Welcome! I'm Vasilina and I am excited to meet you.
If you are here, you are probably facing some challenge or difficulty that leads you to feel stuck. You may have made the decision to work on your personal growth, or you may still be unsure where to start. Wherever you are on your therapeutic journey, I'm here to support you. Let's figure it out together.
While there may be a specific area of focus, therapy often involves matching one's sense of identity to who they truly are. My role in this process is to hold you firmly and with care, be fully present to observe and make sense with you, witness and support you as we find yourself together.
This is why my goal with every person I work with is to foster a relationship and an environment where they can make intentional choices about the way they want to live, ones that truly match who they are.
If you're ready to take that step closer to living intentionally, or you'd like to discuss what that can look like for you, please reach out for an initial meeting.
With care,
Vasilina
I am a Counsellor & Psychotherapist registered with the BACP. I have also completed all taught and clinical training components of the Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at City, University of London.
Over the last 7 years I have worked with a diverse range of people and difficulties in residential mental health, charities, the NHS, staff workplace support, and university counselling services. These experiences allowed me to develop my own integrative approach that adjusts to your particular circumstances, needs, goals, style, and preferences. I combine different therapy models and theories to tailor the therapy experience to your individual needs, rather than sticking to a one-size-fits-all approach when, more often than not, this does not work.
I can support you with a specific difficulty you may be facing, or equally with a general sense that your wellbeing needs some care. Life does not always fit into categories and the difficulties you experience can be more complex and multi-layered. You do not need to have figured out exactly "what's wrong" in order to come to therapy. This is something we can do together.
Personally, I come from a Greek heritage and I moved to the UK over a decade ago. I am able to offer bilingual therapy and my experience helps me appreciate the role of cultural identity and social belonging in our therapeutic journey. Further, I work affirmatively with LGBTQIA+ clients, and I uphold an anti-discriminatory and neuro-affirmative practice. I am also now finishing my doctoral research, with a focus on grief and trauma after bereavement. If, unfortunately, this has happened in your life, I can provide a space to make sense of this incredibly complicated experience.
My therapeutic approach is integrative, which means I am able to combine different psychotherapeutic models and theories depending on your needs.
I keep my basis in Person Centred Therapy, which believes that each individual is the expert of their own experience and can fulfil their potential given the right conditions: empathy, unconditional acceptance, and complete presence of the therapist. Having built this space where we can explore your concerns, we can then introduce ideas, tools, and techniques that match your needs and goals. I draw these from research-informed modalities I have trained in, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), mindfulness, compassion-focused therapy (CFT), psychodynamic therapy, and existential psychotherapy.
Training & qualifications
I completed both my BSc (Hons) in Psychology and my Post Graduate Certificate in low intensity CBT at University College London (UCL). I have completed all clinical and taught components of the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology (DPsych) at City, University of London, and I am currently finishing my thesis.
I have also been involved in research during my time at UCL, with publications in the field of eyewitness memory.
Selected research publications in eyewitness memory.
Publication
Public understanding of memory myths
Brewin, C. R., Li, H., Ntarantana, V., Unsworth, C., & McNeilis, J. (2019). Is the public understanding of memory prone to widespread "myths"? Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 148(12), 2245-2257.
Open sourcePublication
On repression and avoiding red herrings
Brewin, C. R., Li, H., McNeilis, J., & Ntarantana, V. (2020). On Repression, and Avoiding Red Herrings. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(10), 2001-2004.
Open sourceI offer a free 15-minute initial consultation, where we can meet each other, discuss your enquiry, and decide if we can move forward together.
I offer individual 50-minute therapy sessions. My practice is exclusively online at the moment through video sessions and I only work with adults. I am insured to work with clients worldwide, apart from the U.S.A. and Canada.
I work with people who feel stuck in their personal growth, who know something needs to change but they do not know what or how. I also work with people who face specific difficulties or need to cope with significant life events.
I am able to support you with issues such as:
Anxiety · Panic · Phobias · Stress and burnout · Trauma & PTSD · Depression · Self-esteem · Relationship difficulties · Workplace difficulties · Significant life changes · Bereavement & loss · Adjustment difficulties · Personal growth · Identity search
While I do not offer specialised neurodiversity support, I hold an extensive understanding of the difficulties neurodiverse people tend to face, as well as training in adapting my practice to different neurodevelopmental profiles.
Please note that I am not able to work with addictions, psychosis, active domestic violence, active eating disorders, personality disorders, or individuals requiring urgent care. If you contact me about these difficulties, I will only be able to signpost you to relevant sources of support.
While I can provide some information about the structure of therapy sessions and the therapeutic process, most of what your therapeutic journey will look like depends on you.
During our initial consultation meeting, I will introduce myself and answer any questions you have for me. I will also ask you a couple of questions about the difficulties you are experiencing and your goals for therapy.
If we are a good match and you decide to start therapy, we will agree on a suitable schedule for our sessions, either weekly or bi-weekly.
In our first therapy sessions, we will spend some time exploring your difficulty, understanding the problem and identifying a direction for our work together. We will agree on any adjustments you may need for our sessions, and decide whether a more structured or a more exploratory approach better matches your preferences and needs.
Depending on your goals, we can agree on a certain number of sessions with the aim to review your progress before continuing, or we can agree on open-ended sessions.
Regardless of the structure we agree on, therapy is a space that brings up vulnerability and difficult emotions, and we will make sure to follow a pace that feels safe and effective for you.
My usual fee is £50 per session. I offer a reduced fee of £40 per session to clients who are counselling and psychotherapy trainees, students or NHS staff up to Band 5 level, or who come from an NHS or charity referral.
My usual working hours are Tuesdays 10am-2pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays 11am-8pm. However, there is some flexibility in these hours and on Fridays if it is necessary.
I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO number: ZC037563) and any information that I keep is subject to the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 18) and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK-GDPR).
Information Commissioner's Office: https://ico.org.uk
BACP privacy notice: https://www.bacp.co.uk/privacy-notice
