Counselling and Psychotherapy in Cardiff
Welcome, and thank you for visiting my website.
Compassionate therapy – helping you reconnect to yourself with acceptance and kindness.
I'm Lena, a qualified integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. I strive to create a warm, accepting and validating space for you, your thoughts and feelings. I work from the belief that different people may need different things from therapy, and draw from a number of therapeutic approaches to find a way of working that truly meets your needs.
Perhaps you need to talk and let off steam? I can provide a space for you to feel truly heard and valued, not judged. I can offer you the opportunity to reflect on difficulties in a safe and confidential environment, with someone from outside your day-to-day life.
Perhaps you want something more proactive? Strategies to help manage anxiety, for example, or to work on low self-esteem. I can support you to explore and process deeper and more challenging life experiences. I can help you to look at things from new perspectives which can lead to better self-understanding and acceptance.
I have 12 years of experience as a counsellor in a university counselling service where I have worked with students and staff. I am experienced in working with adults of all ages, including young adults aged 18-25. I can provide short-term or long-term support, depending on your need and preference. I offer in-person, face-to-face therapy in Canton, Cardiff, and online therapy via video call.
I am a BACP Registered and Accredited Counsellor. What does this mean? The BACP is the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, one of the main bodies overseeing counsellors and counselling training in the United Kingdom. My accreditation means I have met their criteria for qualified and experienced therapists, and that I work in accordance with their ethical framework.
I am passionate about self-compassion and the many benefits it can bring to our lives. I have found compassion to be a powerful healer, and it is woven into the way I work with all clients.
Why Self Compassion?
Sometimes, in this busy world, we can lose connection with ourselves. We can develop an unkind or judgemental inner voice, even telling ourselves we need it in order to keep going. Being kind to yourself can seem impossible, or perhaps something you don't deserve. But that constant inner critic can lead to many common mental health difficulties, including low self-esteem and self-worth, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, poor body image, anxiety and depression. Through our work together I will support you to approach your life, your experiences and yourself with greater compassion.
How I Work
I am an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. This means that I am trained in different types of therapy, and can draw on different theory and strategies to offer you therapy that is tailored to your needs. What will 'work' for you may depend on what you have experienced, what you want to focus on, what skills you already have, and who you are as a person.
I have a humanistic therapeutic approach, which means that I believe that every person is unique, with their own personal interpretation of the world. I believe that we all have the capacity for growth, self-discovery, meaning-making and the ability to fulfil our own potential. My role as a counsellor, is to create a place of safety, a supportive environment where you can connect with your own strength, healing and growth.
"The human psyche, like human bones, is strongly inclined towards self-healing. The psychotherapist's job, like that of the orthopaedic surgeon's, is to provide the conditions in which self-healing can best take place."
- John Bowlby, 1988.
The following therapies are central to the way I work:
Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) recognises that we all have a tendency to get stuck in difficult loops of thoughts and behaviours because of the way that our brains have evolved. We also have a tendency to blame ourselves for getting stuck, which can spiral into further negativity. CFT offers a way to change the relationship you have with yourself, to develop a way of interacting with yourself that is based on kindness, respect, acceptance and understanding, rather than self-punishment. This can calm your threat responses, helping you to feel soothed and calm, rather than constantly threatened. CFT offers a way to work with difficulties that can block change, such as shame and self-criticism.
Psychodynamic Therapy recognises the huge impact that our relationships have on us. From our attachment relationships (our very early relationships with our care givers when we were young) to our friendships and romantic relationships. Understanding these relationships and their impact on us, can help us develop greater self-awareness and reduce self-blame. We can also work towards making changes in our current and future relationships, rather than reliving the patterns of the past.
I am Trauma-informed and also draw on other therapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Existential Therapy, and can bring these into our work as-and-when they are useful to you.
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion and Accessibility
I aim to provide a safe, affirming and validating therapeutic space for people of all identities and backgrounds. I welcome individuals of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, races, ethnicities, abilities and neurodiversities. Your unique experiences and identity are central to our work together.
I strive to create a place where you feel valued and empowered to be your authentic self. I am committed to being a trauma informed, culturally sensitive, LGBTQ+ affirming, neurodiversity-affirming, and anti-racist practitioner. I recognize that inclusive practice is a continuous journey and engage in ongoing learning and self-reflection in areas of diversity and inclusion.
Practicalities: My workplace, the Samye Foundation Wales Mindfulness and Wellbeing Centre, has two steps at the entrance. I can provide an accessibility ramp to enable wheelchair access. My counselling room is on the ground floor and there is an accessible toilet. I offer counselling in English only.
What issues can counselling help with?
People come to me for help with a wide range of issues. Here are a few of the more common difficulties that can be supported through counselling:
Anxiety and panic
Problems with confidence or self-esteem
Relationship problems
Grief, loss or bereavement
Trauma and post-traumatic stress
Abuse
Depression
Shame and Self-criticism
Issues relating to sexuality or gender identity
Difficulties at work or in retirement
Problems with family or school life
Stress
My location
I offer in-person, face-to-face therapy in Canton, Cardiff, and online therapy via Microsoft Teams.
Sessions and Fees
Counselling sessions last 50 minutes, can take place weekly or fortnightly, and cost £60 per session.
I offer short-term or long-term support, depending on your need and preference. I accept payment in cash and by bank transfer.
Get in touch
Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment. I will get back to you to offer a free 15-minute phone call. I find that talking before we meet can ease any nerves and help you to know if I am the right therapist to help. If we decide to work together, I can then book you in for your first appointment.
I know that phone calls can cause anxiety. If this is the case, just let me know in the contact form and we will work around this.
All enquires are usually answered within 48 hours, and all contact is strictly confidential and uses secure phone and email services.