Gherardo Della Marta

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MBACP counsellor in London WC1B, NW1 and Bedford MK40
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

Bloomsbury WC1B & Bedford MK40
Available for new clients
Available for new clients

This professional is available for new clients.

About me

Welcome,


As a counsellor, I offer a non judgemental space where you can discuss issues, concerns and feelings you may experience. I can help you to clarify choices you are about to make and to allow you to develop a deeper understanding of any aspects of your life you might find problematic or confusing.

I have worked with individual clients since 2012 in the voluntary sector and in private practice. I am currently supporting individuals who struggle with anxiety, depression, anger, low self esteem, sexuality, sexual identity, loss and bereavement, low motivation and relationships issues.

I am based in Bedford MK40 , Camden Nw1, Holborn WC1B, and Queens Park W10. I am trained as an integrative therapist, which means I  incorporate different counselling theories depending on the client I am working with.

I have been working successfully with clients using these counselling approaches such as CBT, psychodynamic, person centred, Gestalt

CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy) can be very effective if you are experiencing depressive thoughts and negative thinking patterns; ex “I am always late; I screw up like this all the time, and I’m going to lose my job.””. Working using the CBT approach can help you to change this statement with a more positive one such as “Well I am usually early for these events, and everyone makes mistakes. I’m sure my colleagues will understand.”

Psychodynamic counselling can be useful to understand how childhood issues still play a role in your life or in your relationships


person centred: this is a non directive module and focuses on the quality of the client-therapist relationship. Each person is, as an individual, considered to be unique.


Gestalt therapy: this type of therapy work with the concepts of unity, wholeness and the integration of body, feelings and intellect. "unfinished business" form the past is brought into awareness.  This is a creative approach and uses techniques such as the empty chair.


These are the issues I am often working with:


Anxiety ( panic disorders, social and generalized anxiety disorders)
depression (mild, bipolar, clinical)
anger management,
life crisis,
drug and alcohol addictions,
relationships issues,
affairs, betrayals, separations
sexual identity, sexuality,
low self esteem,
low motivation
LGBT issues,
loss and bereavement,
self doubt,
mental health issues,
stress, work related issues,
trauma,
low motivation,
feeling of being stuck.


The way I work


I usually offer an initial consultation where we have the chance to meet face to face  to see if counselling is something that you are interested in. I will not push you to enter therapy if this does not feel right for you.

But if you decide to work together I can help you to understand how past experiences have played a negative role in your life and how you might have become unhappy, stuck and depressed as a result of these struggles.

I can also help you to gain more understanding of how negative thoughts can affects your feelings and behaviours. Together we can discuss how these have impacted on your life  and I will support you to manage these negative thoughts you may be experiencing and I will guide you while trying to replace them with more positive and alternative ways of thinking


Previous counselling experiences


2008 - 2014 NHS forensic mental health hospital in East London as forensic mental health worker.


2008 - 2010 Bereavement agency in East London and the City as a volunteer counsellor; working with bereaved clients on a weekly basis for up to 12 sessions


2008- 2014 LGBT London Friend charity organization as a volunteer counsellor and assessor; working with LGBT clients on a weekly basis for up to 12 sessions


2012 - 2013 Relate in Richmond; working as a volunteer counsellor with couples on a weekly basis for up to 12 sessions or open ended


2012 - 2014 Hetherington GP surgery in Clapham South as a volunteer counsellor ;working with clients for  6 sessions on a weekly basis


2012 - 2014 The Awareness centre in Clapham as a volunteer counsellor; working with clients on a long term counselling contract up to 2 years on a weekly basis

Since 2014 I have been working in private practice in Holborn, Camden, Queens Park and Bedford



Training, qualifications & experience

2002-2006 - BSC Psychology Degree  c/o Birkbeck college

2009 - Certificate in CBT skills ( 6 weeks) c/o the Grove Practice at Regents college

2008-2010 - Post graduate diploma in Integrative counselling c/o London Metropolitan university

2012 - Essentials in Sexual Minority Therapy (3 days) c/o Pink Therapy

2012 - Certificate of attendance in psychosexual theory (2 days) c/o Pink Therapy.

2013 - 2014 Professional development post graduate certificate in Evidence based psychological interventions c/o Reading university.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

31/01/2016= Unravelling the Transference: Working in and with unconscious processes in the consulting room c/o WPF in London 1 day training


02/04/1016= Projective identification in Practice c/o WPF in London 1 day training


5/11/16 - 5/12/16= introduction to acceptance and commitment therapy  c/o Evolve centre in Southampton 3 days training

I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and I adhere to the BACP's ethical code of practice. I have on going fortnightly supervision according to BACP guidelines

I can work short term (up to 6 sessions and/or up to 12 weeks) and open ended (6 months to 1-2 years)

Member organisations

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

BACP is one of the UK’s leading professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy with around 60,000 members. The Association has several different categories of membership, including Student Member, Individual Member, Registered Member MBACP, Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) and Senior Registered Accredited Member MBACP (Snr Acccred).

Registered and accredited members are listed on the BACP Register, which shows that they have demonstrated BACP’s recommended standards for training, proficiency and ethical practice. The BACP Register was the first register of psychological therapists to be accredited by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

Accredited and senior accredited membership are voluntary categories for members who choose to undertake a rigorous application and assessment process to demonstrate additional standards around practice, training and supervision.

Individual members will have completed an appropriate counselling or psychotherapy course and started to practise, but they won’t appear on the BACP Register until they've demonstrated that they meet the standards for registration. Student members are still in the process of completing their training.

All members are bound by the BACP Ethical Framework and a Professional Conduct Procedure.

Accredited register membership

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

The Accredited Register Scheme was set up in 2013 by the Department of Health (DoH) as a way to recognise organisations that hold voluntary registers which meet certain standards. These standards are set by the Professional Standards Authority (PSA).

This therapist has indicated that they belong to an Accredited Register.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Other areas of counselling I deal with

Special interests and issues I have been working with :

LGBT issues

I have more than 1000 hours of 1-1 client work  supporting gay, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender clients with issues related to their sexuality, sexual identity, coming out processes, shame and acceptance, sexual abuse, harassment, bullying, intimacy issues, addictions. I am a member of the Pink therapy directory and I am often attending seminars and workshops in the field of sexual minorities therapy.

Anxiety and Depression

I am also interested in supporting clients suffering from depression and anxiety, helping them to challenge their negative thoughts and beliefs they have about themselves and the world around them. CBT teaches us that is the way we think that affects our feelings and behaviours. By understanding this relationship we can challenge our perceptions of the world around us and ourselves.

Young person counselling 15+

I have worked therapeutically in counselling with adolescents and young people to explore any concerns that may be causing them problems in their social, emotional or cognitive development. The therapeutic process gives them the opportunity to express difficult or confused feelings in a safe environment with clear
boundaries. I am often working with issues such as: low confidence, bullying and harassment at school, ADHD, peer pressure, sexual identity, low performance at school.

Relationships counselling

When problems occur in a relationship, communication can shut down and with it, the best hope of finding a solution. It is important to work on your relationship, taking some time away from day to day routines, so you can achieve what you really want and deserve from your relationship. With a compassionate, non-judgemental facilitator present, partners are often able to do this by discussing issues or problems that may have previously felt too difficult or unsafe.

Mindfulness

Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment, without getting stuck in the past or worrying about the future.Mindfulness can be practiced standing, sitting and walking. It can be practiced both indoors and out; at home, in schools, at work or simply out and about. You can practice mindfulness for 5 minutes or 5 hours – that’s the great thing about mindfulness, you can tailor it to suit your own needs.

What you may be surprised to hear is that you have probably been mindful at some point in your life and didn’t even know it… Have you gone for a long walk, breathing in the crisp, fresh air and then suddenly realised that four hours have passed? Have you listened so intently to a song that for a moment, you weren’t thinking about anything but how beautiful the melody was? That’s mindfulness!


Photos & videos

Fees

£40.00 per session
Free initial in-person session

Concessions offered for

  • Low income
  • Keyworkers
  • Students
  • Trainee counsellors
  • Unemployed
  • Refugees

Additional information

FEES

£40 - £70


Initial assessment £30


OFFERS





I offer some discounts to students and clients on low income; the fees for these clients are £ 25-30 for 50 minutes session



mornings, day time, evenings and weekends appointments are available IN W10, WC1B AND NW1

Saturdays morning from 10-4pm in Bedford MK40


Sono Italiano e posso offrire la terapia in lingua italiana


telephone, email and online counselling also available


FAQ ABOUT COUNSELLING


How long a session last? each session will last 50 minutes and we will meet on the same day of the week


How much does it costs? My fees are £ 40 - £ 70 and i offer some lower rates to students or those clients on low incomes. the rates for these clients are £25 - £30


How many sessions? we will meet for a initial assessment and if we both agree to work together we will meet for further 6 sessions. After that we will review the process and we will decide if we want to work with an open ending


what about missed sessions? any cancellations should be given at least 48h notice . For any sessions cancelled or missed with less than 48h notice the fee for that session will have to be paid in the following session


Counsellor holidays. I will give you 2 weeks notice for any holidays i will take and i will expect you to do the same.


Ending therapy. Clients can end sessions at anytime but i will suggest at least 2 sessions to address any unresolved issues


When I work

Bedford 10-4pm free slots

Published articles

Bristol House, 80a Southampton Row, Bloomsbury, London Central, WC1B 4BA

Bedford Consulting Rooms, 4 Goldington Road, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK40 3NF

Type of session

In person
Online
Phone

Types of client

Young people
Adults
Older adults

Additional languages

italian

Social

Gherardo Della Marta
Gherardo Della Marta