Michele Kirschstein

Availability

Tuesday afternoons and evenings (earliest slot is 1pm, latest slot is 5:30pm)

Wednesday and Thursday mornings and afternoons (earliest slot is 10am, latest slot is 3:30pm)

Location

My practice is in North London (N19), close to Archway and Upper Holloway stations. It is also easily accessible from Crouch End, Highgate, Tufnell Park and Holloway.

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Address: Studio 4B, Archway Studios , Bickerton House, 25-27 Bickerton Road, London, N19 5JT

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Getting here

Nearest tube: Archway Station (Northern Line)

Overground: Upper Holloway

Buses: 4, C11, 134, 390, 17, 43, 263, W5, 41

Parking: There is metered parking on Bickerton Road until 6:30pm and free parking in nearby streets (Chester Road, Bramshill Gardens) before 10am and after 12pm.

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There are bike racks outside the building.

Hello, I’m Michele (she/they). I’m an Integrative therapist providing time-limited and open-ended counselling to individuals (18+) online and in-person in North London.

People come to therapy for a range of reasons. You might be struggling in your relationship(s). Perhaps you're feeling ready to process a trauma. You might be finding a life transition difficult to cope with. Maybe you want to get to know yourself better. You may want to understand the why of how you act or feel, or it might not feel that important or deep for you and you want to focus more on acceptance or letting go.

Using an affirming, intersectional, collaborative and non-judgemental approach, I will support you to explore and make sense of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and their impact. I will help you figure out how to move forward in a way that feels right for you, and leave you with the confidence and ability to make use of inner resources and external tools when therapy ends.I am queer-friendly and affirming of non-binary, trans and GNC folks. I work from an anti-oppressive position and my practice is always consent-led, non-pathologising and trauma informed.

Experience & qualifications

I work with people on a variety of issues and welcome enquiries from everyone.

Some of the areas I have a particular interest in include: 

*relationships (monogamous and non-monogamous; friends, family, partners and colleagues); 

*identity exploration (gender, sexuality, culture, heritage, neurodivergence, sense of self); 

*adult and childhood trauma (emotional neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, gaslighting); 

*life transitions (loss, parenthood, career change, health diagnoses).

I also have experience working with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, grief, family dynamics, coping with stress and self-acceptance.

I am an Accredited Member of the BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of East London.

Type of counselling

I believe that no one therapeutic approach can address all client issues and that different tools, interventions and ways of working will work for different clients at different times, including during the course of therapy. As an integrative therapist, I draw from a variety of theories and practical techniques depending on what resonates with you. Some of the ideas and approaches that influence my practice include person-centred therapy, attachment theory, relational therapy, gestalt, emotion-focussed therapy, narrative therapy, and creative and experiential techniques. I will always check in with you before trying a certain technique / approach, afterwards to reflect on how it was for you, and regularly over the course of therapy.

Cost

An initial session will be £50 for 35-40 minutes.

Ongoing sessions last 50 minutes and are priced on a self-selecting sliding scale, from £65 - £75, with a some lower cost spots, subject to availability. You can read more about my rates and where you would fall on the sliding scale here: https://www.michelektherapy.com/rates-faq.

In our first session we'll talk about what brings you to therapy and explore your hopes and expectations. It will be a chance for you to get a sense of how I work and whether you feel comfortable talking to me, as well as for me to see whether I feel I’ll be able to support you or if a different counsellor might be better-placed to work with you. (See the FAQ section of my website for why I might decide not to work with you.)

It will be a shorter session than usual (35-40 minutes instead of 50) and cost £50.