Counselling in Southampton

My work is with children, young people and young adults who are finding it difficult to manage difficulties relating to mood, anxiety, educational challenges, exam anxiety, transitions between school and university, and both expected and unexpected life changes. In addition to this, I have specialist skills and experience in working with children, young people and adults on the autism spectrum (some of whom may also have associated learning disabilities). I also have significant experience working with looked after children, both within fostering and residential care settings.

Thank you for taking the time to read my profile. Firstly People need to feel valued, people need to feel accepted and they certainly need to feel heard. Based in central Andover, I specialise in anxiety, trauma, neurodiversity, bereavement, intrusive thoughts and work very well with people from the LGBTQ+ community. I offer a non-judgemental approach using Gestalt and Humanistic theory. What this means is that we work creatively with what is happening for you right now. Creative work can unlock things from the past in a safe contained way. Online counselling is now available.

I am an accredited integrative counsellor/psychotherapist. I am trained in a variety of different counselling theories and aim to provide a safe, non-judgemental and confidential relationship, by walking alongside you, facilitating healing and enabling you to reach your goals. Counselling provides support and professional help by talking about the problems you are experiencing in life. I currently see clients online. Do feel free to contact me for an initial online chat or phone call.

I offer confidential, client focused psychotherapy, Face-Face & Zoom worldwide . Through dialogue and the shared exploration of your life, you may find relief from recurring problems, live your life more fully and realise your full potential. Therapy is a personal and individual process of change, as well as understanding. This is an opportunity to take time and space to think about yourself and the problems you may be facing. By talking to a trained psychotherapist you may find it easier to understand how past experiences, thought patterns and behaviour, or anxieties about the future are causing difficulties in your daily life.

As an integrative counsellor trained in different modalities, including person-centred, existential, psychodynamic and CBT, my approach is always tailored to the person’s individual needs at a given time. I have worked for over two years in private practice with adults from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, presenting with symptoms of anxiety, depression, low self esteem, identity or relationships related issues. While using evidence based and solution focused techniques, I also work with the root cause of these symptoms which are often a consequence of unresolved issues from the early childhood or a lost sense of self.

It’s not unusual to feel unsettled and lost in uncertain times. Sometimes troubled relationships at home or work or from the past can bring low or anxious feelings that may prompt you to step back and ask yourself who you really are and what is the way forward. As an Existential Psychotherapist I can be with you to explore how is it for you to be you right now in the world in which you find yourself. What possibilities are open to you? What are your anxious feelings really telling you? How can you be OK with the feelings and situations that make you uncomfortable, or not knowing what the future holds?

Reasons for seeking counselling may vary and these could include a wide range of psychological or emotional distress as well as the need to explore your life more deeply or reflect on particular life decisions or dilemmas. The way we approach challenges in life and the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that arise from them can sometimes be the source of further suffering which can be experienced as shame, self-criticism, isolation, self-loathing, self-blame and deep emotional suffering.

I believe that therapy allows you to take a more active role in understanding and experiencing your emotions. When we are not aware of our emotions or ideas, it can mean we act out certain behaviours – or experience certain feelings - without knowing why. And while we might be able to tolerate this for some time – perhaps even for a long time - I believe there is a difference between surviving and living. Developing a closer – or less mysterious - relationship with ourselves can allow us to go beyond living life passively and begin to really experience it.

I am an experienced, MBACP registered Integrative Counsellor and Psychotherapist. I aim to support and guide my clients through the turbulent times in life and work together to find the path of resilience which leads to enhanced life skills, positive living, and success. I work integratively bringing together a number of modalities, Person Centred, CBT, Existential, Psychodynamics, and Gestalt practices, while working very much through a medium of empathy with my client. Some areas of specialism: trauma, depression, anxiety, bereavement, relationship issues, and gender-based violence, ADHD. I identify as complex neurodivergent.

Life can be challenging and difficult at times. Psychotherapy is a space you can gift yourself, a space to be held and to explore possibilities. I provide a safe, open, and gentle space for you to connect and explore. Healing and growth come from connecting with people who see us and understand us. Crisis and issues in life often point us towards areas in our lives that are calling for some attention, although sometimes it is hard to see when we are in it. They often invite us to take a closer look at our lives and to find ways to live more fully and freely. I will be there to walk beside you and support you along the way.

I work relationally with the clients I see, aiming to build a shared understanding of their difficulties. Using integrative techniques (including evidence based psychodynamic, existential, humanistic & cognitive behavioural modalities) I focus on encouraging individuals/couples to identify their existing challenges, build an understanding of themselves & their situation, & reflect on why they may feel the way they do. Through this process it is possible to build long term resilience & a more robust sense of self, having identified patterns of relating to others. This includes developing skills & techniques for coping in the future.

I am a Counselling Psychologist offering therapy to individuals from a diverse range of cultural and religious backgrounds. I am guided by the principle that the therapeutic relationship and connection between client and therapist is the most important ingredient for successful therapeutic work. I aim to facilitate a real and honest engagement with my clients by offering a non-judgemental and safe therapeutic space. I have experience supporting individuals with a range of difficulties including existential questions, low mood, anxiety, stress, relationship and sexual difficulties.

I have experience of a wide variety of therapeutic settings, working with loss and bereavement, work-related stress, migration, anxiety, depression and relationship issues. In therapy I will provide a safe, confidential and non-judgemental space where we can explore the challenges in your life and how you can make the choices that are right for you at this point in your life. I provide therapy in English and in Swedish.

Typically, I work with people struggling with anxiety, despair, anger, and shame; who wrestle with guilt, mistrust, addiction, and dissociation; who are self-critical, self-destructive, and trapped in repeated patterns of hurting self/others. Such feelings, behaviours, and patterns of relating often stem from multiple and complex life events and circumstances, including past/present abusive and neglectful relationships, discrimination, bereavement, trauma, gender expectations, parenthood, study/work/financial pressures, and more existential challenges such as one's relationship to meaning, responsibility, authenticity, and death.

My name is Lena and I am an accredited psychotherapist with a great deal of experience in the treatment of a wide range of anxiety and mood-related disorders. I am specialising in the treatment of trauma (developmental, complex, relational or single-event trauma), addictions, and personality disorders. I also work with people with existential issues and bereavement. I have many years experience of working with adults in various different settings, including the NHS, prison settings, drug and alcohol services, primary care service (IAPT) and private practice. I have also worked in mental health services abroad.

Dr Anne Li is a Chartered Counselling Psychologist offering private therapy and leadership/performance coaching to adults. She is British Chinese, with past professional experiences in investment banking and the creative industries and is a practising Buddhist. She provides a holistic and pragmatic approach to psychological health and well-being and draws from psychodynamic, CBT, somatic, compassion-focused, mindfulness, and existential approaches. She is interested in helping people transcend limiting beliefs, harmful family scripts, unconscious mechanisms, and patterned behaviours, be better self-aware, and more self-caring.

I am a qualified counsellor and teacher, I have studied Counselling and Substance Misuse at FdSc level and have a Diploma in Social Work, as well as having a wide range of work and life experience. My down to earth nature empowers me to be accessible, approachable and non-judgmental which is an essential part of a successful working therapeutic relationship. Aiding people to work through their own life challenges is my absolute passion and driving force behind Brighter Pathways Counselling.