Kanta Patel

I'm an accredited counsellor with over 18 years of experience working with adults, couples and young people who are experiencing a wide range of issues: anxiety, stress, panic attacks, couples counselling and relationship problems, low self-esteem, compulsive behaviours, bereavement, eating disorders, childhood trauma, domestic abuse, depression, self harm, anger management, difficulties letting go of the past and affairs and betrayals.

Struggling with your mental health isn't a sign of weakness. Mental health affects our thinking, emotions and behaviours. Some of us may experience extreme and unexpected changes in our mood; such as feeling more sad or worried than normal. For others, it means not being able to think clearly, not being able to communicate with others, or have the ability to explain what we are feeling. Everyone has mental health.

I provide brief and longer-term therapy to clients dealing with a range of emotional issues and I have worked extensively with clients from all backgrounds and walks of life. I value, respect and accept each and every clients regardless of their cultural background.

In addition to private practice, I've also worked with the following organisations:

• Mind - helping clients with a wide variety of issues and challenges.
• Place2Be - working with children and young people to support mental health problems.
• The Harrow Women's Centre - offering counselling and support for women experiencing bereavement and loss, surviving trauma, abuse and domestic violence, isolation and cultural adjustment.
• The WISH centre - helping mothers and their children to live their lives independently after leaving abusive relationship.

You may feel lost, powerless, ashamed, alone, guilty or even blame ourselves. Many more thoughts can keep on entering your mind without your permission and you can't always find ways to stop unwanted or unhelpful thoughts multiplying.

If you're feeling anxious, depressed, alone, feeling isolated or struggling with your mental health then please get in touch. 

I also have a wealth of experience in working with cultural issues, cross cultural relationships, living with an extended family and long term mental and physical health difficulties.

If you're reading this, it is likely that either you or someone you know could benefit from seeking counselling/therapy support. I respect, value and accept each and every clients regardless of their cultural background.

You don't have to struggle on your own anymore. Sharing thoughts and concerns in a safe, confidential environment allows you time to explore feelings honestly and openly, as much or as little as you wish.

You may feel scared to ask for help with your mental health and overall wellbeing, as sometimes we're made to believe that we will be given medications which may come with unwanted side effects or we may end up taking them for the rest of our lives.

Seeking counselling or talking therapy might be very new to you and you may not feel comfortable talking to a stranger. It's okay to talk. Why not give it a go. Testimonials from previous clients can be found further down this page.

You may have found that you've become extremely quiet or withdrawn. You may suddenly burst into tears or feel angry or very anxious.

You don't have to struggle on your own anymore. Let's talk! Sharing thoughts and concerns in a safe, confidential environment allows you time to explore feelings honestly and openly, as much or as little as you wish.

You can email me or call me on 07561 368 389 to find out more.

I offer counselling/therapy sessions in English and Gujarati. Seeking counselling help in many cultures can be difficult. I am able to offer Asian counselling, and am also a Gujarati counsellor.

Our first meeting/initial consultation is an opportunity for both of us to meet and for you to ask any questions you may have regarding the sessions and for me to find out what your goals are. Most important, to consider what might be most helpful for you at the moment and what you wish to achieve from counselling.

I offer a face to face, online and telephone counselling service.    Please email me to enquire  if you are struggling to afford this amount.  We can have a chat.  

             £55.00 for one to one, on line counselling

             £65.00 for one to one, face to face counselling  

Please call me if you need to talk. 

I offer day time, evening and weekend appointments.

We tend to feel ashamed or embarrassed to discuss these issues with others and we may end up suffering even more because of it. These issues can be very sensitive, difficult and stressful and can also leave us feeling as though we are not worthy and that we are all alone. This can subsequently lead to depression, relationship difficulties, low self esteem, mental instability and the inability to enjoy our lives.

The struggles we face vary from time to time and from person to person. To one, a specific problem can seem very small, however to another the same problem may seem impossible to cope with. Seeking help can often seem daunting, especially when considering pride and being seen by family or friends. Sometimes it can seem easier to simply close our eyes and pretend everything is fine.

The problems we face may seem immense and impossible to overcome. This does not have to be the case however, as there are many ways which can help ease some difficulties and take away some of the pressures, stress and anxiety. One well known method is called counselling.

Counselling is a form of psychological therapy, often known as 'talking therapy'. It is a method involving expressing and exploring feelings and coming to terms with the problems and then finding better ways of coping. See counselling page for more information.

Could you benefit from talking to a counsellor?

Counselling offers an opportunity for you to talk to a professional therapist to help you understand yourself and your situation. Counselling can help you see things more clearly, perhaps from a different perspective. It can enable you to make choices and reduce confusion.

I provide brief and longer-term therapy to clients dealing with a range of emotional issues, including anxiety, stress, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, compulsive behaviours, eating disorders, childhood trauma, domestic abuse, depression, self harm, anger management, family issues, relationship between young adults and their parents, long term mental and physical health difficulties.

How counselling can help you

My aim is to provide a non-judgemental, safe and supportive environment for you in which you can talk and explore your feelings, be it anger, frustration, beliefs and thoughts without anyone telling you what to do. By listening in a focused and purposeful way, I will help you to access your inner resources and engage in a more effective way with whatever is distressing you.

You don't need to deal with your problems alone. Give me a call or email me to find out how I can help you. Make that call. "Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today." Benjamin Franklin

Getting to the sessions

Kenton practice is situated in Kenton Harrow, HA3, easily accessible from Kingsbury,  Stanmore, South Harrow, Harrow Weald, Harlesden, Edgware, Hendon, Wembley, and Kilburn.

Nearest tube station is Kingsbury (Jubilee line) or Preston Road, Northwick Park and Harrow on the Hill (Metropolitan line) are close by.

Buses:
183, 204 and 79

Samaritans’ Executive Director of Fundraising and Communications, Rachel Kirby-Rider said: "Thank you to Kanta Patel who is helping make Feel Good Friday such a successful fundraiser. Samaritans receives a call for help every five seconds, and funds raised will help us answer more calls from people struggling to cope."

Testimonials

Comments from my former clients:

"This is a caring, sharing counselling service." 

"Kanta has helped me get through a really tough situation and I can’t thank her enough for all of her support. Her kindness, insight, and patience has helped me grow into a stronger and more positive person. I started my sessions with her at a time where it felt like the world was ending and I was alone, but she had zero judgment and was a great listener which really helped me through. I never thought I would come this far in such a short amount of time! "

"I was nervous to start therapy again, but my mind has been put at ease and I’m really glad I reached out for help. I have learnt so much about myself and do not feel so alone with my problems. Kanta is kind patient and understanding and has made starting therapy a smooth process. Thank you for all of your help!"

"Having these sessions with you has changed my life. You have helped me to see another side to things and helped me out of an extremely dark place. 5 months ago, had you had asked me what life would have looked like for me, I would've had a completely different view to what I have now- that is, I finally feel like I am getting my old self back, being able to gain back self respect and become self-sufficient. For me, counselling was always something that was daunting as I am someone who has a hard time opening up but I am so glad that I undertook these sessions with you. Not only have you provided me with a safe place to share my thoughts and feelings, you have taught me ways to cope with things that I never thought I would be able to cope with. Being able to offload and to talk through anything on my mind at my own pace to help me organise my thoughts, has probably been the most beneficial thing for me.  Over the weeks, you have made me feel comfortable and really helped me to become the best version of myself and I am so grateful for that. I would not recommend counselling sessions with you enough to anyone that is struggling, because you have truly transformed my life. I will forever be grateful that I took a step that I never thought I would and attended these sessions with you."

"Kanta has been supporting me through a difficult trauma that I had experienced which had caused me extreme low mood and anxiety. I felt that I was a balloon which was being blown up and about to pop but Kanta helped me not prevent from blowing up. The sessions with her have been extremely helpful in my journey to recovery and I have gained valuable insight into myself"

"As a 28 year old, single female I never knew that therapy would have given me so much clarity in my day to day life. I had never allowed myself to open up to anyone in fear of being perceived as weak or looking vulnerable, therefore always ignoring emotions. Kanta has made this whole process so comfortable and has reassured me every step of the way, she has helped me to heal in certain aspects of my life which were very heavy for me. Kanta listens, never judges and has such a warm aura wrapped around her.

I’ve started seeing small marginal gains in my daily life and over a period of time started seeing my behaviour patterns shift in a more positive way. I am pleasantly surprised with how much progress I have made in a short amount of time and feel that this was one of the best decisions I have made at this stage of my life. Thank you Kanta"

"I moved in with my parents a few years back to become their primary carer. I gave my job and home to be here 24/7. During the lock down , I finally lost myself in their negativity and frustrations. I got to the point where I was snapping and angry at everyone all the time. I was lucky to be counselled by Kanta, who helped me talk my issues through and rediscover myself and my inner strengths. Initially, I felt that talking to some stranger about my family issues would be bad but Kanta made it easier to let out my frustrations and guided me back to the positive nature I normally have." .

"I found Kanta at just the right time, I was consumed by anxiety, depression and extreme worry. I felt so boxed in, unable to share it with anyone. She was my channel to talk about very deep personal issues and problems I had been having for a very long time. Kanta is a great listener. Shows you empathy and acknowledges how difficult it can be to talk but her approach is excellent, kind, gentle and unrushed.

Her practice is, you both work together as a team to work through your issues, I found that being able to talk to Kanta you feel free to say how you really feel. This helped me a lot and led me to a road to better times. Her best description of helping me relate to my problems was "You’re in a prison cell, the door is open in front of you but you can't leave". She helps you to put context and rationalise behind your thoughts. I encourage anyone who feels they are at a loss or no one to turn to, please reach out to Kanta. I am in a much more stable place now, the part of me I'd lost to the dark is coming back and I can't thank Kanta enough for her kind support and techniques of managing and understanding; that at times we aren't OK and that is normal."

“Kanta has helped me find a way to manage my anxiety and depression. She has helped me gain my confidence and feel comfortable with going back to University. Kanta has listened to me and understood my problems. I felt very welcomed while seeing her. I looked forward to seeing her every week. She has helped me tackle a lot of my personal issues. I feel mentally stable now. I haven’t felt down or anxious in a while, thanks to her. I am very thankful for her help. She has come into my life at a time that I needed to see a counsellor the most. I recommend University students to see someone like her who can help you get through all your worries and thoughts.”

“I never considered myself to be one to need to go counselling and never saw it as something that would help me release my emotions, especially being a university student. I wasn't feeling like myself for a few months and could not get out how I felt as well as feeling anxious and insecure. I decided to get counselling for the first time and contacted Kanta. Through weeks of speaking to her, I managed to share my emotions and was able to understand why I felt how I did. She is very easy to talk to and very understanding too of situations. I am now able to think positively and wanting to seek my own happiness. Thank you so much Kanta for helping me out, I don't know where I would've been without your help. I really encourage young people to seek the help they need because trying to shadow your emotions will send you in a downward spiral.”

“My sessions with Kanta have been really helpful. Talking through the emotions and feelings helped to develop clarity in my thoughts, which in turn helped me develop my action points in finding a way to move forward, including building emotional strength.”

"I started seeing Kanta around 5 weeks ago and my issues were related to a lot of anger via people pleasing and codependency. In just a few sessions I have noticed myself connecting with my core feelings and questioning the emotions I feel and why they are there. This has helped with calming down when I feel emotions getting stirred. I find that Kanta is a very good listener, empathetic and thoughtful. She has good techniques and ways which I have started applying and are helping me change the way I think which then impacts on the way I feel and react. Thank you so much."

"I was really pleased to find you nearby and knew straightaway that you were someone I'd be able to talk to honestly and openly. And I found our sessions really helpful in understanding the stressful situation I was in and resolving it in a way which was actually quite simple but was still something I hadn't been able to realise on my own. The few sessions we had together (and it really wasn't a long or drawn out process) were cathartic; I managed to get things off my chest which had been building quietly for months without release. And with minimal skilled prompts and questions you showed me how much of this stress it was possible for me to tackle, or manage, or resolve without telling me what to do or putting ideas in my head. I'm very grateful for your support and impressed by your approach, which was both kind and firm; I never felt I was taken in directions I didn't want to go, nor was I 'analysed' but I was supported and guided to my own decisions and a more positive future direction".

"After a very near suicide attempt, I decided that I didn't want social anxiety and self esteem issues to ruin my life and so I sought out a counsellor. Kanta has a very warm, interactive approach to her one-on-one sessions and made me feel at ease when expressing some very painful moments in my life; some of which I had trouble acknowledging on my own and to counsellors I'd seen in the past. Kanta not only helps guide you through pivotal moments in your life but reinforces alternative and better ways of looking back on them so you can simply accept and move on. At one point during our sessions, I thought that I was 'broken' and 'hopeless' but after holding myself together and meeting Kanta halfway with her challenges, I am now reclaiming my confidence, piece by piece. The most effective counsellor I've been to, period".

"After considering whether or not to take the step into therapy. I can genuinely say it has been a life changing experience. I don't think people understand how stressful it is to explain what is going on in our minds. During my time in therapy, I felt that Kanta's approach to understanding was encouraging. Not only was she supportive, she made me realise the recognition of some matters I was dealing with for a long time. Though it was not always easy, it has been a very positive experience. Thank you Kanta"

"I started suffering from anxiety last year, it hit me out of no where. Every thing was in place, but I was feeling physically very ill. My days were horrible, my life stopped. I was having panic attacks every day and went to my GP every other day and the same response "you are absolutely fine". I knew that something was wrong with me so I decided to start therapy. I looked for a good counsellor and I came across Kanta. After the first session I started to feel better and I knew I wasn't alone in this, finally someone who understood what I was going through. After more sessions I was getting there, started to feel good and happy again. Kanta helped me a lot, she is a very good listener. So if anyone suffers from anxiety, don't wait, seek help, you are not alone. With a good Counsellor you can get your life back before anxiety much easier. Thank you Kanta!!!"

"How liberating to get rid of so much anger. Thank you Kanta for your guidance, wisdom and love. I never feel guilty when I am with you. You have shown me the way to appreciate ME and in the process make the others appreciate ME too. Thank you".

"I was in a bad relationship for 6 years and was in a traumatic state where my confidence was shattered in to little pieces and I was feeling very low and depressed in my self. So I decided to seek help and searched for a counsellor close by and came across Kanta's profile and emailed her. I was nervous when meeting Kanta for the first time but went with an open mind. However when I met Kanta she made me feel at ease as I could open up to her and tell her everything that had happened to me. I could converse to her in English and in Gujarati when explaining things. Kanta was very patient, so understanding, honest and never judged and understood the issue I had. Through out the sessions she was able to relate to me and give me advice on what to do and helped me develop my self with different techniques. I would like to thank you in helping me get back to normality with life as I can deal with anything in life."

"I would like to thank Kanta, in helping me cope with many years of negative childhood and health issues. I felt free to open up and express many of the tensions in my life and now realise that I can cope and be on top of things from my past and also worked on techniques to manage and resolve the immense negativity that I had stored up. Kanta helped me see things in a new light and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a change in life."

"I had been living apart from my (mostly emotionally) abusive ex-partner for over a year when I noticed that I was not able to break certain patterns in my life. Even though he lives 1000s of miles away, I felt he still controlled me. Breaking all contact is not possible since we have a child together so I had to learn how to deal with the situation in a healthier way. In the first few sessions I told my story and Kanta showed me that it was completely natural to feel this way. The relationship had lasted for over 8 years and I was conditioned to react in a certain ways. I had to learn not to be too hard on myself, but at the same time I had to remember that I did not need his approval anymore. Kanta gave me some exercises to practise setting my boundaries and I quickly noticed the results! From the situation with my ex, we moved on to other areas in my life where I found it hard to set boundaries and I over time I found myself more in control in those situations.
Kanta helped me to see that I deserve to be happy, that I deserve a healthy relationship and that I don't have to accept anybody crossing my personal boundaries".

"When I first started counselling I was full of so much anger. Day in and day out my blood use to boil and I use to scream and shout to my husband and my children. I also suffered anxiety and had a very low self esteem. I hated going out and socialising as I had put on a lot of weight from comfort eating. Both my children felt the impact of my behaviour and they used to have a lot of issues at school as well as between themselves. The way I spoke and behaved with my husband and my children had a massive impact on the whole family. I could not let go of the past and would take up any opportunity to argue about it with my husband. This carried on for a period of 6 years and I just got to a point where I did not know what to do, how to love, and even how to live a normal life. I realised at this point that I needed help as I could not deal with this on my own. I loved my family too much to lose them and hurt them.

I was so scared of speaking to a complete stranger about my personal problems but my first meeting with Kanta was amazing, she made me feel at ease, like a friend, I was able to talk to her about everything and anything during our sessions. I even cried and cried to a point that I could not cry anymore. Not once did Kanta ever judge me; she was very caring and always remained professional. Kanta provided me with tools and methods to help me get through my anger management, she helped me control these anxieties as well as guide me on how to build on my self confidence and self respect. Kanta made me see things from a different perspective, which I would not have been able to do before. Within a few sessions I had noticed that I was dealing with things in a more positive way and was able to control my anger in a better way. I can now communicate better with my family and am so much calmer and happier within myself. I have become a member of my local gym and within a period of ten months I have lost three stones in weight. I have learnt that I am also important and this has really helped me build up on my self confidence. Now, I really enjoy going out and socialising. Kanta, thank you so much for everything, I could not have done it alone. You have helped me save me, my marriage and my children. I got my family back and I will never go back to the old me".

"I decided I needed to see a counsellor when my anxiety and panic attacks started to become more frequent and started to affect my everyday day life. I was starting to hate everything around me and had lost my inner happiness. I am so happy that I came across Kantas' profile who was able to understand and relate to many of my anxieties. She was very patient and honest and never pushed me out of my comfort zone. I found it easy to talk to her and she helped me to control these anxieties as well as build on my confidence and self respect. Now many of my relationships around me are blossoming and I am able to slowly gain back control of my mind and my life. Thank you Kanta for your time and advice, something that will always be invaluable to me."

"When I met Kanta, I was feeling very low about myself, I had no self confidence and just didn't think much of myself. After our first meeting I knew that I would be able to talk to her and throughout our sessions she helped me to deal with the problems in my life. Kanta was so understanding and not judgemental and really understood the issues I faced as a young Asian woman. When I needed to cry, talk or just be quiet, I was able to do that in our sessions. I feel she was able to relate to me and helped me to develop tools that I still use to deal with anything that life throws my way. I don't think I have the words to describe how much the sessions helped me and I will forever be grateful for what she was able to do for me."

"I believe that everything happens for a reason, and for many different reasons I realised that I needed help. Counselling was never something I thought about as a way of solving my problems, or challenging my thoughts. For years I was suffering alone and in silence, thinking that this was the ‘right’ way to deal with everything. In fact I found myself going round in a vicious cycle of negative thoughts, battling with myself to get through each day. Losing some of the people closest to me because of this was the turning point in my life, and making that first step in contacting Kanta is honestly one of the best decisions I have ever made. Kanta has made a massive impact on my life and our sessions have proved invaluable to me, beyond what I could have anticipated. I will always be grateful for everything she has done for me. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s be careful who you open up to. Only a few people care, the rest are just curious. Kanta is someone who genuinely cares. Thank you for everything."

"We really appreciate your support to our child who was struggling with many problems and loss of confidence. Your sessions helped our child to regain confidence and we are so happy to see the smiling face of our child again. We have requested your help when it was affecting the studies and health of our child. You have guided my child to realise the true potential and to decide what is good and what is bad. Also my child is now very confindent to face problems and challenges lying ahead. Thanks you once again and wish you all succcess. May god bless you to help more people who are in need.."

"For a long time I've felt alone and counselling has given me someone to talk to and make me feel like I'm not dealing with this all by myself, that there is help and support out there. I've found it useful and it's helped me to become more aware about my thoughts."

"I was suffering from stress and extreme fears of being open to the public as well as meeting new people. I lost my self esteem, confidence to study and perform well. Counselling sessions with Kanta showed me how to tackle my fears and stress. By doing simple exercises such as mind map I was able to identify and gain control of my mind."

"When I first started counselling I was a very angry person and full of rage. My fear and mental abuse from my childhood was stopping me from moving forward in my life. I was shouting and screaming almost every day. My blood was boiling every time I got angry. I started getting horrific nightmares and was unable to have a decent night’s sleep because my mind was active and working overtime to resolve problems from my everyday life. From a result of the nightmares, I was exhausted during the day whilst at work and unable to keep my concentration. I was too tired to go out anywhere because I didn’t have any energy which made me miserable. It had taken over my life!
Counselling with Kanta helped me improve my life in many ways. Every day seemed to be a struggle and a challenge, but talking it through with Kanta made it simpler and easier to face. I am a lot calmer and happier now and my nightmares have all disappeared. I am able to express my opinion in an assertive way rather than being afraid to speak my mind. Counselling provided by Kanta is very valuable to me and I will always be grateful. Thank you Kanta."

"At first I was scared of going to counselling as I wasn't sure if I would be able to talk to a stranger who would be able to understand me, however, in Kanta I found a friend who was willing to listen and give me the time I needed to be able to let my feelings out. At the time of counselling I had hit a crossroad in my life and Kanta helped me to see things from a different perspective so that I could think with a clear head and make the right decisions for my life. Kanta was always understanding and most importantly honest, and this helped me to understand myself and my surroundings in a much better and positive way. I am very grateful for the help and support I have received from you Kanta, thank you."

"I have found my sessions with Kanta to be invaluable in starting to change my patterns of low self esteem and confidence. Within a few sessions I had already noticed that I was approaching things in a more positive way and almost 'stepping outside' myself to change the way I dealt with family and work situations to best effect. I had suffered with self doubt, feelings of guilt and low confidence for most of my adult life but now feel positive about the change it has made and am looking forward to the future."

"When I met Kanta I felt a connection right away. We worked together throughout the time I had counselling and I experienced warmth, acceptance and honesty from her that helped me make sense of the things going on around me and i was able to get through difficult times."

"Sometimes you get to a point in your life when you realise that you need help, I had come to that point. I was in my forties, plagued with self doubt and fear, feeling unfulfilled and inadequate. I knew that the bullying I had suffered as a child was still controlling my life. I had never talked about or acknowledged the bullying and it seemed ridiculous, almost embarrassing, to be affected by something that happened over 30 years ago, and yet this unsaid thing was tainting every thought and belief that I had. It was really hard to know where and who to turn to for help. In Kanta I found someone I could trust, someone who encouraged me to talk about all those things I had bottled up over the years. She challenged my long held beliefs and provided a safe environment in which to explore some of those earlier incidents. Over the weeks I could see subtle shifts in the way I behaved, I was learning to think in a different way. With Kanta's help I have rebuilt my foundations, not only am I much better able to cope with life, but for the first time I'm excited about the future and confident that I can handle whatever comes my way."

"One should not underestimate the good that can come out of sometimes, just a few sessions of counseling.- It was of great importance to me to find the right person to help through my difficulties. Each session for me meant learning better communication methods with my family. Each new tool I learnt helped me cope with the different relationships and characters in my family. For these tools and methods and your total support, I am grateful- thanks Kanta!"

"Following a traumatic accident, your sessions have played a huge part in dealing with the situation. You have made me aware that I am stronger than I perceive myself as being. I have become more confident in myself and feel I am able to move forward in a positive way. Most importantly during your sessions I did not feel as though I was being judged. No words could explain how grateful I am to you."

"I found that what helped me is having a space to say whatever I wanted to instead of keeping it in my head and someone listening to me that seemed to care. Also helped me look at things about myself I usually wouldn't notice and I was able to improve on it."

"You have changed my life, actually, you've saved my life."

"The fact that you were able to see my problems through my point of view was key in then being able to diagnose the source of what was bothering me the most. Once I was able to focus on what I wanted and also importantly what I didn't want enabled me to be more decisive. I was finally able to get on with life with self confidence knowing that even if there were problems lying ahead, I was doing the best I could.
Ultimately, I'm very glad I had those sessions with you. It made a huge difference (positively) to the quality of my life and I really can't thank you enough."

"Only drugs I'm taking is seeing a counsellor, and I wish I had done this twenty years ago" said one client to her family and friends when they started to notice the positive changes in her that they had not seen.