Yesim Caylakli Teksal

I currently have availability and offer sessions on weekdays during the day and in the evenings. 

Please contact me to enquire about current availability or to arrange an initial phone conversation.

I aim to respond to enquiries within 24 hours, or one working day.

My practice is based in Clapham and Battersea, with sessions also available in Central London and online.

I offer therapy in both English and Turkish.

I accept most major insurance providers, including Aviva, Allianz and Cigna.

I’m an integrative, trauma-informed counsellor and psychotherapist supporting adults experiencing anxiety, low mood or depression, burnout, low self-esteem and relationship difficulties.

Many of the people I work with are used to being the “strong one.” You may carry significant responsibility at work, at home and in relationships, while managing worry, persistent self-doubt, people-pleasing, perfectionism or a sense of never quite being “enough.”

I work particularly with high-functioning women, including mothers, who may appear capable on the outside yet feel overwhelmed, self-critical or emotionally exhausted within.

Becoming a parent can bring earlier relational patterns to the surface, especially if childhood involved inconsistency, emotional neglect or having to grow up quickly. Coping may have meant becoming highly capable, self-reliant, attuned to others or relentlessly responsible. 

While these adaptations were understandable, over time they can contribute to anxiety, low mood, difficulty resting and challenges with boundaries and closeness.

My approach is collaborative, relational and carefully paced. We explore what is happening in your life now while making sense of the patterns that may be shaping your responses. 

I pay attention to your present-moment experience, including how emotions are felt in your body and expressed in relationships.

Therapy with me offers space to slow down and reflect without judgement or pressure to perform. 

The aim is not to “fix” you, but to help you feel more grounded and able to respond from awareness rather than from old survival strategies.

I offer a collaborative and relational approach to therapy. My work is integrative, with a strong Gestalt foundation, informed by attachment theory and psychodynamic therapy. 

We pay attention both to your present-moment experience and to the relational history that may be influencing current difficulties.

Sessions are grounded, reflective and carefully paced. I attend to how emotions are experienced in your body, how patterns emerge in relationships, and how these connect to earlier experiences. 

You are not expected to disclose more than feels manageable. We work at a depth that feels safe and supportive.

While our work is collaborative, I offer thoughtful structure, psychological insight and steady support. Many clients value having a space where they can explore openly while leaning into a therapeutic relationship that feels containing and reliable.

Over time, therapy can help you understand long-standing patterns and begin to shift them, developing clearer boundaries, a stronger sense of self and greater emotional regulation.

I bring a culturally aware perspective to my practice. Our identities, family histories and cultural contexts shape how we experience ourselves and others. 

As a bilingual therapist, I am mindful of how language and culture influence emotional expression and belonging.

I also work with neurodivergent clients and families navigating neurodivergent dynamics. I understand how neurodiversity can shape emotional regulation, communication and relational patterns, and how it may intersect with anxiety, low mood, identity and self-esteem. My approach is respectful of difference and attentive to individual needs.

My practice is informed by work across NHS and private settings, including with children, young people and families, contributing to a developmental understanding of adult emotional life.

Our connection may begin before we meet. You may have read my profile and formed an initial sense of who I am and how I work. 

I offer a brief introductory call so you can ask questions and get a feel for whether working together feels right for you. I understand that finding a therapist and building trust can feel overwhelming.

The first session lasts 50 minutes, the same length as ongoing sessions, and is charged at my standard rate. Rather than using a formal assessment process, I take a relational and collaborative approach, as I believe therapy works best when it feels reciprocal rather than hierarchical.

In our first session, we explore what brings you to therapy, your expectations and your priorities. I provide structure where needed while remaining curious and open. 

We think things through together, working at your pace, and I may offer reflections or observations where helpful.

You are under no obligation to continue after the first session. At the end, you are free to decide whether it feels like a good fit. 

There is no pressure. This is your process, and your choice will always be respected.