Erjola Vija
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This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
This professional is accepting new clients but may have a waitlist. Please enquire with them directly to discuss availability.
About me
Integrative Psychotherapist (Trauma, Anxiety, Burnout, Nervous System Work) London & Online
You may have tried to understand what’s happening for you through thinking, analyzing, or even previous therapy and yet something still feels stuck.
Perhaps part of you wants things to change, while another part feels overwhelmed, anxious, or completely shut down.
This can show up as:
- overthinking or constant mental activity
- feeling emotionally overwhelmed or easily triggered
- a sense of numbness or disconnection
- patterns that repeat, despite insight and effort
Often, clients I work with say:
“I understand why I feel this way, but I can’t change it”
“I overthink everything but still feel stuck”
“I’ve tried therapy before, but it didn’t fully help”
If this resonates, you’re not alone, and it doesn’t mean therapy can’t work for you.
Who I Work With / What I Help With
I work with adults who may be experiencing:
- Anxiety, panic, overwhelm or chronic stress
- Low mood, depression or emotional numbness
- Trauma (including developmental and relational trauma)
- Difficulties with boundaries, self-esteem or people-pleasing
- Attachment and relationship challenges
- Grief, loss and major life transitions
- Burnout, work-related stress and identity questions
- Feeling “too sensitive”, disconnected, or emotionally reactive
Many of my clients describe themselves as thoughtful, sensitive or high-functioning individuals who want to understand why they feel the way they do, not just manage symptoms.
WHO I WORK BEST WITH
My work is particularly helpful if:
- You feel stuck despite insight or previous therapy
- You experience anxiety, overthinking, or emotional overwhelm
- You feel disconnected, numb, or shut down
- You function well on the outside, but struggle internally
My Approach
In my work, we look beyond symptoms and begin to understand how your nervous system has adapted over time.
What you’re experiencing is often not a sign that something is wrong with you, but that your system has learned ways to protect you, even if those patterns now feel overwhelming, anxious, or disconnected.
Rather than focusing only on talking or analyzing, we work with your experience as it shows up in the moment, including thoughts, emotions, and how things are held in the body.
We go at your pace. Nothing is forced, and we don’t move into anything overwhelming before your system is ready.
This allows for change that feels more integrated and lasting, rather than something that has to be constantly managed.
I draw on:
- Compassionate Inquiry (informed by the work of Gabor Maté)
- Somatic and polyvagal-informed therapy, supporting nervous system regulation
- IFS-informed parts work, helping you understand inner conflicts with kindness
- Person-centred and relational therapy, where the therapeutic relationship itself is healing
- Attachment - informed therapy
Together, we gently explore the emotional, relational and bodily patterns that may be shaping your current experience. Sessions move at your pace, with a strong emphasis on safety, attunement and collaboration.
What It’s Like to Work With Me
Clients often come to therapy feeling like they “should” be able to cope, especially if they are used to functioning well on the outside, but internally feel overwhelmed or disconnected.
In our work together, there is no pressure to perform or have the right words.
Sessions tend to feel:
- calm, steady, and paced
- gently guided, without being pushed
- grounded in the present moment, not just focused on the past
At times, we may slow things down to notice what is happening in your body or nervous system, especially if things feel difficult to put into words.
You might notice that:
- Things begin to feel clearer without forcing insight
- Your reactions start to make more sense
- There is more space between what you feel and how you respond
Over time, this often leads to a greater sense of stability, less overwhelm or shutdown, and feeling more connected to yourself.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Master of Sciences in Psychological Sciences
- Level 4 Professional Qualification in Counselling and Psychotherapy – Humanistic Sciences (BACP Accredited)
- Compassionate Inquiry with Dr. Gabor Maté (330-hour professional training)
- Complex Trauma Certification Training Level 1 & 2 with Janina Fisher
- Trauma Treatment Certification Workshop: Advanced Somatic Techniques (Janina Fisher)
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy in Action: Treating Trauma and Relational Wounds
- Integrating Polyvagal Theory in Clinical Practice (Stephen Porges & Deb Dana)
- Treating Trauma with the Felt Sense Polyvagal Model
- Complete IFS Therapy Immersion: Integrating the IFS Model
- Using IFS to Heal Trauma and Addictive Processes
- Treating Complex Trauma with IFS (Frank Anderson)
- IFS Therapy and Polyvagal Theory: Enhanced Healing
- EMDR Start to Finish: Foundational Training for PTSD and Complex Trauma (Informed Use)
- EMDR & Parts Work for Treating Complex Trauma (Informed Use)
- Revolutionizing Trauma Treatment with Babette Rothschild
- Creative & Playful Pathways to Treat Acute Complex Attachment Trauma
- ADHD Clinical Services Provider (ADHD-CCSP) Certification
- Beyond Behaviours: Neuroscience-Based Tools for Childhood Trauma
- Applying Attachment Theory in Clinical Practice
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) for Attachment Trauma - Calming the Anxious Mind & Body: Integrative CBT Techniques
- Ethical Trauma Treatment Certification
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
Fees
£95.00 per session
Additional information
Session length: 50 minutes
Fee: £95 per session
Concessions: Limited reduced-fee spaces available (please enquire)
Format: Face-to-face in London and online sessions across the UK
Languages: English, Italian, Albanian
I offer an initial free consultation to discuss what you’re looking for and to see whether working together feels like a good fit.
Further information
I work with adults experiencing complex trauma, PTSD, anxiety, depression, relational difficulties, and work-related stress.
Alongside private practice, I have worked in NHS-affiliated services through the Awareness Centre and as a school counsellor, supporting individuals within high-demand, safeguarding-led settings.
I regularly support clients who experience pressure related to professional responsibility, performance expectations, burnout, and chronic stress, particularly where work demands impact emotional wellbeing, relationships, or sense of self.
My work involves supporting clients within both short- and longer-term therapeutic frameworks, offering a confidential, reflective space to process stress, trauma, and relational patterns.
My approach is trauma-informed and attachment-focused, integrating somatic awareness to support nervous system regulation, emotional processing, and sustainable resilience.
