Aleksandra Praczko

Sometimes we reach a point where something just doesn’t feel right. You might feel anxious, overwhelmed or disconnected from yourself, or find yourself stuck in patterns you don’t understand. Maybe you’ve spent so much time looking after others that you’ve lost touch with what you need. Therapy can be a space to pause, look more closely at your experience and explore what might be possible from there.

I am passionate about taking a holistic approach to life and believe that our emotional, physical and relational experiences are deeply connected. My aim is to explore with you what might be standing in the way of living a fuller and more meaningful life.

For me, therapy begins with relationship. I place a strong emphasis on building a trusting therapeutic relationship where you can feel safe enough to be yourself and express what you may not always feel able to express elsewhere.

I see my role as being a witness to your inner world. Having a safe relationship in which your experiences can be expressed, explored and understood can create space for emotions to be processed and for new possibilities to emerge.

I don't believe that therapy is about fixing you. Many of the ways we think, feel and behave have developed in response to our experiences and may once have helped us cope. Together, we can explore these patterns with curiosity and compassion, understand where they come from and consider whether they are still serving you today.

I want to get to know you - the person behind the roles, expectations and ways of coping that we often develop throughout our lives.

What can you expect from therapy with me?

If this is your first experience of therapy, you don't need to know what to expect or where to begin. I will guide you through the process and explain anything that may feel unfamiliar. We will work at a pace that feels right for you, and there is no expectation to explore anything you are not ready or willing to explore.

I will be alongside you throughout this process, offering a space where you can be yourself without judgement. My role is not to tell you what you should do or who you should be, but to help you explore your experience and discover what feels meaningful and authentic to you. 

I have experience working with a range of difficulties and life experiences, including:

• Anxiety and depression
• Loneliness and feeling disconnected
• Bereavement and loss
• Significant life transitions
• Pregnancy and parenthood
• Relationships and dating
• Work-related stress and burnout
• Identity and self-worth
• Difficulties in your relationship with yourself
• Perfectionism
• Adjusting to adulthood and the challenges that can come with it

I have a particular interest in working with women and exploring the many different roles, responsibilities and expectations that women can find themselves carrying.

Motherhood and parenting can bring meaning and fulfilment, but they can also change how we see ourselves and how we relate to our own needs, identity and desires. Sometimes, amongst caring for others and trying to meet the expectations placed upon us, it can become difficult to hear our own voice.

You may be a mother who feels overwhelmed by the demands placed upon you, a woman trying to find a sense of yourself outside of motherhood, or someone wanting to explore what it means to be a woman in your own unique circumstances.

If you want to understand yourself more deeply, reconnect with yourself or explore your experience of womanhood, I would be interested in working alongside you.

I offer concessionary rates for single parents, students, trainee counsellors and people who are currently unemployed.

I offer in-person sessions in Croydon and online sessions across the UK.

I am a native Polish speaker and offer counselling sessions in both English and Polish.