrop: it is the primary medium through which change occurs.
Some people come to therapy knowing only that something feels stuck, or painful, or that life isn't quite working, without yet having words for why. Others may arrive with self-awareness: they can name their patterns, trace them back, explain what tends to go wrong.
And yet the same dynamics return.
In both cases, the patterns that shape how we relate to others tend to live in the body, in expectation, in the automatic ways we respond when closeness or conflict is near, often beneath the reach of conscious understanding.
Rather than simply talking about what happens outside the room, the therapeutic relationship itself becomes a place where those patterns can be seen, explored, and over time, worked through and loosened. We'll work holistically, attending to all aspects of your experience: cognitive, emotional, somatic, relational, and where relevant, spiritual.
Tailoring my methods to suit the specific needs of each client, I use an integration of various modalities. I firmly believe that therapy should adapt to the individual, not the other way around; there is no "one size fits all" solution. Every client brings a unique set of experiences, and to best support them, I draw on a range of therapeutic principles. While I am rooted in relational, developmental and attachment-based theories, I respond to clients with intuition, empathy, and compassion, incorporating elements of humanistic and psychodynamic traditions, alongside cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and somatic approaches. Our work is tailored to you, your history, your pace, and what you need right now.
CORE VALUES
What guides my practice
I see therapy as a space to meet the full complexity of who you are. Emotional suffering does not arise in isolation, and neither does healing. We are shaped by our relationships, histories, bodies, identities, and the wider contexts we live within. My work is guided by four core values that shape how I practise.
01
Relationship
I believe that much of our pain is shaped in relationship, and that relationship is also where healing becomes possible. Therapy offers a space where patterns can be explored not only through what is spoken about, but also through what is felt and experienced between us, in the texture of how we meet each other. The therapeutic relationship can become a place of honesty, repair, and new experience.
02
Compassion
I believe people make sense in context. Rather than reducing struggle to symptoms, flaws, or labels, I aim to approach each person with curiosity, care, and respect for what they have lived through. In my experience, shame often softens when it is met with genuine compassion rather than judgement. That shift can make space for complexity, and support a kinder relationship with yourself.
03
Justice
I value a way of working that is culturally aware, anti-oppressive, and attentive to the wider forces that shape our inner lives. Our difficulties do not exist outside the worlds we live in. Therapy should make space for the impact of identity, power, marginalisation, and social context, rather than treating distress as a purely private matter.
04
Authenticity
I value realness in therapy. For me, this means bringing myself into the work, rather than retreating behind a role or technique, and meeting you with presence, honesty, and care. Authenticity is not about saying everything, but about working in a way that feels genuine, grounded, and human.
05
Wholeness
I believe people cannot be neatly divided into a mind to be analysed and a body to be managed. Feelings, thoughts, sensations, and experience are always interconnected. In my work, I try to remain curious about the whole person, not only what you think and say, but what you carry in your body and what your nervous system holds from all you've been through. Therapy is not only a talking space, but one where bodily experience is welcomed as part of the conversation.
ANTI-OPPRESSIVE PRACTICE
Working with the
whole person in context
Distress does not exist in a vacuum.
The experiences people bring to therapy are shaped not only by personal history but by the social, cultural, and structural conditions of their lives, by racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism, and the many ways systemic inequality shapes what feels possible, safe, or permitted.
My commitment to anti-oppressive practice means I work to hold both dimensions simultaneously. I attend to the individual in front of me and to the wider context that has shaped them. This shifts the question from what is wrong with you to what conditions made this response necessary, a reframe that I believe is not only more accurate but also more humane.
In practice, this means recognising how identity, culture, and social location inform your experience; understanding how oppression and trauma intersect, shaping emotions, relationships, and coping mechanisms; being mindful of the power dynamics present in the therapeutic relationship itself; and working in a way that seeks to empower rather than pathologise.
I also hold the theoretical traditions I draw on with the same critical awareness. The frameworks that inform this work are predominantly Western and reflect particular cultural assumptions. I treat them as partial and situated contributions rather than universal truths.
Therapy should be a space where all of who you are is welcome, including the parts that have been marginalised, misunderstood, or unseen.
BACKGROUND
Before the consulting room
Before training as a therapist, I spent several years working in the theatre and arts sector. It was my own experience of seeking help, of sitting in the client's chair, that drew me toward this work and continues to shape how I practise. That experience gave me something I carry into every session: a firsthand understanding of what it takes to ask for support, and what it means to feel genuinely met when you do.
WORK
Clinical experience
START2STOP
Addiction & Eating Disorder Therapist
2021-2024
I began my clinical career at Start2Stop, one of London's leading residential rehabilitation centres, working with adults recovering from addiction, eating disorders, and compulsive behaviours. I worked one-to-one, facilitated groups, and supported families through the recovery process.
PRIVATE PRACTICE
Integrative Psychotherapist
2021-ongoing
I have maintained a private practice in Fitzrovia, Central London, and online since 2021, working with adults across a wide range of presentations. This is where my integrative, relational approach is most fully expressed, working at a pace that suits you, with space for the depth and complexity that meaningful therapeutic work requires.
PRIORY NORTH LONDON
Dialectical Behaviour Therapist
2025
I worked as an individual therapist at Priory North London, one of the UK's most recognised mental health providers, within their DBT programme. I worked individually with adults whose experiences often involved trauma, identity, emotional regulation, and the patterns that can make everyday life feel overwhelming.
EDUCATION
Qualifications and training
Level 6 Clinical Diploma in Integrative Psychotherapeutic Counselling | Metanoia Institute |
MSc Integrative Psychotherapy (in progress, expected 2026) | Metanoia Institute |
BPS Approved Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Full Practitioner | Greenwood Mentors |
BPS Approved Master Practitioner in Eating Disorders and Obesity Management | National Centre for Eating Disorders |
Somatic Trauma Therapy | Babette Rothschild |
Certificate in Couples Counselling | National Counselling Training Institute |
Accredited & Registered with
