About us
I've spent over a decade supporting adults, with the last five years specialising in trauma and people-pleasing, drawing on years of clinical experience alongside hundreds of conversations with people who've called themselves a 'people-pleaser' long before they ever thought to call it trauma.
Hi, I'm Ariana, a BACP fully qualified and accredited psychotherapist.
You give a lot. You worry a lot. And somehow it's never quite enough.
There's often a loneliness that's hard to explain, even to yourself. A quiet, persistent sense that something is wrong with you. Maybe you're the one everyone leans on, the one who keeps things together, the one whose own needs have a habit of staying invisible.
You might call yourself a people-pleaser and leave it there. Many of the people I work with do, at first.
It shows up everywhere, not just in romantic relationships. The friendships where you give everything and still feel alone. The family dynamics you can't seem to escape. The workplace where you over-explain, or brace for criticism before it even arrives. Sometimes, the relationship with your own children, fearing you are carrying patterns forward that were never yours to begin with.
And always the relationship with yourself, the inner voice that's never quite satisfied, the sense that you don't know who you are underneath it all, often a quiet echo of what trauma first taught you to believe about who you are and what you deserve.
People-pleasing rarely arrives on its own. It tends to bring company, anxiety that won't switch off, a habit of avoiding confrontation at almost any cost, a constant low hum of not being quite good enough.
Sometimes, it can mean saying yes to plans you didn't have the energy for because disappointing someone felt worse than disappointing yourself.
And for many people, when we trace it back, it began somewhere specific, in childhood, in relationships that were never quite safe enough to just be yourself.
You don't need the perfect word for what happened. Some people had one clear, difficult experience. For others it was an accumulation, years of small moments that added up to something significant. Both matter. Both are welcome here.
Something I've learned across more than a decade of clinical work is that trauma often doesn't live in the past. It lives in your sleep, your body, and your relationships.
Over the past five years I've worked as an integrative trauma therapist within a specialist trauma service, developing deep expertise in childhood trauma and the patterns, people-pleasing, codependency, anxiety, low self-worth, that so often follow it. Before that, I spent five years working across counselling settings including the charity sector, with organisations such as Mind.
If you're tired of putting yourself last, and ready to feel safe and comfortable enough to prioritise yourself, even if you've tried before and it hasn't stuck, even if it comes with guilt at first, I'd like to tell you more about how I work.
Getting Started
If any of this sounds familiar, I'd welcome you to get in touch. You don't need a clear starting point, just a sense that this might be the right space. I respond to all enquiries within one working day.
Training, qualifications & experience
Over the past five years, my work has focused specifically on trauma and people-pleasing, building on more than a decade of broader clinical experience. The training and development below reflect that focus.
Qualifications
- BA Hons Counselling Degree
- Foundation Degree In Counselling
- Humanities and Social Science
Additional training
- Phobia and Trauma Treatment (The Rewind Technique Certified course)
- Working with Relational Trauma: Dealing with Disorganised & Attachment
- Polyvagal Theory
- Relational Depth in Counselling & Psychotherapy
- Trauma, the Brain & Recovery: Using the T.R.A.U.M.A. Recovery Model
- Therapeutic Safety with Traumatised Clients
- Intergenerational Shame - A Relational Approach
I engage in regular CPD and specialist training. I work closely with a senior clinical supervisor and stay connected with other therapists, keeping my practice reflective and current to the clients I support.
I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and work in accordance with their ethical framework. I also hold an enhanced DBS certificate for working with adults. I am fully insured, including public liability insurance.
Member organisations *
school 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.
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 we deal with
Other areas of counselling we deal with
Alongside my specialisation, I have a particular interest in supporting adult children of narcissistic, emotionally unavailable or critical parents, and those navigating estrangement and complex family dynamics, including going low or no-contact, and the lasting impact these relationships can have.
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£65.00 - £100.00
Additional information
Initial session: £65
Regular sessions: £85 to £100 per session.
I work on a scale rather than a single fixed fee, because I believe it's important that cost isn't the reason someone doesn't reach out. When we first speak, we'll find the fee that's right for you.
I offer an initial session (60 minutes) this gives us enough time to get a sense of whether working together feels right. In therapy, the relationship between client and therapist is central to outcomes. Finding someone you feel genuinely comfortable with is where good therapy begins.
If I'm not the right fit, I'm happy to support you in finding a different therapist. There is no expectation to commit to regular sessions after the initial session.
I see the majority of my clients weekly, though fortnightly sessions are also available where needed. If you would like to meet fortnightly, I will discuss with you whether it's possible to meet weekly for the first six sessions, as this helps us establish our relationship in the early stages of working together.
*Please note, all sessions are currently offered online*
When we work
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Further information
I do work with some clients based outside the UK. If you're living in Europe, I'm usually able to support you, though I will need to check the counselling regulations in your country before we begin. Please note that all sessions take place in UK time.
Unfortunately I'm unable to work with clients based in the US due to counselling regulations.
