Magdalena Hetmanczuk

I offer both online sessions across the UK and in-person sessions in Chesterfield.

My working hours are flexible and arranged depending on your needs and my availability. Session times can be agreed session by session.

If I do not have immediate availability, I work with a waiting list. 

I will let you know your approximate waiting time so you can decide what feels right for you.

The best way to contact me is by email or text message.

 I reply as soon as I can, usually within 48 hours.

“I can’t relax.”

Even when life looks stable or “fine”, this feeling doesn’t go away.

The body stays tense, alert, unable to properly rest or switch off - and it’s easy to start blaming yourself for it.

When this happens, it isn’t something you consciously choose or control.

For many people, anxiety, shutdown, tension, or strong emotional responses are not signs of weakness or something being “wrong”, but learned survival patterns shaped by earlier experiences.

In therapy, we work with these responses in a way that feels possible.

I see many stress responses as patterns shaped by earlier experiences and held in the nervous system - in the body. When these patterns are seen as adaptations rather than failures, shame often begins to ease, and space for change opens up.

Because we work at your pace, we can focus on what really matters to you.

I work by listening closely to what is present for you and shaping our sessions around that, rather than deciding in advance what the work should look like. I don’t follow a fixed agenda, and I don’t push towards predefined goals. What matters is what feels important for you in each session.

You don’t need to have the right words - we can work things out together as we go.

My work is informed by Internal Family Systems (IFS), compassion-focused and trauma-informed therapy, alongside contemporary neuroscience and nervous system regulation.

This can help you understand your reactions, without judging or pushing yourself.

Many people I work with are used to coping, pushing through, and holding things together, even as stress and discomfort build up inside.

I offer individual counselling for adults. I work both online with clients across the UK and in person in Chesterfield.

From the outside, people may appear capable and “fine”, but inside something feels off - the stress responses that once helped them get through life are now taking too much energy or getting in the way.

Many people I work with find it hard to recognise their own needs. They are used to focusing on others, managing responsibilities, and keeping going. 

Therapy offers space to slow things down, make sense of what is happening, and begin noticing what may have been difficult to attend to before.

I work in a way that is shaped around what you bring. My approach is person-centred, where safety and understanding matter.

Sessions are usually weekly, but this can be adjusted depending on your needs and circumstances. There are no fixed expectations about how long therapy should last. We review the work together as we go, and therapy can be brought to a close at any point, without pressure or difficulty.

I work in English and Polish.

I am a qualified integrative counsellor and a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Before starting therapy, I offer a free 30-minute introductory call.

 This is a chance for you to ask questions, hear how I work, and see whether working together feels like the right fit for you. 

There is no expectation to share details or to know what to say - the call is simply a way for us to connect and see what feels right for you.

If you decide to go ahead, the first session is a gentle starting point. We focus on what feels important for you to talk about and what has brought you to therapy at this time. I will ask questions that help me understand what matters in our work together, but always at a pace that feels possible for you.

If emotions come up, there is no need to push through or hold yourself together.

The first session is charged at the same rate as ongoing sessions (£60). Sessions last 50 minutes.

If at any point you feel that working together is not the right fit, we can talk about it openly and think about next steps.