About me
There are times when life invites us to slow down. We keep going, but inside something calls for space - a space to pause, to rest, to be heard, to make sense of things that never quite made sense. My work begins there, in that quiet, often overlooked space.
Welcome - I’m Gulden, a fully qualified Humanistic Integrative counsellor working with adults.
I offer a safe, calm, compassionate and reflective space where the pressure to “be fine” can drop away. A room where you don’t need to justify your feelings, translate your experience, or shrink any part of yourself. Here, with me, your history, identity, culture, and inner world are met with attention, genuine care and deep respect.
My clients choose me because of my over thirty years of experience in the field of inter-cultural and inter-generational community work. I have worked with people from various cultural, religious, migrant and refugee backgrounds - people who have complex therapeutic needs and challenging life experiences and often consider themselves as living in-between spaces. That work has taught me humility: how to listen across cultures, faiths, generations, gender, sexual orientation and silence. My practice welcomes people of all genders and sexualities, including LGBTQI+ clients. It is shaped by inclusivity, equality, and anti-oppressive values - a space where you don’t have to explain or justify who you are. Whoever you are, however you arrive, you are welcome here.
How I work
My approach is humanistic and integrative-but at its heart, it is relational and deeply human.
I draw from different modalities best suited to your needs and with a particular sensitivity to the experience of trauma. I am also both informed by my own personal experience and my five years of training in various modalities, including Person-centered, Transactional Analysis (TA), Psychodynamic, Gestalt, Existential and Transpersonal, which I tailor to each client. I am also trained in Couples and Relationship Psychotherapy, which enriches and supports my work with individuals around relationship patterns, attachment, communication difficulties, and the echoes of earlier relationships that show up in the present.
Therapy with me is not about fixing; it is about being accompanied. We talk, we notice, we slow down. We unravel what hurts and listen for what wants attention. I listen not only to what you say but also to how your body holds your story-the tension, the breath, the instinct that speaks before words do.
If you choose to work with me, we will walk together gently and steadily, at your pace. Your story will have room to breathe. And, in time, you may begin to feel more at home in yourself.
Training, qualifications & experience
- Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling
- Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling
- Diploma in Couples and Relationship Psychotherapy
- Certificate in Integrative Transpersonal Counselling
- PGCE (Postgraduate Certificate in Education)
- BA in Social Anthropology
- BA in Primary School Teaching
- Accredited facilitator of SFSC and Triple P parenting programmes
Alongside my private practice, I work as a Counsellor for a London-based charity supporting women and girls affected by domestic abuse and gender-based violence. This enriches my understanding of trauma, resilience, and the many ways people adapt, survive, and heal.
I am a registered member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), and I work within the BACP Ethical Framework. I receive regular supervision and ongoing professional development to ensure safe, reflective, and ethical practice.
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
£60.00 - £75.00
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I offer 50-minute sessions on a sliding scale of £60–£75. I am mindful of the financial pressures many people are experiencing. For this reason, I aim to make my work as accessible as possible to anyone who needs support.
Further information
Some of the areas I work with include:
Anxiety, stress, depression and low mood, PTSD, trauma, grief and loss, identity and belonging, relationship difficulties and attachment patterns, family and intergenerational issues, communication difficulties, low self-worth, anger, shame, loneliness, work-related stress and burnout, experiences of domestic and gender-based violence, discrimination, racial and cultural issues, second-generation experiences.
Session Information
I offer daytime and evening sessions in person, online, and by telephone. Each session lasts 50 minutes and usually takes place weekly. I provide both short-term and open-ended therapy.
Therapy is available in English and Turkish.
Next Steps
Finding the right therapist is an important part of the process, which is why I offer a free, 15-minute introductory call by phone or video. This initial conversation gives us a chance to discuss what brings you to therapy, what you hope for, and get a sense of whether we feel like a good fit. If it feels right to continue, we can arrange your first full session whenever you are ready.
You can contact me via email or telephone.
When I work
I am available Monday to Friday, with daytime and evening sessions arranged subject to availability. I aim to work flexibly with you to find a time that suits us both.
