Daniela Szukiel
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and a very warm welcome to you! I am an experienced Chartered Counselling Psychologist with over 15 years of clinical practice.
Having been in the therapy field for a while, both in NHS and private practice, I have gained knowledge of a good number of psychotherapeutic approaches and their effectiveness for different difficulties with which people seek help. This experience helps me to tailor how I work to your goals, your needs, your preferences as well as your time-frames.
In addition to talking therapies, in August 2024 I trained in Clayfield Therapy, a modality that works to support a person's sense of effectiveness and connection on a pre-verbal level. Clayfield Therapy maybe particularly suitable for people who have had previous engagement with the more cognitive-orientated therapies and would like to try an approach that that works more directly with how feelings are experienced in the body. I have been practicing this modality with adults and have had positive feedback of it being an effective and profound way of working.
Following that positive feedback, I undertook and have recently completed training in Clayfield Therapy for Children and Adolescents. This modality is effective working with children from 4 years of age. It does not require child's verbal descriptions for assessment of difficulties and needs. Child's movements at the Clayfield are seen as diagnostic indications of their needs. The therapist supports a child to meet those needs at the Clayfield and thus provide their nervous system inputs to achieve and consolidate what they need at their given stage of development. Children usually find the work enjoyable and fun! Where there is reluctance to touch clay, other materials can be used, including finger paints, shaving cream or kinetic sand.
Clayfield Therapy is also helpful and acceptable to adolescents. It meets them where they are without imposing any demands and provides a supportive space. This modality can help them "post-nurture" any developmental needs that were not met earlier in life. It can also provide a relaxing and non-demanding space where they can talk and think through their issues, feelings and concerns whilst at the same time building their sensori-motor skills.
My approach is active and transparent: I offer a free 30 minute informal chat over Zoom. My clients tell me that they appreciate that with my support they are quickly able to identify what keeps them stuck and get an understanding what could help them make the changes they want.
Professional Background
I am trained in a number of different therapeutic approaches: both traditional approaches such as CBT, EMDR, Psychodynamic and Humanistic approaches, as well as the newer approaches such as Somatic Psychology, MBT (Mentalisation-based Therapy), Nature-Based Therapy and Clayfield Therapy.
If you have had therapy before, some of the newer approaches can help approach difficulties in a different way.
Why choose a Chartered Psychologist?
Counselling Psychologists are trained to a doctorate level through courses that focus on both research and practice of different schools of psychotherapy as well as underlying knowledge of psychology, neurobiology, ethics, social justice, anti-oppressive practice etc. The involves a minimum 7-year training, including a 3-year undergraduate psychology degree and a 4-year post-graduate training.
Our training model is that of a "Scientist-Practitioner": it includes an in-depth study and a supervised practice of a number of contrasting therapeutic approaches, but also puts emphasis on developing our ability to critique each model by challenging its underlying assumptions and possible limitations.
This means that, as practitioners, we are able to integrate different treatment models into individual treatment plans that are tailored to client' needs rather than trying to fit the client's needs into a specific model.
Counselling Psychologists are Chartered Members of the British Psychological Society. It is a legal requirement that Counselling Psychologists register with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), meaning that the protected title “Chartered Psychologist” ensures peace of mind that you are working with someone trained to the highest level.
Training, qualifications & experience
I am a Chartered Counselling Psychologist, with a full professional registration with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and Health and Care Professions Council, and a full professional indemnity insurance. I am also registered as an Applied Psychology Practice Supervisor with the BPS.
I have experience of working as a NHS Psychologist, Senior Psychologist and Service Lead for over 11 years, in a range of services including primary care, secondary care and acute mental health in-patient care.
Prior to that I worked as a counsellor in voluntary services with young people and in the forensic setting. Before/alongside training in mental health I worked as a Associated Tutor for the Open University (teaching on an undergraduate Social Psychology course), for a Jobcentre as an employment adviser and team leader, for a Careers Service as an adviser with young people not in education, employment or training, for a leading City law firm as a marketing officer, for a geophysical consultancy as a Russian-English translator/interpreter. I also worked as a private tutor, waitress, kitchen porter, chambermaid and an apple picker. I believe this gives me a rich lived experience and a personal understanding of a variety of working/life contexts and stages.
Professional Registrations
- British Psychological Society Chartered Counselling Psychologist (Membership No 96128)
- Health and Care Professions Council accredited Counselling Psychologist (Membership No PYL27878)
- Member of the British Psychological Society Register of Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors - EMDR Association UK Member (Membership No S0752)
I am registered with Information Commissioner Office, hold a DBS certificate dated October 2021 and have a full professional indemnity insurance.
Core Trainings
MSc Counselling Psychology (Roehampton University, 2010), Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Counselling Psychology (Roehampton University, 2011), Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling Psychology (Roehampton University, 2007), Conversion Diploma in Psychology (Open University, 2000), BSc Psychology and Business Studies (London Guildhall University, 1998).
Other trainings
Certificate in Counselling Skills (Westminster Pastoral Foundation, 1998), Diploma in the Application of Psychodynamic Theory (Westminster Pastoral Foundation, 2000); Foundation Certificate in Biodynamic Massage (Cambridge Body Psychotherapy Centre, 2003), Mentalisation Based Treatment for Adults (Anna Freud Institute, 2016); Reflective Parenting: Increasing Mentalising in the parent-child relationship (Anna Freud Institute, 2016,); Multi-family mentalisation based group training (Anna Freud Institute, 2016); Applied Psychology Practice Supervisors Training (Canterbury Christ Church University, 2017); Use of Imagery in CBT (BABCP training, 2017); Environmental Arts Therapy (London Arts Therapy Centre, 2018-2019) and with Ian Siddons Hegginsworth 2019-2020), EMDR Therapy (EMDR Academy, Parts 1-3), Safe and Sound Protocol (2020), Mentalisation Based Treatment for Children (Anna Freud Institute, 2022), Certificate in Clayfield Therapy for Adults (August 2024), Certificate in Clayfield Therapy for Children (February 2025).
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.
British Psychological Society
The HCPC are an independent, UK-wide health regulator. They set standards of professional training, performance and conduct for 16 professions.
They keep a register of health professionals who meet their standards, and they take action if registered health professionals fall below those standards. They were created by a piece of legislation called the Health Professions Order 2001.
Registration means that a health professional meets national standards for their professional training, performance and conduct.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Therapies offered
Photos & videos
Fees
£110.00 per session
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
Initial 30-minute Zoom Consultation - FREE - Simple and easy to book. We meet over Zoom to chat and see if working together could be a possibility.
Introductory 50- minute Consultation - £65 - A more in-depth opportunity to understand your needs and help us decide if the approach I offer is suitable for you.
Psychological Therapy £95 (off peak), £110 (from 4pm)
Clayfield Therapy: £130 (off peak), £150 (from 4pm)
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER ON CLAYFIELD THERAPY: For enquiries made by 18 April 2025 I offer a discounted rate on Clayfield Therapy of £100 (off-peak), £110 (peak). The discount would be available for the duration of the therapy as long as you make you start your therapy by 18th April 2025. Please note that this offer maybe withdrawn before 18th April once the capacity is reached and this offer no longer shows here.
Insurance companies: I am registered with BUPA, AXA, CIGNA.
When I work
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Further information
In the course of my own life, I experienced many of the challenges, losses and set-backs as well as joys and accomplishments that are experienced by people who come to me for help. I have also received my own in-depth therapy over several years so I am able to appreciate how it feels to be a client and what is needed for a successful change.
Through both my personal life and professional practice, I learned that the sooner help is received, the better. Modern life can be complex and stressful, demanding an individual to have good psychological adaptation. If that adaptation is fragile, a person may lose their “inner compass” and respond by withdrawing from life’s demands or from their own inner life or by overcompensating, ie responding too aggressively to the perceived threat. This often leads to making decisions that are not conducive to their well-being or achievement of life’s developmental tasks. The longer this continues, the less options may be available.
However, I also discovered that it is never too late to improve something in your life that you really want to change, to learn new skills, treat yourself with compassion, to connect to yourself and to others and to find meaning and valued directions. In other words, it is never too late to start doing what you can with what you have, wherever you are right now.
