Emily Whalley

I currently have limited availability for online sessions only:

•   Evenings Monday-Thursday 7pm-11pm

Waitlist for daytime sessions is available 

Many of the people I work with come to therapy feeling anxious, stuck in self-doubt,  struggling with low self-esteem and overwhelmed by their emotions - often with a lingering sense of not being quite enough.

Do any of these feel familiar?

• You can’t stop criticising yourself or pushing for perfection.
• You crave closeness but find yourself pulling away.
• Your past, childhood, family, or old relationships, still shapes how you feel now.
• You’ve been told you’re “too much” and “not enough” at the same time.
• You feel disconnected from who you are, especially in relationships or while adjusting to life abroad.
• You find it hard to trust yourself and struggle with confidence.

If so, you’re not alone. Many of the people I support feel exactly this way.

You don’t need to arrive in therapy polished or put together.

Every part of you is welcome here: the part that wants to stay in control, the one that feels small or unseen, the part longing for closeness, and the part that’s scared of it. The parts that want to disappear, and the parts that want to take up more space.

This is a space to meet yourself more fully. We go at your pace. Nothing is forced. We slow down, get curious, untangle what’s underneath, and create room for what feels real.

Whether you know exactly what you want to work on, or it feels harder to name, both are welcome. Together, we might explore:

• how early experiences shaped your beliefs about yourself
• how shame or self-judgement keeps you small
• why intimacy and authenticity can feel difficult
• how perfectionism, independence, or people-pleasing have protected you
• what it means to build healthier, more grounded relationships with yourself and others
• the parts of life you might struggle with shame such as sexuality, body image, 

Therapy is an opportunity to understand yourself more deeply, relate to yourself with compassion, and open up to the possibility of meaningful change.

If you’re curious, read on to learn more about how I work and what our sessions might look like.

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I’m an integrative, relational, and trauma-informed therapist, which means I draw from a range of psychological perspectives while staying deeply attuned to what unfolds between us. I don’t see you as a problem to be solved, but as a whole person with a history, nervous system, and inner world that make complete sense in context.

Because no single approach fits everyone, I weave together existential, psychodynamic, person-centred, parts work, experiential, and trauma informed perspectives. This allows us to work on multiple levels, emotional, psychological, and somatic, and to explore different parts of you that may have learned to protect, adapt, or hide.

Being relational means I meet you human-to-human. I may bring therapeutic expertise, but you are the expert in your own experience. Together we may pay attention to patterns, reactions, and the subtle ways your past shows up in the present, using our therapeutic relationship as a safe and steady place to explore what’s underneath.

In our work, you might:

• make sense of your experiences and the meaning behind your struggles
• understand how early patterns shape emotions and romantic relationships today
• reconnect with parts of yourself you’ve had to silence or minimise
• work with the body as well as the mind
• build resilience, inner steadiness, and a more compassionate relationship with yourself

Other areas I work with

Shame can show up in very personal areas of life; around sexuality, intimacy, or how you feel in your body. These experiences can feel difficult to talk about, especially if you’ve learned to hide them or they’re linked to painful memories. I offer a grounded, non-judgmental space to explore these. This also includes supporting people who have experienced childhood sexual abuse or sexual trauma. I am trained and experienced in working with the impact of sexual abuse, whether you’ve named it before or are only just beginning to make sense of it.

Our first session is a gentle space to get to know each other. I’ll invite you to share what has brought you to therapy, whether it’s a specific difficulty, a recurring pattern you’ve noticed, or a general sense that things could feel better. There is no expectation to tell your whole story; we’ll go at a pace that feels safe for you.

I’ll also explain a little about how I work and what you can expect from our time together. This session is a chance to see whether we feel like a good fit and whether this space feels supportive and grounding for you.

I offer the first full session at 50% of my usual fee, as I believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore whether I’m the right therapist for them without added pressure.

There is never any obligation to continue if it doesn’t feel right. Finding a therapist you genuinely connect with is one of the most important parts of the process.