Vanessa Zopp

I am a qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist Accredited member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and a Senior Accredited Registrant of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS).  I am also a Professional Member of the Association for Counselling and Therapy Online (ACTO). I have held different positions in the third sector and private practice in the last seven years. I am professionally trained in Psychodynamic Counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). If you are going through a hard time suffering from anxiety, depression, or relationship issues, or even if you are not sure yet, I am here to listen and help.

I practice across a wide range of issues. I have specialist experience in working with people with anxieties such as social anxiety, bullying, psychological or sexual abuse, depression, perfectionism, relationship issues and low self-esteem, ADHD, work stress and burnout, life transitions and identity,  and bereavement. I also have significant experience with loss, bereavement, pet grief,  and young adult issues at the workplace and university.

If, after reading here, you are considering working with me, get in touch for an initial phone call. 

How can counselling help me?

Counselling has proved to be effective in improving the lives of those experiencing social anxiety, grief, family issues, feeling sad or empty, low self-esteem, abuse and work or study stress, relationship problems and many other issues of people in distress.

I am compassionate, emphatic, dynamic, and thoughtful, and I offer a space where you can be genuinely listened to in a non-judgemental, open, warm way in a safe and quiet area.

My approach

My way of working is collaborative, which means we will decide the best approach for you. My core training is Psychodynamic Counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).  Existential Counselling and System thinking also inform me. This means I am interested in and work with the past and present.

I am an LGBTIQA+ ally, and I am sex-positive. I am neurodivergent-affirmative and pro-self-advocacy (knowing yourself, knowing your needs, and knowing how to get what you need). I am a Gender, Sexual and Relationship Diversity (GSRD)-affirmative individual. I am anti-racist. I value diversity, and I am against discrimination in all its forms. However, I know I must do my best to learn and be constantly vigilant and aware of my blind spots. 

Psychodynamic Counselling: it explores the past in relation to how you feel and behave in the present. The purpose is to understand yourself better, which will trigger changes in your life. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy focuses on 'the here and now' to proactively change how you think and behave. Exercises and tasks must be done between sessions and collaboratively set together. Existential Therapy: Existential refers to philosophical themes addressing the difficulties of being human and the awareness of death. The focus is on the personal meaning you have about things in life rather than on the imposition of a theoretical explanation by me, the therapist. The aim is to help you understand more about yourself and foster the awareness that you can choose how to be in the world by changing or tolerating the way things are. 

We will do this at your pace, considering the practicalities of your life, preferences and therapy goals. Together, we will create greater awareness about your behaviours and achieve a better, fulfilling life.

We will also decide whether a time-limited approach (a set number of sessions) would work better for you or a more open approach. I offer single-session therapy, ongoing therapy, and time-limited therapy. 

To do so, I usually allow 2/3 initial appointments so that at the end of those, we will have decided together what suits your needs better, for how long, and what the therapy goals will be. Should we conclude that you will get better help from other professionals/organisations? I will help you find the right ones if you wish to. 

Online:  Aside from in-person psychotherapy, I offer video calls via Zoom or WhatsApp.  Online sessions are offered to people living and residents in the UK. Online therapy is inappropriate for suicidal thoughts and longstanding severe mental health conditions. 

What to expect in your first session?

During the first 2/3 sessions (their name is assessment), we will look at your reasons for coming to counselling together with your hopes, expectations and aims for therapy. You will understand a bit more about therapy. 

This is also an excellent opportunity to get to know each other: for you to reflect on whether you wish to work with me and for us to decide whether we feel that working together can be good and appropriate for you. Shall we conclude that you will get better help from other professionals/organisations I will support you in finding the right ones if you wish to. 

Choosing your therapist is a crucial step; whatever the therapy, our relationship is deemed to be the predictor of a good outcome from treatment. I will always allow time to reflect on whether you feel comfortable working together.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to have an initial conversation. 

Pet Bereavement, pet loss. 

Single Session Therapy. 

Those struggling with alcohol issues of a loved one. 

Self- funded: £70.

Insurance, EAP and third party/employer: £80-90. Cancellations are not covered by insurers. 

I invoice directly Insurance, you will need to gather some initial information, and I will guide you through the process. More details are available on my website: www.vanessazopptherapy.com

I offer a free introductory call of 15/20 min. Please get in touch with me fur further information. 

In my practice, I also work with those impacted by pet bereavement and those affected by the alcoholism of a loved one.