Maria Zourlidou

Hello and welcome. I am a fully qualified Integrative Counsellor and Somatic Trauma Therapist.

I offer counselling in person at 170 Brick Lane E1 6RU, London as well as online and by telephone.

 I am a fully qualified Integrative Counsellor and Somatic Trauma Therapist, and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

I offer a warm, supportive and confidential space to explore your challenges and work towards positive change.

I work with adults and have particular experience working with trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, bereavement and family-related issues.

I work in an integrative way, drawing on approaches such as Person-Centred Therapy, Gestalt, Psychodynamic Therapy, Transactional Analysis and Attachment Theory, alongside somatic techniques. This allows me to tailor my approach to each individual client and support them in a way that feels meaningful and effective.

The Somatic approaches are particularly useful and people many times don’t even realise that their nervous system has become stuck in a fight, flight or freeze response. For example, you might find it difficult every time you have to give a presentation. You may put this down to a lack of confidence or social anxiety. However, sometimes what you are experiencing can be a trauma response, with your nervous system reacting automatically to a situation that feels unsafe.

In my practice, we can begin to identify automatic responses and patterns, understand which situations trigger them and explore the impact they may be having on your life. From there, we can work together to help your nervous system feel safer and more regulated.

Depending on what you need, I may use ‘top-down’ techniques, exploring your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, patterns and behaviours, or ‘bottom-up’ somatic approaches, working with the body, breathing and felt sense to support regulation of the autonomic nervous system and the processing of trauma.

There are many different techniques we can draw on, including breathing exercises, the Flash Technique, Rewind Technique and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). These approaches can help you feel safer in your body and bring connection and enjoyment back into your life.