In counselling and psychotherapy you will be able to talk in privacy about what you find difficult in your life. Therapy does not work as a ‘cure’ but it can be a great help for you to develop skills and self-awareness towards a better life. Some important experiences might involve: accepting yourself, change what might be in your power, clarify what you value and aspire towards, how your aspirations meet your reality or how you might be able to question your mindset, review your worldview, and reconsider creatively your life, your choices, relationships, beliefs and much more.
“Been talking to Leo for a few years now and he’s genuinely helped me navigate some tough times and helps me develop a better understanding and tools to look forward to the future with more confidence. Online makes it a lot more convenient with my freelance and slightly unstructured lifestyle.”
Oliver F., UK, google review
It is in our human nature to transfer past pain or feel stuck – but we are also open to growth and well-being. Your aim in therapy might also be developing further what works well, or tackling difficult issues; some of these might be listed below:
- Stress and anxiety (health, social, financial, existential, due to trauma or other)
- Depression or mood swings
- Self-understanding and personal development
- Manage demands, pressures, difficult changes and uncertainty in life
- Feelings of panic or phobias
- Bereavement, separation and loss
- Relationship and family problems
- Sexual orientation and identity issues
- Discrimination, oppression, bullying
- Psychological trauma and/or history of abuse
- Age related issues: teenage, adult, senior
- Isolation and loneliness
- Living with chronic health issues, such as M/S, chronic fatigue or HIV
- Physical health or mental health issues
- Loss of direction, and questions about purpose and meaning in life
- Work-related dilemmas and stress
- Low self-esteem, procrastination, self-doubt
- Sleep, eating or sexual problems
- Drug and alcohol misuse
- Questions about our worldview, our life philosophy or spirituality
My therapeutic approach – working with individuals and couples
The way I work is interactive, opening to mutual dialogue and reflection. It is not based on medical models and moves away from pathological labelling, while I am well-trained and clinically experienced working within such systems. I intend to develop a professional and humane relationship between us, rather than an ‘expert-patient’ one.
My aim is to help you make your sense of your experiences: look at what is valuable and meaningful in your life, question certain beliefs that you may be taking for granted, and open to your responsibilities and possibilities in life. We will also look at your sense of being free or restricted (e.g. health, time, age, money), as well as relevant expectations that you or others might have of you. I would not tell you what to do but would fully engage with you in order to help you better understand conflicts and dilemmas, and might be forward at times making suggestions or sharing my opinion.
“Walking with someone in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
Hellen Keller
On a more practical level we could look at specific skills to challenge negative thinking, relax and let go, experiment with change, as well as focus on embodied feelings, creativity and imagination. As you would begin to notice how you really view yourself and what patterns you might be repeating in your life, you could also realise that you have more choices than you think in the way you live and relate; to yourself, to others, to nature. Awareness and insight can also be promoted by looking at experiences like dreams, fantasies, bodily senses and lifestyle (e.g. sleep, diet, sex or work patterns).
In addition to the above, extra focuses for couples will be on how you communicate, relate and experience each other’s disclosures and feelings in therapy, what relational patterns you follow and what you are trying to achieve or avoid individually and as a couple. I usually see both partners together and for some sessions each partner separately.
I would describe my approach as ‘integrative’ and ‘relational’, informed by certain philosophical ideas (existential, eastern, ancient Greek) and based on theories and techniques from diverse therapeutic and psychological approaches (psychoanalysis, phenomenology, humanistic, cognitive-behavioural CBT, mindfulness, transpersonal).
My belief is that no single therapeutic approach works for everyone as we are all different people experiencing similar life issues in our unique ways, hence I always intent to adapt my approach to your individual need or urgency. Counselling and psychological research* shows that the quality of the professional relationship between therapist and client is the essential factor towards a fruitful counselling experience.
A positive therapeutic experience is based on mutual commitment and the gradual development of trust and safety between us. Counselling sessions will be strictly confidential – but in the event I thought you or someone else is at serious risk, I would attempt to access external support (usually your GP), after discussing this with you if possible.
* Cooper, M. (2004). Towards a Relationally-Oriented Approach to Therapy: empirical support and analysis. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, Vol 32, No 4, pp 451-460.
Online therapy:
Online counselling has been an additional option to face-face therapy since the 90s and it is on the increase, especially in periods when there are mobility restrictions, such as the pandemic measures. Many people also see this as the right option for them because of a variety of other reasons: it could be your line of work, location, health issues, family commitments, disability or other.
I am well experienced working with clients from different countries expressing various issues, by using mainly Skype or via other video-call options, such as Zoom.
In order to make the most of all sessions, please ensure that you are in a private and comfortable space, with a good internet connection and without interruptions or distractions. Payment takes place in advance (at least 48 hours) through online banking in order to commence a session, and ongoing sessions are usually paid on a fortnightly or monthly basis.
Online sessions are not appropriate for people in an acute crisis needing immediate help or for people with complex mental health issues – If you are feeling high distress and are very worried about your health, please contact your local health service, A&E or these services if you are in the UK.
“Really lovely, helpful counsellor who is very good at putting clients at ease. He comes highly recommended.”
Jessica L. L., London
Differences between counselling and psychotherapy
Both terms overlap and can be used interchangeably, but you might get different answers from different people. My view is that counselling can be shorter-term in comparison to psychotherapy which might be longer-term while exploring more complex issues. There is a difference in terms of training though: psychotherapists undergo longer and thorough training on the same professional level with counselling psychologists, training that includes studying psychological theories and philosophies, clinical research, as well as counselling techniques. Moreover, the last few years’coaching’ is also an option for people, and ‘life-coaching’ in many respects is certainly part of counselling and psychotherapy.
Please note: if you need immediate help due to an emergency or high distress and you are very worried about your health, please contact a doctor or your GP as soon as possible and book an appointment with the doctor on duty in your local health service (should be available on the same day), or contact this service. You can also find useful information here.