I'm passionate about cultivating healthy relationships, starting with me & you, here & now.
We all need 'nurturing' to survive & thrive, human connection is vital, for our minds & bodies, for physical & psychological health & wellbeing.
We cannot do this life alone, nor are we designed to, we all need our 'tribe'.
Humans are hardwired to connect, we are prosocial beings, driven to achieve & pursue, for excitement & satisfaction, to compete & co-operate.
If we are given the right conditions to develop & grow, at any age, we can establish, create & achieve great things & reach our potential.
Sometimes we need some human scaffolding, a listening ear, an encouraging smile, another perspective, a safe & secure base such as can be found with me in my therapy sessions.
I foster a down to earth, easy going, authentic approach to therapy working collaboratively with you, we will work together.
'Two heads are better than one, not because either is infallible, but because they are unlikely to go wrong in the same direction.' C.S. Lewis.
I believe in evolution, the version of you now, is not the same version of you that will 'be' during, and at the end of, embarking upon this process with me.
Committed to improving health & wellbeing,
reducing pain & suffering
About Me
Creating safety to explore, observe and understand oneself to heal, rebuild, develop & grow.
"Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded."
I'm a highly skilled counselling psychologist, providing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), adopting the most appropriate model to the needs of my clients, in a brief or longer-term capacity.
I work with people from all walks of life, experiencing psychological difficulties which create distress, discomfort & uncertainty, resulting from the pressures & demands of daily living.
I strive to provide compassionate & ethical care, cultivating a safe environment & relationship to explore sensitive matters.
I've gained extensive experience in assessment & therapy over 20 years, within the NHS & private settings, working with adolescents, adults, couples, families and groups, with common mental health issues such as anxiety, depression & crisis intervention.
My specialism within the perinatal phase of life, involves working with individual's, couples & families from pre-conception, during pregnancy, the birthing process & life postnatally, with a baby, transitioning into parenthood.
I work with phobias (general and specific), fear of pregnancy & childbirth Tokophobia, Emetophobia, Hyperemesis Gravidarum, Anxiety, Depression (PND), Baby Loss, Birth Trauma, maternal/paternal OCD, adjustment difficulties.
I'm aware of the health inequalities experienced by people from diverse marginalised backgrounds & I'm committed to providing a safe space for you in my care.
I'm an empathic practitioner, adopting a personable & highly professional approach to therapy.
I adhere to NICE guidelines, providing disorder specific treatments to common psychological difficulties: Depression, Anxiety, young people, Phobias (General & Specific), Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Health Anxiety & Medically Unexplained symptoms; Trauma (Adult/Childhood), PTSD, Complex trauma, Adjustment to life events, Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social phobia, Eating disorders (including Bulimia Nervosa), Body Image disorders, Physical Health issues and Work-related stress.
Clinical Experience & Expertise
I’ve always been interested in the mind & body, people, social dynamics & relationships, understanding human drives, desires & difficulties. For every person, there is a story ...
In 2006 I completed a 3 year Masters & Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at London Metropolitan University, becoming a Chartered Counselling Psychologist.
I’ve worked within the NHS & a private hospital delivering individual & group therapies with adults & adolescents in inpatient & outpatient settings (The Priory Hospital Hayes Grove; South West London & St Georges NHS IAPT Service Merton & Sutton; Wandsworth Wellbeing Service; East London Foundation Trust Crisis Therapy Service).
I’ve developed specialist interest & training in OCD, Tokophobia, Postnatal Depression, HypnoBirthing, Behavioural Couples Therapy, Maternal Separation & loss, Perinatal health & wellbeing & Crisis Intervention.
The therapeutic journey is in trying to understand oneself, your history, patterns, habits & pathways of living that you've developed across time, without judgment, to achieve a deeper self-understanding & acceptance, meaning & purpose in life.
I believe in a shared communality, that as humans, we all experience pain & suffering at some point throughout our lives, often multiple times across our lifespan, we are not alone. If we can safely observe & understand pain & distress, then we can commit to change, take responsibility & improve the quality of life.
Often what has happened to us in life is not our fault, yet we blame ourselves & carry the burden. Whilst we do need to be responsible for our actions, reactions & motivations, we also need to exercise compassion & wisdom, to promote physical & emotional health & wellbeing.
It's a great privilege to be in the position as a therapist, to embark upon a new relationship, often in times of great need, difficulty & distress, with my clients. Trust is key to developing any new relationship, & therapy provides an opportunity to be ‘safely’ vulnerable, to expose oneself, to observe, learn & grow, whilst having the mind of another to join, contain & contribute to the process.
Testimonials
“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
-Brene Brown-
I’m not sure me or my daughter would be here today without having had Anouska’s support. I became pregnant and was suffering badly with tokophobia and anxiety. I found it very difficult to find a therapist that understood tokophobia until I found Anouska and I’m so grateful she was able to see me, my pregnancy was mentally tough and my sessions with Anouska are what kept me going. Anouska is kind, understanding, helps you to reason and i never felt judged. Anouska was the only person I felt safe to share a lot of how I was feeling with. I would not hesitate to recommend sessions with Anouska to anyone in need!
Anouska put me at ease and made me feel comfortable from the start. We have worked through so much and I am so much happier in so many aspects of my life. I no longer live with constant anxiety. My relationships are improved as is my self esteem. I honestly am so proud of how far I have come with Anouska’s help.
Anouska is a compassionate and highly skilled Therapist who has provided me with invaluable insight, tools and guidance. She is approachable and always non-judgemental - I have benefitted immeasurably from our work together.
I would recommend Anouska to anyone looking for a therapist. When we met one year after having my first child, I was struggling massively with postnatal depression and birth trauma, at this stage I thought I would have another baby and after working with Anouska I am now extremely content and happy with two amazing sons. When my second birth didn’t go as planned Anouska helped me get through this period with such compassion and kindness I felt extremely lucky to have her support and guidance. I am not sure how I would have got through it without her. Anouska is everything you would want in a therapist; warm, empathetic and a great listener. I feel comfortable in opening up to her and am so thankful for the relationship we have and continue to build. Her advice and knowledge has been invaluable to me in navigating these challenging early years of motherhood.
Anouska has been a true soul saver for me - and it is only when I look back on my personal progress do I appreciate our journey, the guidance, patience and kindness she dedicated me. Without standing the details of our sessions, she was always so flexible and accommodating to our sessions and fitting into my difficult work schedule
When I started sessions with you, I wasnt sure if they would help or make a difference, but over time, the approach you take on thinking about my concerns and looking at them from a different angle, I have felt more positive and hopeful that therapy with you is making a difference in helping with my fears regarding childbirth.
Where do I start? It would not be an exaggeration to say that I wouldn't be here had it not been for Anouska. I started working with her in 2022, as I was dealing with the grief of losing my mum. I got signed off from work, I couldn't sleep nor have any sort of "normal" life, I had no idea who I was anymore and even the thought of getting out of bed was overwhelming. Her compassion is without borders and with her support, I was able to slowly return to normality, return to the office and reconnect with my family. But the work did not end there- we proceeded to work on the effect of neglect during my childhood had one me, establishing boundaries, improving my relationship with myself. I learned that while therapy during a crisis moment was of essence in me regaining my life, the foundation to my mental wellbeing was built when I was no longer in crisis, through consistent and regular sessions, though mindfulness and meditation, through complete honesty and transparency with Anouska. It's been more than two years now and despite many of my issues being resolved, I am continuing with my sessions with Anouska- seeing and speaking to her on a regular basis helps me maintain good mental wellbeing, preserve my resilience and ensure that I have all the tools needed, in case of a new crisis.
I have been working with Anouska for a while now and she has really helped me overcome some big problems that I thought I would never be able to fix. Although I approached her for help with a specific issue, she has supported me through some tough events that have occurred since we started working together and has adapted our sessions to suit what was happening at the time. She is extremely understanding and caring and I sometimes wonder where I'd be today if it wasn't for her help. I look forward to our sessions and always come away feeling like I've made progress. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone.
Contact Me
Library Room 1.07
37 Queen Anne St, London W1G 9JB
Fees
I welcome self-referrals & professional referrals
Funding: Private Medical Insurance
Bupa, Bupa Global, Axa, Aviva, Vitality, WPA
Fees pre-arranged with Private Medical cover. I'm registered with most insurance companies, you will need to check & assign me as your authorised health provider, then provide me with membership & authorisation details to invoice the provider direct.
All consultations are 50 minutes duration.
Self-Funding
Remote Appointments
Fees start from £150 for 50 minute appointment via Zoom.
Monday, Thursday, Friday between 8am & 5pm, depending upon availability.
Face to Face Appointments
Tuesday only in W1G 9JB
Availability for face to face consultations from 16th April 2024
Single consultations, Brief & Longer term therapy.
These appointments are in high demand.
Situated in highly desirable location in Marylebone.
Tuesday between 9am to 5pm.
Fees £200 for 50 minute appointment.
