Esther Enaruwe

*My practice times:

Wednesday: 12pm-8pm

Thursday: 12pm-8pm

Friday: 12pm-3pm

*Please note that my practice hours may differ across festive periods but you can find all available appointment times in my calendar. 

The integrative theory suggests that there is no single approach that can be objectively used to address emotional and mental health issues. As an integrative counsellor, I draw from a combination of techniques from different therapeutic orientations. My practice fundamentally relies upon the person-centred approach and draws from the teachings and practices from the existential, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural approaches. I believe in the need for the customisation of treatment plans - treatment should be tailored to collaboratively address the client's needs via the promotion of self-awareness and encouraging emotional expression.

I am an empathic, non-judgmental, transparent, reflective and self-aware counsellor. The three key elements of my practice are: transparency, patience and empathy. I believe that these skills are at the centre of every successful therapeutic alliance. My guidance is informative, transparent and aligns with the realities presented. Asking for help is scary. For a lot of us it is new and for some, it is a familiar place of trauma. I understand the importance of this, which is why my main goal is to: Educate, Create, Reduce and Prevent. I work with clients in order to help them understand their thoughts, patterns and behaviour; implement new strategies to decrease negative symptoms and work towards learning how to sustain these methods. 

Ever heard of a counsellor that's scared of having their own personal therapy? Sounds ironic right but it's more common than you think. I’ll explain… I have always been afraid of embarking on the healing journey that you are currently considering. Why? The fear of being misunderstood; judged for my actions; embarrassment from unpicking my past and (of course), the absence of a rewind button to take back something I may regret in the future. In my first therapy session, I felt like I had said too much just by saying my name. I was sweating profusely, talking myself out of engaging and feeling generally overwhelmed by the endless possibilities that could come from opening up to this ‘stranger’ that I had found online. What if I didn't like her? What if she didn't like me? These doubts and worries, whilst valid, are what continue to hold us back from getting the help that we need. I get it, asking for help is scary - it took me nearly 3 years to fully engage with the process. For a lot of us, this is new and for some of us, this is a familiar place of trauma. But why dwell in trauma when you can live in peace? Why wait until it becomes too uncomfortable to breathe when you can start your journey to self-love, self-care, self-awareness and self-exploration, right now?

During the coronavirus pandemic, counselling had to drastically adapt to the growing demand for therapeutic support and therefore made a transition towards offering both face-2-face and remote services. Funnily enough, two of my other concerns around counselling were the face-to-face aspect and need to travel. Now with technology you can experience personal therapy from the comfort of your own home or car (a personal favourite of mine); the choice is completely up to you. Help is just one click away…

Before our first session, you will need to fill out an intake form. You can access this by clicking on the link above.