Lisa Ferrara

Hello and welcome. It takes courage to reach out, and since you are here you have that courage. The courage to recognise that something may have happened that has ruptured your sense of self. You may be experiencing that the powerful coping mechanisms you had previously to support you are no longer serving you well. As a result, you may be struggling with difficult relationship patterns, low mood, lack of self esteem, anxiety, stress, or a punishing internal critical voice. You have come this far and I am here to help you work through whatever may be causing you pain, sorrow, or concern.

I believe the therapeutic space needs to be safe, confidential, and non-judgemental. But at its heart lies compassion. Because it is this that allows us to truly explore the issues that need exploring and the wounds that need healing.

To do this, I offer you a compassionate and nurturing environment to enable you to share your story and allow yourself the time and space necessary for healing.

I encourage you to bring all your emotions and human responses to therapy – they are real, authentic, and can build therapeutic intimacy. You can do this with confidence, knowing that I will be present with you and you will not be alone. This is the transformative power of our therapeutic work together.

I have a particular interest and experience of working with all genders on issues around pregnancy - planned and unplanned pregnancy, termination, miscarriages, loss of identity, pre and post natal depression, involuntary childlessness, fertility issues, traumatic birth and still birth. All of these experiences can lead to a variety of emotions including depression, unprocessed grief, shame, guilt, trauma or anxiety.

The myriad of feelings experienced in all the above situations are natural, yet there can be something incredibly painful and difficult around expressing how you feel. I am here to offer you a space to lean into whatever you are feeling and support your through your personal process, to help ensure that your experience is not one of feeling silenced or alone.

How I work

I am a relational integrative therapist. Relational means that I believe in the collaborative power of relationships. Integrative means that I have been trained in Humanistic, Attachment, Contemporary, and Classical Psychoanalytic Modalities. I also incorporate the body, neuroscience and psychobiological research. In addition, I pay attention to any somatic experiences because alongside our brains, our bodies hold powerful messages. I also work from a trauma-informed perspective.

All this allows me to tailor the therapeutic experience to meet your specific needs, because in therapy, it is my belief that one size does not fit all.

Currently my practice is in-person in East London or Brighton and online (daytime sessions only).

Initial discussion

If you would like to know more or have any questions I am happy to have a short initial phone call. There is no charge for this. This gives us an opportunity to discuss your needs and better understand the position you are in and how I can help.

I have specialist experience with pregnancy, birth trauma, still birth, infertility, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and pre/post natal anxiety and depression.

I am able to offer a free preliminary 20 minute phone call.  If you would like to experience what having therapy with me might feel like, I offer an initial consultation session. During this initial session we will explore what brings you to therapy, a brief background history, and your needs therapeutically. There is no obligation to continue following this unless we agree to.  A therapeutic hour is classed as a 50 minute session. Initial consultations are charged at the same fee as ongoing sessions. Please feel free to email me if you would like to know more. 

We are experiencing uniquely challenging times which can exacerbate the experience and feelings of isolation and anxiety, especially in relation to maternal mental health. It may feel daunting to reach out, but having a supportive space can help in many different ways.

According to the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, up to 1 in 5 women develop mental health problems during pregnancy or in the first year after childbirth. It’s also clear that mental health needs can become more pronounced when faced with the struggle to conceive, the IVF process, or the trauma and grief of a miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, termination, or still birth. This is especially so as culturally there is less honouring of these endings. And if you have a traumatic birth, either vaginally or via caesarean, the shockwaves of this along with the physical injury can hugely impact your body and your feelings afterwards.

Even a wanted pregnancy can bring complex feelings that would benefit from the space to work through them. When a baby finally arrives there can be a different level of struggle and adjustment to such a dramatically new way of living. Whilst there may be happiness, there may also be grief for your previous identity and the way you relate to the world, which may now be looking and feeling very different and difficult to understand. All this against a background of caring for a new human and the accompanying exhaustion and stress.

I am here to offer you a space to lean into whatever you are feeling and support your through your personal process, to help ensure that your experience is not one of feeling silenced or alone.