Andrea Arulnayagam

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she/her
MA Psychotherapy, PgDip Counselling, UKCP acc, RegMBACP, LLB

About me

Are you wondering why your relationships with friends, family or romantic partners feel so difficult?

Do you find it easier to support others than to ask for help yourself? Are you highly self-critical, holding yourself to impossible standards, yet never feeling like you're enough?

Perhaps you feel guilty when you set boundaries, disappoint others or prioritise your own needs. Growing up, expressing certain feelings may not have felt safe, so you learnt to put everyone else's needs before your own.

Maybe you feel like you're letting your family down, or you're suffocated by expectations that leave you feeling unseen and unheard.

You may notice yourself slipping into familiar roles in your relationships – the listener, rescuer or peacemaker – while your own needs go unheard.

Deep down, you long to be accepted for who you are, rather than for what you do for others.


Imagine being able to tell a friend or partner, "I'm feeling overwhelmed right now and don't have the capacity to support you," without feeling guilty afterwards.

Imagine expressing your thoughts, feelings and needs without constantly worrying about how someone else will react, trusting that healthy relationships can survive honesty, disagreement and boundaries.

Imagine recognising when a relationship mirrors a role you learnt to play growing up and feeling able to choose something different.

Feeling more secure in your relationships, clearer about your boundaries and kinder towards yourself.

How would it feel to live more authentically? Therapy with me can help you understand where these patterns began, so you can start creating relationships - and a life - that feel more like your own.
 
E-mail me or book a free 20 minute call with me via my website to see if we are the right fit to work together.
 

Training, qualifications & experience

  • CORST Level 5 Certificate in Couple/Relationship Therapy
  • MA in Child and Adolescent Counselling and Psychotherapy
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Adult Counselling
  • LLB Bachelor of Laws

I am a BACP registered and UKCP accredited integrative psychotherapist, working with children, adolescents, adults and couples. I have over a decade of experience working in both primary and secondary schools. “Integrative” means I use a variety of techniques and modalities to journey with you in therapy.

I offer couple/relationship therapy, having completed specialist assessed training awarded by The Grove’s Certificate in Couple/Relationship Therapy accredited by COSRT at Level 5.

My training and experience with children, teenagers, adults and couples gives me a strong foundation in developmental and intercultural trauma, and informs my work with adults by helping me understand how early experiences, family systems, and cultural contexts shape our emotional lives.

With my background in law, I have had over 15 years' experience working with vulnerable adults, teenagers and children, providing mental health support within criminal defence, housing and schools, as well as providing counselling services within schools and the charity sector. I am currently working as a therapist in private practice, seeing adults and couples during the day in Angel, Enfield Town or online. 

Member organisations

Registered / Accredited

Registered / Accredited

Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.

UKCP
UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.

As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.

UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.

BACP
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP)

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

UK Council for Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

UK Council for Psychotherapy
British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy
Accredited Register Scheme

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.

British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy

Areas of counselling I deal with

Therapies offered

Fees

£90.00 per session

Additional information

Please contact me for a free 15-20 minute introductory video call, so we can discuss your needs accordingly.

My fee for couple's therapy is £120 and the free introductory call for couples will be 20-30 minutes.

When I work

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Early morning
Morning
Early afternoon
Late afternoon
Evening

Further information

Please contact me via my website so we can have a video consultation about what works best for you. 

The Angel, London, EC1V

Enfield, Greater London, EN1

Type of session

In person
Online

Types of client

Young adults (18-24)
Adults (25-64)
Older Adults (65+)
Couples
Families

Key details

DBS check

In England and Wales, the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS, formerly known as CRB) carry out criminal records checks for individuals working with vulnerable groups, such as children. To find out more, visit gov.uk , or contact this professional directly

Online platforms

Google Meet

Social