Catalena Angele

I offer in-person, face-to-face therapy in Canton, Cardiff, and online therapy via video call. 

I provide short-term or long-term support, depending on your need and preference.

I currently have availability on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Compassionate therapy – helping you reconnect to yourself with acceptance and kindness.

I'm Lena, an integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. I strive to create a warm, accepting and validating space for you, your thoughts and feelings. I work from the belief that different people may need different things from therapy, and draw from a number of therapeutic approaches to find a way of working that truly meets your needs.

Perhaps you need to talk and let off steam? I can offer you the opportunity to reflect on difficulties in a safe and confidential environment, where you feel heard and valued, not judged.

Perhaps you want something more proactive? I can offer strategies to help manage anxiety, for example, or to work on low self-esteem. I can support you to explore and process deeper and more challenging life experiences. I can help you to look at things from new perspectives which can lead to better self-understanding and acceptance.

I am passionate about self-compassion and the benefits it can bring to our lives. I have found compassion to be a powerful healer, and it is woven into the way I work with all clients.

Why Self Compassion? Sometimes, in this busy world, we can lose connection with ourselves. We can develop an unkind or judgemental inner voice, even telling ourselves we need it in order to keep going. Being kind to yourself can seem impossible, or perhaps something that you don't deserve. But that constant inner critic can lead to many common mental health difficulties, including low self-esteem and self-worth, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, poor body image, anxiety and depression. Through our work together I will support you to approach your life, your experiences and yourself with greater compassion.

Experience. I have 13 years of experience as a counsellor in a university counselling service where I have worked with students and staff. I am experienced in working with adults of all ages, including young adults aged 18-25. 

The following therapies are central to the way I work:

I have a Humanistic therapeutic approach, which means that I believe that every person is unique, with their own personal interpretation of the world.  We all have the capacity for growth and the ability to fulfil our own potential. My role is to create a place of safety, a supportive environment where you can connect with your own strength, healing and growth.

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) recognises that we all have a tendency to get stuck in difficult thoughts and behaviours because of the way that our brains have evolved. We also have a tendency to blame ourselves for this, which can spiral into further negativity. CFT can help you to develop a way of interacting with yourself that is based on kindness, respect and acceptance, rather than self-punishment. This can calm your threat responses, helping you to feel soothed and calm, rather than constantly threatened.

Psychodynamic Therapy recognises the huge impact that our relationships have on us. From our attachment relationships (our early relationships with our care givers when we were young) to our friendships and romantic relationships. Understanding can lead to greater self-awareness. We can also work towards making changes in our current and future relationships, rather than reliving the patterns of the past.

I am Trauma-informed and also draw on other therapeutic approaches such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Existential Therapy, and may bring these into our work as-and-when they are useful to you.

Diversity and Inclusion - I aim to provide a safe and affirming therapeutic space for people of all identities and backgrounds. I welcome individuals of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, races, ethnicities, abilities and neurodiversities. Your unique experiences and identity are central to our work together.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment. I will get back to you to offer a free 15-minute phone call. I find that talking before we meet can ease any nerves and help you to know if I am the right therapist to help. If we decide to work together, I can then book you in for your first appointment.

I understand that phone calls can cause anxiety. If this is the case, just let me know via email and we will work around this.

Accessibility for in-person sessions - My workplace has two steps at the entrance. I can provide an accessibility ramp to enable wheelchair access. My counselling room is on the ground floor and there is an accessible toilet. I offer counselling in English only.