This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
My name is Diego Avila and I am a Counselling Psychotherapist. I am an accredited member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), and fully uphold their Ethical Framework.
I work using a Relational Integrative Model, which puts the emphasis on the way that we, as humans, relate to each other, both inside and outside of the therapy room.
I am also a Clinical Supervisor as well as a Lecturer in Counselling, currently working in Adult Further Education.
My aim is to provide you with a safe and contained space for you to talk, share and explore your feelings, in your own time and at your own pace. Within our therapeutic relationship I will aim to facilitate a space for self-growth and exploring your own personality, how you relate to others and to yourself.
The first session will be an assessment to explore what you feel you need help with and how we can work together. I will ask you to complete a brief questionnaire beforehand, which will give us a clearer picture of your presenting issues.
My areas of focus and expertise include:
General-Lifestyle: low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, fears, general lack of motivation, dissatisfaction with home, work and/or social life.
Relationships: break ups, break downs in communication, inability to establish intimacy, bullying, childhood "life scripts", caring for vulnerable dependants, domestic violence, abuse.
Gender, Sexuality and issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community.
Grief and Loss: past, present or future bereavement, major life-changing situations
Jungian Dream Exploration and Analysis: based on the works of Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Jung, we will be looking at the symbolism behind your dream, engaging in a unique dialogue to allow you to make better sense of the possible messages underneath. This work can be done as a one-off or series of sessions.
Couples'/Relationship Therapy: Whether you are in a romantic union of two (or more) people, a parent and adult child, work colleagues or friends, Relationship Therapy can help you take a deep dive into the dynamics of the way you relate, explore where it comes from and work out how best to use it for the benefit of all involved. This space can also help you identify your differences in personality, values and needs, and how best to accept these for the enrichment of the relationship.
Compulsive Sexual Behaviours: Sometimes referred as "sex addition", Compulsive Sexual Behaviours are repetitive and unwanted sexual behaviours that are having a negative impact on your life:
. Sexual activities and behaviours that are difficult to stop despite them bringing negative impact and consequences to life and relationships
. Feeling bad and ashamed about certain sexual behaviours
. Engaging in regular non-consensual non-monogamy (commonly known as "cheating") on partner/s
. Problematic use of pornography to the point of it having a negative effect on life
. Gay men and Chemsex
My approach to working with Compulsive Sexual Behaviours is sex-positive, psychotherapeutically framed and based on contemporary psycho-sexological interventions. I do not work from a "Sex/Love Addiction/sexual sobriety" model.
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I am available for short, fixed-term work as well as longer, open-ended counselling. In any case, my recommendation is to commit to an initial minimum of 6 (six) sessions, which is an optimal time to develop our therapeutic relationship and explore your presenting issues to a better extent.
Training, qualifications & experience
During my training I volunteered at Teddington-based charity RUILS, which supports people with physical and cognitive disabilities towards independent living. As part of this placement I predominantly worked with parents and carers of disabled children dealing with elements of anxiety, depression and relationship issues.
I am a qualified Tutor and Assessor currently lecturing on CPCAB Levels 2 and 3 Counselling Skills Certificates as well as Level 4 Diploma in Therapeutic Counselling.
In addition, I volunteered for 18 months at the Terrence Higgins Trust as Youth Counsellor, working with young adults (18 to 24 years old).
I offer couples'/relationship therapy having completed specialist training:
Level 5 Certificate in Couple/Relationship Therapy, accredited by COSRT (College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists).
I am also able to carry out session both in the English and Spanish languages.
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.
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
Fees
£65.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Individual counselling sessions lasts for 50 (fifty) minutes and the cost is £65 per session, payable at the end of the session. I offer a sliding scale fee in the negotiable range of £45 - £65 for counselling students as well as those on low income/social welfare benefits.
Couple's/Relationship Therapy can either take place weekly for 60 minutes (at a cost of £80 for the sessions) or fortnightly for 90 minutes (£100 per session).
The cost of supervision is of £50 per one hour session (pro-rata if you wish to extend the duration) for individual sessions. Please enquire for small group supervision.
Please note that I review my rates annually, and may bring small increases in line with inflation and cost of living.
Depending on the type of therapeutic work required, I may request for an advanced, non-refundable payment for a block of sessions. I will discuss this with you on our first session if relevant to your circumstances.
When I work
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Please enquire - I am currently available for both fixed term, open ended, short and long term bookings