Elaine Benardout

l am available for client sessions Monday - Friday daytime and some evenings.

Please do contact me for my current available slots.

I work online (using Teams or other platforms).

In person at dedicated counselling rooms in North London (near to Finchley Central tube station - Northern Line).

I also offer a hybrid of both online and in person sessions.

If you would like to have walk and talk sessions at a mutually convenient location, this can also be arranged.

Fees are dependant on whether sessions are held in person (to include room hire) or virtually. Please contact me for specific prices.

I also am covered to accept the following health insurers - Vitality, Aviva and Axa. 

The relationship between the therapist and client is what makes the real difference to success.

In developing a good working relationship with my clients, I use my range of skills to help you to facilitate the changes you are looking to make.

There are numerous types of therapies and I work as an integrative therapist which means that I am able to integrate different  therapeutic approaches and tailor a plan for you, drawing from different aspects.

Whilst counselling is reparative, coaching can be complimentary to counselling as we translate understanding into action. 

I can integrate coaching into therapy sessions, to help you to identify goals, look at your personal strengths and to make changes happen. In this way you can move positively and actively towards solutions.

What kind of counselling will suit me?

Humanistic therapy - encourages self reflection and taking responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. I believe that the individual has the capability to reach their potential, given the right conditions.

Psychodynamic therapy - emphasises the link between past and current behaviour.  We look at parts of your childhood and past relationships and how they are projected into our present day life. To understand and accept the current, we sometimes need to address the past.

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) - helps you to explore ways you think, feel and behave, with the aim of identifying unhelpful patterns which can hold us back. Changing negative patterns can help you to cope and manage your problems better.

All types of therapy have useful elements and I will select the appropriate ones from my toolkit to ensure that your needs are met.

It takes strength and courage to admit that you don't have all the answers and might benefit from support.

I am here to hear your story with empathy and without judgement. The space for you will be safe and confidential, allowing you to explore and process your thoughts and feelings, and to develop strategies to cope.

You want to explore the shame or guilt you are feeling. 

Perhaps you want to understand your inner feelings and accept yourself more. You may feel stuck but not sure why.

It may be that you want to be more open to new experiences but feel held back.

Maybe you feel that you are ‘not good enough’.  Even comparing yourself to others 

Could it be the time for you to relieve childhood distress and heal emotional wounds.

Your anxiety is starting to impact on your life and you want to address these anxious feelings and looks at ways to cope. 

Being neuro-diverse or just ‘feeling different’ are challenges which you would like to talk about and manage. 

In challenging your unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, you want to change your narrative.  The current ones are no longer serving you well.

You are experiencing problems with close relationships which you would like to explore and resolve. 

Our sessions will provide you the space to explore your issues - depression, anxiety, neuro-diversity including ADHD and ASD (diagnosed or un), relationship concerns, childhood issues impacting you, negative thoughts and feelings and more.

In translating your understanding into acceptance or maybe action, our work together can move towards a solution focus so that it is practical and relevant to you for the present and future.

I offer a complimentary 15-20 minutes phone (or video) conversation so we can look at your needs and decide if I am the right therapist to help you. I can answer any questions you may have and explain how I work.  

In our first session together we will complete an introductory assessment together .

This will be a good opportunity to discuss you and relevant history/information that will help us to understand your presenting issues.

We will look at what's comfortable for you in terms of the therapy approach. For example; how challenging / supportive you would like the sessions to be? Would the focus be past or present or both?

The initial session will be more structured so that we can uncover relevant information to ensure our sessions together are productive and effective.