Who am I as a therapist?

This paraphrasing of the poem ‘Serenity Prayer’ by Dr. Neibuhr best summarises my therapeutic philosophy: Life offers us plenty of wonderful opportunities to grow and thrive, to nourish warm relationships and connections with others and to embrace meaning throughout our lifespan. However, we are all sometimes faced with pragmatic and emotional challenges, when we cannot have what our hearts are yearning for, or when we lose what we mostly love despite our best efforts, or when unexpected life predicaments come along our pathway. It is never easy to accept and overcome such painful events and realities and it always takes some time.

However, psychotherapy can be helpful, when you have a compassionate and genuine fellow traveler in your journey, who will explore with you your deeper emotions, face and process your agonies and sorrows, collaboratively identify and work through your thoughts that prevent you from moving forward and retrieve your strengths from your own unique existence. Nevertheless, reflecting on your life, thoughts and feelings is definitely not easy and often not enough either: Thus, we will plan together an individually-tailored, creative, but realistic way forward for you.

I will also be asking you for open and direct feedback throughout this process, so I can best support you in every step you make, in an understanding and non-judgmental manner. You will be the ‘leader’, but I will be there for you, stepping-in or stepping-back as necessary, in order to fight your difficulties, tweak our plan as necessary and keep going until life starts to look brighter.

What is my theoretical ethos and background?

My areas of expertise are especially working through life and personal identity crises and psychological trauma from an integrative psychotherapy perspective. Meanwhile, I have experience of working with very diverse client populations, ages and common presenting difficulties (most typically with anxiety, depression and low self-esteem). Practising from an integrative perspective means for me that while Humanistic therapy and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) form the ground of my approach, I will often suggest and discuss with you interventions and tasks that derive from the psychodynamic, existential, or other more experiential therapeutic paradigms, as I deeply believe that people have the endogenous ability to use their imagination and their implicit self-awareness to enhance their emotional and spiritual well-being.

Who am I?

I have more than ten years of psychotherapeutic experience, I am a caring and kind professional who will listen to you with no prejudice and judgment, who will try to understand who you are and how you feel, in the best way that I can. We will tailor together an individualised therapeutic plan that will best meet your unique needs and visions for a happier life.

I am an HCPC registered Counselling Psychologist based in the U.K., a practicing academic and a psychotherapist with a diverse experience both from the United Kingdom and abroad. I have full training to deliver CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) and Humanistic Therapy for a variety of psychological issues and difficulties. I am a clinical and research associate of the Counselling and Mental Health Clinic at York St. John University (York, UK) and of the Insta help Online Counselling Centre of the Sigmund Freud University (Vienna, Austria) and a clinical associate of the British CBT & Counselling Service.

I also have a psychodynamic 5-year long professional training in group, family and couple therapy (the Hellenic Institute for Group Analysis and Family Therapy, member of the European Federation of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy) and I have worked therapeutically in a broad variety of settings, including a psychiatric clinic, private practice, charities, schools, universities and counselling centres with clients of all ages and from a diversity of social, cultural and personal backgrounds.  I have also worked in the past as a Consultant for Health and Social Policies for the Greek Green Party, as the General Secretary for the Prevention Centres against Drugs and Addictions (The City of Athens, Greece) and as an employment Consultant/Mediator for the Ministry of Labour (The Government of Greece).

I possess an accredited Doctorate in Counselling Psychology, a post-graduate Conversion Diploma in Psychology with Distinction (The Open University, UK), a first class Bachellors Degree in Sociology (The Panteion University, Greece) and a fist class Diploma in Jazz Composition (The Berklee College of Music, Boston, USA).

What is my personal motivation?

What motivates me for doing this fascinating work? The fact that trying to understand others, connecting with them and hopefully helping them become happier brings more meaning and purpose to my own life, it helps me understand myself better and grow as a therapist and as a person.

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