Anandi Ashar
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hi, I’m Anandi. I am an integrative counsellor which means that I apply an eclectic approach in therapy consisting of mainly Person-Centered Therapy and Psychoanalytic Therapy. I may also bring in Behavioural Therapy and Cognitive Therapy if found necessary upon deeper understanding of your needs. By being person or client-centered, I focus more on listening, making sure that you are being heard, recognized and acknowledged. Whether that is a description of an experience, an event, an individual - I want to listen to you and your feelings related to them. I believe in being present in the session and focusing on the here and now while continuously looking at your past (I may apply techniques from Gestalt Therapy).
If you find silences uncomfortable, don't know what to say or have a lot to say and don't know where to begin - I will be there and listening. I will sit with you in the chaos and the silence.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have graduated from Bangor University with an MSc in Counselling. In my work with clients ranging from age 16 to 60, coming from various backgrounds, sharing unique life stories, carrying different sets of baggage and trauma, I have always found one thing that helps me and will help you which is willingness and honesty. Growing up in India and learning from my life experiences has provided me with more empathy, a larger capacity to understand others' perspectives and find the uniqueness in the way we look at our individual worlds and outer worlds. I look for your willingness to show up for yourself, to gain deeper self-awareness and understanding, and to grow. I appreciate honesty in its raw form – from you to me and me to you. At the same time, I am willing to bring myself wholly to the therapeutic space where we find the truth within ourselves, our feelings and our experiences. I believe empathy, unconditional positive regard and congruence can build a strong foundation for a therapeutic relationship and also for therapeutic growth to occur. I hope to provide a sense of comfort and safety where you feel safe to let go of fears, of unnecessary and intrusive negative thoughts, and increase self-awareness and appreciation for yourself. This is also why my practice is called Riha counselling.
I use the Arabic word Riha because at its root it means free. To me, that resonates in different ways. I hope that you are able to find freedom within and around yourself enough to grow, to express yourself, to be who you want to be in a moment, in the session, in your life. I see Riha as liberation; from trauma, your past, a part of you that doesn’t feel true to yourself. I urge you to find the freedom within yourself to explore all aspects of yourself or of the world that you may wish to, to be truthful with yourself, to find the strength and courage to take on any challenges and choose your journey as you wish to. There is freedom in talking and freedom in silence and you can experience both within sessions.
Therapy is difficult at times and life works in the same way. I implore you to wholeheartedly bring yourself to both.
Thank you.
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
I have experience in a different range of subjects such as insomnia, low self worth, relationship issues, binge-eating or anorexic food patterns, attachment styles and so on.
Therapies offered
Fees
£40.00 per session
Free initial telephone or online session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Concession rate may apply. Please check if you are eligible.
I offer a free 15-minute initial online session which gives me a chance to familiarize with your world and you to gain an understanding of how I work.
Follow up 70 minute assessment session - £55
Subsequent sessions are 50 minutes - £40
When I work
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I work weekdays (8am-9pm) and 8am-1pm on Saturdays, to accommodate you if unable to access therapy during daytime/weekday hours.
