Alessia Chiappino
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About me
We often seek help when we feel stuck or dissatisfied with life, are experiencing relational issues, in the midst of an existential crisis or a crisis of meaning, or simply need a space to unburden our thoughts and feelings. Embarking on a psychotherapeutic journey means entering into a dialogue with another person, and with oneself. These conversations can help with the aforementioned struggles and more. This process unfolds within the context of a therapeutic relationship that provides warmth and acceptance, along with appropriate levels of challenge.
The process of sharing our emotions in a confidential space can help us make sense of our life and help us to gain greater self-awareness. With self-awareness and a cohesive understanding of our personal story, we can start to re-evaluate our habitual thinking and behaviour, learning to live in ways that feel more authentic. Authenticity, unlike adaptation, brings fulfilment in life; we can begin to respond creatively, rather than habitually, to circumstances and others.
I am an Italian-British relational psychotherapist, group facilitator, and visual artist currently undergoing advanced clinical training in the two-year post-graduate Depth Relational Process at The Institute of Psychedelic Therapy (UK).
I have trained with institutions in Italy, USA, UK, and Canada. After a career in Fine Arts, Digital Media, and the music industry, I trained in Humanistic and Relational Psychotherapy with a trauma-informed approach. Further, I have trained in Somatic Attachment Therapy, Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration and Integrative Psychedelic Therapies.
Drawing from over two decades of experience in these fields, my method is integrative, meaning that I combine a variety of approaches, so that I can tailor a treatment plan most suited to each individual.
In addition to my private practice, I offer monthly online psychedelic integration groups for those who have experienced, or are interested in psychedelic-assisted therapy through legal clinical trials or retreats and ceremonies.
Having worked for several years both in individual and group settings with people belonging to minority groups, religious and intergenerational trauma, I take an anti-discriminatory stance and am committed to learning about the impact of discrimination in all forms, and examining my own biases and assumptions in the process.
Training, qualifications & experience
Along with my private practice, I belong to the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the Institute of Psychedelic Therapy (IPT) and the Italian Society of Psychedelic Medicine (SIMePsi). Accordingly, I am bound by their ethical codes of practice and attend regular clinical supervision to support my work, peer groups, seminars, and workshops in order to strengthen my skills and keep up with current thinking.
I am a member of The Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines, a non-profit organisation based in Northern California providing education and cultural understanding about plant medicines, and promoting a bridge between the ceremonial use of sacred plants and mainstream psychedelic science. Chacruna supports the Indigenous Reciprocity Initiative of the Americas (IRI), which fosters biocultural conservation and the autonomy of Indigenous communities.
I am also a member of Modern Spirit, a non-profit organisation in Arizona dedicated to spiritual healing in modern healthcare, scientific research in epigenetics, and the study of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. Through its Reciprocity Project, Modern Spirit funds and offers Indigenous people and Native Americans the opportunity to receive KAP treatment for issues such as depression, anxiety and PTSD.
Qualifications
PgDip Psychotherapeutic Counsellor with Social Responsibility TA East London & United Kingdom Association of Transactional Analysis (UKATA)
PgCert in PHRI - Psychedelic Harm Reduction and Integration Psychotherapy awarded by NUMINUS, Canada
PgCert Integrative Psychedelic Therapies awarded by Modern Spirit USA
PgCert in Somatic Attachment Therapy awarded by The Embody Lab, USA
PgDip Integrative & Humanistic Psychotherapy - The Link Centre (UKCP) 2024-2025
Master's Degree in Fine Arts awarded by University of the Arts London (UAL) Central Saint Martins
Diploma in Photography awarded by Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) Milano
Post-Graduate Training : Continuing Professional Development
- Bridging the Worlds: The Confluence of Indigenous Wisdom and Psychedelic Science w/Spero Manson, PhD • University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (USA) 2024
- Sacred Ceremony in Psychedelic Therapy: Ancestral Teachings of the Americas w/Dr. Joe Tafur • Modern Spirit (Arizona, US) 2024
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy w/Kyle Buller • The Link Centre 2023
- Holotropic Breathwork in Practice w/Dr Tim Read • IPT 2023
- Psychedelic Healing Summit w/Dr. Joe Tafur • Shift USA 2023
- Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy for Healthcare Providers w/Dr. Joe Tafur Modern Spirit (Arizona, US) 2023
- Psychoanalysis: Winnicott and Object Relations • Freud Institute London 2023
- Eating Disorders w/GF Pace • The Link Centre 2023
- Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy Global Summit w/ Gabor Maté • Heart Mind Institute (USA) 2022
- Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy, Mindfulness & Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness w/ Dr Ronald D. Siegel • ISC (Italy) 2022
- The Neurobiology of Attachment w/ Dr. Allan Schore • NICABM 2022
- Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy, Mindfulness and Compassion w/ Dr Chris Germer • FCP (Italy) 2021
- Vagal System and the Treatment of Trauma w/ Dr Stephen Porges • NICABM 2020
- How To Work With Shame w/ Peter Levine, PhD • NICABM 2019
- Intensive Trauma Treatment w/ Bessel Van der Kolk • NICABM 2018
- Mindsight, Attachment & Clinical Integration w/ Dr. Dan Siegel • NICABM 2016
- Human Behavioural Biology w/ Robert Sapolsky • Stanford University 2014
Member organisations
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
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Crisis of meaning (i.e. spirituality)
- Non-Ordinary States of Consciousness
- PHRI (Psychedelic Harm Reduction & Integration)
- Climate Anxiety
- Loss, including death of a pet
- Mindfulness, Focusing and Compassion Based Therapy
- Somatic Attachment Therapy
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
When I work
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Further information
I currently offer sessions in person and over Zoom. My consulting room is is well ventilated, and seating is 2m apart.
Should you like to find out more about how working together might help you, please contact me to arrange an assessment session. We can then see if it feels comfortable working together. If you wish to proceed, we would meet weekly for 50-minute sessions and regularly review our progress to ensure your needs are being met.
