Güllü Solak
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Welcome to my profile. I offer Counselling and Psychotherapy in Central London W2, NW1, E1 areas. I work with clients on a short-term and long-term basis. What is best for you can be discussed and agreed upon our initial meeting. If you decide to go ahead, we can then set a suitable day and time for your regular sessions. The sessions can be weekly or flexible. They can take place face-to-face or online (video conference).
Finding a therapist to help through difficult periods in life is one of the most important decisions one can make. Hopefully, this page can provide the kind of information you need to make such an informed decision.
People seek help at different stages in their life and for various reasons. Seeing an adequately trained therapist, that is a respectful and informed listener who does not have a personal interest in the outcome can bring clarity and enable you to work through what is on your mind.
Therapy can help you understand yourself, your emotions and your relationships better. It can offer a deeper appreciation of self and others. It can explore where you come from, your goals in life, who you are, who you want to become and why do you do things you do.
Therapy can also open up some painful experiences and memories. It is designed to give you a sense of ownership over your life as well as deeper and more satisfying experiences of what it means to be alive.
If you think Counselling and Psychotherapy can help at this stage in your life, you can get in touch, and I would be happy to discuss your therapy needs and answer any questions you may have.
About Me:
I am a UK trained Counsellor and Psychotherapist. I am registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and Universities Psychotherapy and Counselling Association (UPCA) and a member of Society for Existential Analysis (SEA)
I work from an integrative perspective, combining existential- phenomenology with psychodynamic principles according to the needs of each individual. I have over 15 years of experience in the National Health Service (NHS). I have worked in specialised counselling and psychotherapy settings, offering individual and group psychotherapy to highly vulnerable and distressed individuals with a diverse range of emotional and psychological needs. These have also included individuals with diagnosed mental health conditions such as Anxiety, Depression, Psychosis, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Personality Disorders.
I continue to work in the NHS offering specialised assessments and consultations to clients at GP settings.
In addition to my formal training as a psychotherapist, I have had many years of intensive psychotherapy myself. This means I have a sense of some of the hopes and worries you may experience when embarking on a course of psychotherapy or counselling.
My journey into the mental health field started with my first career as a mental health nurse, where I worked with clients who were diagnosed with psychiatric conditions, had experienced complex trauma and needed care and treatments in acute and crisis situations. I have incorporated this experience into my clinical and theoretical psychotherapy training to allow individuals to identify their needs, ask for help when needed and take charge of their being, own their life more, have authority over how they make sense of their lived experiences and bring about the changes they wish to see in their life.
I have a lot of experience in working with Anxiety and Depression, Trauma, Relationship Issues, University Students, Expat Struggles, Work Related Stress and Asylum Seekers. I consult with diverse and multi-cultural individuals. Having different languages and cultural backgrounds can be very enriching, but it can also cause conflict and confusion where individuals can question their relationships, sense of self, belonging and their values. Exploring these challenges in therapy can allow individuals to live a more authentic life.
Regardless of demographics, I am concerned with your individual experiences of distress and this will be our priority in your sessions.
Issues and concerns I can help with:
• Relationship issues
• Communication difficulties
• Work/life balance
• Stress and worry
• Bullying
• Sleep difficulties
• Struggles with expat /student life
• Living far from home/ Issues around home
• Questioning meaning and belonging
• Adapting to a new culture
• Cross-cultural issues/multi-faith couples
• Changes and life crisis
• Confusion and indecisiveness
• Loneliness and isolation
• Divorce and separation
• Low self-esteem/confidence
• Child-related issues
• Trauma and abuse
• Anxiety, including panic attacks, phobia’s and OCD
• Depression, including perinatal and post-natal depression
Style of work:
Therapy is different for each individual and my method varies according to your needs. You will be encouraged to talk openly about your experiences, concerns, thoughts and emotions. My intention is to closely listen to what is on your mind and provide a safe and supportive space for you. The work that we do may require me to gently challenge you at times. The aim is to nurture opportunities for personal growth and development.
I believe the therapeutic relationship is the main vehicle for change. Evidence suggests that the relationship between you and your psychotherapist has one of the greatest impacts on the success of the work that you do in your therapy.
As all psychological professionals, I receive clinical supervision to make sure my practice stays ethical and informed by the best available evidence.
I abide by the ethical frameworks of the professional organisations to which I belong. I carry professional liability insurance and have gone through enhanced checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold post graduate qualifications in Existential Counselling and Psychotherapy and engaged in further professional studies.
I have had eight years of clinical and theoretical training in mental health, counselling and psychotherapy field.
In addition to my private practice, I continue to work in the NHS with a team of Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Social Workers and Mental Health Nurses providing specialised assessment and treatment planning. For me, this work reflects the rawness and challenges of life, it shows the levels of adversity, anxieties and inequalities which we all experience in the systems we are in.
Further training:
• Foundation Certificate in Humanistic and Existential Therapy
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy
• Mentalization Based Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychosis
• Families and Systems Work
• Group Leadership
• Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
• Perinatal Mental Health
• Leadership and Management
• Foundation Diploma in Coaching
• Mentorship in Practice Teaching and Learning
• Autism Spectrum Disorders
Initial consultation:
You can call or email to set up an initial face to face meeting.
The initial consultation is about getting to know one another as well as an opportunity for you to learn about my style of work and my practice policies. You will be invited to talk about yourself, and what has brought you to seek help at this point in your life. Talking about these difficulties can be distressing but is a necessary part of the process of determining if psychotherapy is the right kind of help for you and if we are a good match to work together.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Diagnosed Mental Health Conditions: Anxiety, Depression (chronic, long term, recurrent) Panic Disorders, Stress Management, Low Self Esteem, Generalised Anxiety Disorders, Management of Self Harm Thoughts and Acts.
Developmental Coaching
University Students & Student Health
Work Related Stress
Relationship issues
Trauma
Relocation Stress
Expat struggles
Family Dynamics
Therapies offered
Fees
£80.00 - £100.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
Free initial brief telephone consultation
Then a sliding scale from £80- £100 per 50 minutes session.
For longer-term work, fees can be negotiated.
I offer a limited number of reduced rate sessions based on personal circumstances.
Payments are to be made via bank transfer
Please enquire about insurance services that cover my services.
Further information
- I am happy to have a brief telephone conversation to discuss your needs and establish if I am the right person to offer you psychological therapy or to direct you to a more appropriate service/colleague.
- Where necessary sessions can be conducted via Zoom, Face Time and Skype.
- If an appointment is cancelled or missed without 24 hours notice the full session fee will be charged.
