About me
Hi, I'm Charmaine! I am an integrative psychotherapist offering therapy in Wimbledon, Tooting and online across the UK. I work with clients aged 16 and above, supporting a wide range of difficulties including anxiety, anger, stress, depression, people pleasing, and low self-confidence.
I specialise in relationship difficulties, which are often at the heart of emotional pain and can both shape and be shaped by these wider struggles. I work with challenges in current relationships, as well as the impact of estrangement and bereavement.
My work is primarily grounded in Attachment Theories and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, an approach that understands the mind as made up of different parts, each shaped by your life experiences. It is a gentle and transformative approach that brings healing through building and strengthening our relationship with the different parts of us. Alongside this, I draw on other approaches where helpful, depending on what feels most supportive for you. For example, I also work through the body because sometimes there are no words, just feelings.
My own experience of therapy has shaped how I practise. I show up as a real person who has done, and continues to do, my own work. I do not position myself as an expert with all the answers, but as someone who will work alongside you with honesty, care and respect.
My practice is trauma-informed and LGBT-friendly. I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
Who I help
I work with people who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or caught in patterns they cannot seem to change. This may show up as anxiety, low mood, self-doubt, or difficulties in relationships.
I have a particular focus on relational pain. This includes challenges in current relationships, recurring relationship patterns, conflict, emotional disconnection, as well as bereavement and estrangement from family members or loved ones.
You may have tried therapy before and found that it did not quite reach the deeper root of what you were experiencing. You do not need to have everything figured out before starting. We can begin with whatever feels most present for you.
How I can help you
I start by getting to know what’s been happening for you and how you experience it emotionally, mentally and physically. If it feels right for you, we may use Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy to start noticing the different parts of you that can show up in certain situations. For example, the part that shuts down, overthinks, people pleases, becomes critical, angry or emotionally overwhelmed.
Rather than seeing these responses as bad or something to get rid of, we become curious about them and try to understand why they developed in the first place. Often these patterns began as ways of coping, protecting yourself or surviving difficult experiences.
As therapy progresses, we explore whether these ways of coping are still helping you now, or whether they may be keeping you stuck or creating difficulties in your relationships, emotions or daily life.
We also gently work with the deeper wounds underneath these patterns, including painful experiences, unmet needs or beliefs you may have carried about yourself for a long time. Through this process, many clients find they begin to relate to themselves with more understanding, feel less controlled by old patterns, and experience a greater sense of calm, clarity and connection within themselves. This results in a greater ability to feel connected to others while maintaining healthy boundaries.
I work in a way that is guided by you rather than a fixed structure. I stay closely attuned to what is happening moment to moment, allowing the therapy to unfold at a pace that feels manageable. We may explore your thoughts, emotions and physical sensations to help you build a deeper understanding of yourself. The approach we take will be determined by your personal preferences and needs.
Therapy is also a real relationship. If something does not feel right, or if I get something wrong, we can talk about it. These moments often become an important part of the work.
Sessions last 50 minutes. We begin by checking in and identifying what feels most important, and from there we explore whatever emerges. At the end, we take a few moments to reflect and integrate what has come up.
Getting started
If you would like to explore how this approach might support you, we can arrange a complementary 30-minute introductory call. This can take place either by phone or on Zoom. You can book this using the link next to my picture above, and if there are no suitable slots, you are welcome to email me as I aim to be flexible where possible.
During the call, you can share what has brought you to therapy, and I can explain how I would approach your particular concerns. There will also be space for any questions, so you can decide whether this feels like the right fit.
After the call, you can take as much time as you need to think things through. If you decide to go ahead, we will begin with a more in-depth assessment to build a clearer picture of your current concerns. From there, we will start to explore things in more depth at a pace that feels right for you.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Internal Family Systems level 1 and 2 (Level 2 was focused around Addictive Processes and Disordered Eating)
- Post-Graduate Diploma Integrative Counselling and Psychotherapy
- BSc (Hons) Psychology
I also worked in schools supporting children with learning differences and emotional challenges. During this time I taught Emotional Literacy, Social Skills, and Anger Management, helping children make sense of their feelings and experiences. This work gave me valuable insight into how childhood difficulties can impact self-esteem, relationships, and emotional wellbeing, often carrying into adulthood
My counselling journey began with placements at Wandsworth Bereavement Service and The Awareness Centre, where I worked with a wide range of other emotional difficulties. At the bereavement service, I developed a deeper understanding of grief and loss - not just the grief that comes with death, but also the quieter, often more complicated grief that can come from family estrangement, relationship breakdowns, or a longing for connection that was never quite met.
These experiences led me to specialise in helping people who are navigating relational injury, loss, or intense emotional experiences - especially those who already understand their past but still feel stuck. Most of my clients come with relationship issues but have some sort of addictive process going on: comfort eating, drinking, scrolling, gambling, gaming etc. That's why I have been taking more trainings in this area. My approach is gentle, collaborative, and grounded in deep respect for each person’s internal world.
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
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£85.00 per session
Health Insurance/EAP
When I work
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