Louise Malyan

Are You Tired of Holding Everything Together Alone?

Hi, I'm Louise.

If you've found yourself here, something in your life probably isn't feeling okay.

Maybe you're exhausted.

Not the kind of tired that a good night's sleep fixes. The kind that comes from being the strong one. The one everyone relies on. The one who keeps going because stopping doesn't feel like an option.

Maybe you've spent years masking how hard things really are.

Perhaps you've lived through things that still affect you today. Childhood trauma. Abuse. Addiction. ADHD. Anxiety that never seems to switch off. Relationships that leave you questioning yourself. Grief. Shame. The constant feeling that you're too much, not enough, or somehow getting life wrong.

You keep going because you have to.

Then you judge yourself for finding it so hard.

I don't believe you're broken.

I believe you've adapted to what life has asked of you.

The anxiety, people-pleasing, shutting down, overthinking, anger, drinking, using drugs, avoiding people, always staying busy... they often make perfect sense when we understand what you've been through.

Therapy isn't about fixing you.

It's about understanding you.

And you don't have to do that alone anymore.

Therapy Doesn't Have to Feel Intimidating
People often tell me they were nervous about coming to therapy because they imagined sitting opposite someone with a notebook who silently nodded while they tried to find the right words.

That's not me.

I'm down to earth, straight-talking and genuinely human. Some days that'll be a messy bun and Converse, other days it'll be a hot chocolate, a blanket and sitting quietly while you work out what you want to say.

You don't have to perform.

You don't have to know where to begin.

We'll figure it out together.

I'll ask questions, offer ideas, gently challenge you when it feels helpful, and help you make sense of things that may never have made sense before.

Above everything else, I want you to feel safe enough to be yourself.

You Might Recognise Yourself Here...
You replay conversations afterwards wondering whether you've upset someone.

You apologise even when you've done nothing wrong.

You feel responsible for everyone else's happiness.

You find it hard to trust people, even though you long to feel close to them.

You panic when someone pulls away.

You keep helping everyone else while quietly running yourself into the ground.

You feel ashamed that you're struggling when it looks like everyone else is coping.

You use alcohol, drugs, shopping, food, work or anything else that helps you get through the day.

You look like you've got everything together on the outside, yet inside you feel overwhelmed, lonely or lost.

If you're nodding whilst reading this, you're not alone.

My Approach
I'm a neurodivergent, sober integrative counsellor psychotherapist and supervisor with lived experience of trauma, working with adults, couples and young people.

Before becoming a therapist, I spent over 20 years working within the emergency services and later in addiction recovery. Those experiences taught me something that has stayed with me throughout my career.

People rarely need someone to rescue them.

They need someone prepared to understand them.

My work is grounded in the therapeutic relationship. Research consistently shows that feeling safe, understood and accepted is one of the biggest predictors of positive change in therapy.

I also believe therapy doesn't have to look one particular way.

Sometimes we talk.

Sometimes we sit quietly.

Sometimes we use creativity, images, metaphor or nature to help make sense of experiences that are difficult to put into words.

You don't need to be creative or artistic. Creativity simply gives us another way of exploring what's happening when words aren't enough.

Individual Therapy Can Help You...
Understand why you react the way you do.

Make sense of your past without being trapped by it.

Develop healthier ways of coping.

Build boundaries without guilt.

Quieten the constant self-criticism.

Feel safer in your own body.

Develop relationships that feel healthier and more secure.

Stop surviving and begin living.

I can't promise life will suddenly become easy.

What I can promise is that you won't have to face it on your own.

Couples Therapy
Relationships can become exhausting when you find yourselves having the same argument over and over again.

One of you chases.

The other withdraws.

Someone explodes.

Someone shuts down.

Neither of you feels heard.

Healthy relationships aren't something many of us were shown growing up, so it's no surprise that many couples struggle.

Together we'll slow things down, understand what's happening beneath the arguments, improve communication, rebuild trust where possible, and create a relationship that feels safer for both of you.

Single Session Therapy
Sometimes you don't need months of therapy.

Sometimes you need space to think.

To untangle what's going on.

To understand why you're stuck.

To decide what comes next.

One focused session can provide clarity, direction and a way forward.

Clinical Supervision
Whether you're newly qualified or have years of experience, supervision should be somewhere you can bring your whole self.

Not somewhere you feel you have to perform.

Bring your doubts.

Bring your mistakes.

Bring the work that keeps you awake at night.

Bring your creativity.

Bring the questions you don't feel comfortable asking anywhere else.

We'll think together, learn together and help you continue growing into the therapist you want to be.

Why People Choose to Work With Me
People often tell me it's because they feel able to relax.

Because they don't feel judged.

Because they don't have to pretend.

Because I understand trauma, addiction, ADHD, relationships and shame without seeing people as a diagnosis.

Because I believe every behaviour has a story.

And because together we make sense of things that have never made sense before.

If something you've read has resonated with you, trust that feeling.

Finding the right therapist matters. Not every therapist is the right fit for every person, and that's okay. I always encourage people to trust their instincts.

If you think we might work well together, I'd love to hear from you.

www.wildfirecounsellingtherapy.co.uk

louisemalyancounselling@gmail.com

You don't need to have the right words.

You don't even need to know where to begin.

We'll figure it out together.

Complex PTSD

Domestic violence 

Sessions can vary on days and times and do not have to be weekly, I understand shifts & commitments. I also offer 1 hour single session therapy sessions for specific need/goal exploration 

I don't believe there is one "right" way to do therapy because there isn't one "right" way to be human.

Every person who walks through my door brings a unique story, different experiences and different needs, so I shape our work around you rather than expecting you to fit into a particular model of therapy.

For some people, talking is enough. For others, finding the words feels impossible. That's where creativity can help. We might use images, cards, sand tray, metaphor, nature or other creative interventions to explore thoughts and feelings in a different way. You don't need to be artistic or creative to benefit. These are simply tools that can help us make sense of experiences when words alone don't quite reach.

Above everything else, I want therapy to feel safe. Safe enough to be honest. Safe enough to be curious. Safe enough to take off the mask and discover that there is nothing "wrong" with you.

I don't believe people are broken. I believe our minds and bodies adapt to what we've lived through. Together we'll make sense of your story, understand why you respond the way you do, and find new ways of living that feel healthier, kinder and more authentic to who you are.