Michela Trainini

Available day-time, Monday to Friday.

Limited availability in the evenings.

We all get stuck, from time to time. Sometimes it feels like we cannot move forward. It can be frustrating, constraining and painful. Yet there is energy behind every blockage, and looking at it from above – as if from a bridge – can be the first step to unlocking our potential. This is what I aim to offer to my clients. My approach is creative, in that it adapts to individual needs, and culturally sensitive, as it draws on my experience of transit and change.

I am a qualified Gestalt counsellor and an Accredited Member of the BACP, with many years’ experience working with individuals and groups. I hold a First-Class Honours Degree in Foreign Languages and Literatures (Milan University) and a Diploma of Higher Education in Gestalt Counselling with distinction (Bucks New University).

My practice is grounded in the understanding that adverse experiences can affect us on a psychological, neurological and physical level. Somatic work (which involves the body and its responses) is an important part of my approach and it has helped many of my clients reduce the impact of trauma, overcome anxiety and depression, panic and phobias.

I also work for an agency that supports victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse and I am committed to my on-going professional development.

Follow the link to my website if you wish to read more about my approach.

I practise in both English and Italian, and I have a proficient understanding of Russian. I also have the experience of living in a multicultural family (Italian and Arab), and I speak some Spanish, French and German, too. Whatever your background, I can offer the benefits of a culturally sensitive approach to your problems and challenges.

Over the years, I have undertaken further training in body psychotherapies, such as Somatic Experiencing, and in the applications of the Polyvagal Theory in counselling, which have consolidated the holistic core of my Gestalt approach.

I work creatively, adapting to individual needs.

- Depression. I can help you understand your depression, make sense of the emotional shut down that you are experiencing, so that you can rebuild your contact and activity.

- Anxiety. We will work towards you gaining an understanding of your anxiety and its triggers. I will help you to find ways to manage it, breaking the cycles that perpetuate negative feelings and harmful behaviours, which are preventing you from enjoying life.

- Stress. We can work together on regulating your energies and reducing the tension associated with a protracted state of stress. You will experience the benefit of an approach that helps you prioritise and feel in control.

- Bereavement and loss. Feeling bereft is the natural, unavoidable consequence of loss or major life changes, like leaving a home to build a new one. Both can leave you feeling as if you are going off track. I can help you understand your thoughts and emotions and manage the changes in your everyday life.

- Issues around identity. I can support you in managing whatever transition you are going through. Flexibility is essential when you are creating a new identity whilst holding on to what you want to preserve.

- Relationships. Difficult relationships are frequently involved in the blockages we experience. Differences can make it hard to communicate, but they also come with a potential for growth. I can help you to explore those difficulties and overcome them, to find that potential.

- Trauma and abuse. Daunting words, yet seeing what my clients could accomplish thanks to their willingness to work on traumatic experiences has led me to hold a hopeful vision of our capacity to heal. I can help you enhance that capacity and gently work with you to mobilise trapped energy.

I understand how hard it is to choose someone to open up to and I will be happy to offer a free initial telephone consultation and an initial discounted session (£45) for you to meet and decide if you want to work together. I would love to hear your questions and what you would find helpful, as this is the first step towards a solid therapeutic alliance.