Mani Ramaswamy

Often we can feel overwhelmed by what's going on in our lives, and stuck in survival mode or unable to fully express ourselves. Maybe you’re depressed, anxious or sad, but don’t know why or how to make things better.  Perhaps you compare yourself to others and feel like you're not good enough. Or maybe you've lost someone you love.

No matter how impossible a situation may seem, I believe that it holds potential for healing and growth. I help people to explore their difficulties and to relate to them in a different way. I can provide a safe space where you can discover more about who you are, what you want and how to get there.

Therapy can help with many issues, including:

• Attachment and intimacy
• Anxiety, panic or stress
• Depression, shame and low self-esteem
• Loneliness and isolation
• Coming to terms with illness
• Loss and bereavement
• Work problems
• Sexuality and gender issues
• Culture, identity and belonging
• Loss of purpose and meaning
• Life changes
• Climate, cultural or political anxiety

The search for who we are, how we fit in and what we want is a fundamental part of being human. As a young adult, my search for identity and belonging led me to learn languages and travel the world. I realised that different people, places and situations brought different personalities to the surface: the adventurer, the shy schoolgirl, the wild wolf.

I spent 20 years in book publishing and was a Managing Editor at Penguin Random House for 10 years. Books offered me another opportunity to get to know the different characters inside me, and I realised that therapy works in a similar way as by exploring our stories, we can face our different identities and understand the complex ways they interact with each another. Therapy allows us to be seen and accepted for who we truly are – wild wolf and all – and to show more of who we are to the world.

I am based in London and practice near Richmond station. I see clients for weekly 50-minute sessions, either face-to-face or online via Zoom.

In my practice, I use a range of therapeutic approaches tailored to suit individual needs, including Gestalt, person-centred, humanistic, integrative and Psychosynthesis therapy. I may draw on techniques including guided imagery, meditation, breathwork, journalling and creative dialogue.

I offer brief counselling for shorter periods to look at particular issues, or longer-term therapy to explore what’s going on in more depth.

If you are interested in working with me, the first step is to give me a call or send me an email. We will then arrange a free 20-minute introductory phone call so you can tell me a bit about what's going on for you and ask any questions you may have. If we are then happy to meet, we will agree on a time for an initial session.

The first session is a chance for us to get to know each other and for you to tell me what brings you to counselling. You will get a sense of how we may work together and what it’s like to talk with me. We can then decide if we’d like to go ahead with further sessions.