Lucia Sarmiento
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
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
*My practice is currently at capacity. Please enquire about the waiting list for online therapy.*
Do life pressures feel overwhelming and heavy right now? Do you struggle with saying no to things and taking care of yourself? Do you feel lost when it comes to decision-making and aspirations? Or maybe you have gone through difficult experiences that won't let you be happy now. If this is the case, talking with a professional who understands what you are going through can be deeply insightful and ultimately liberating.
To support you, I offer a non-judgmental, confidential, inclusive space in which we can explore what is worrying you to find a way through. My work rests on the belief that every person is valuable, and has the potential to achieve growth and healing with the help of a safe and supportive environment. I see therapy as collaborative work in which my role is to offer my knowledge and skills for us to gain insights into the issue and know how to make the changes you seek.
As a therapist, I accompany my clients every step of the way, striving to provide a safe but relaxed space to help them process and heal from difficult experiences and build a stronger, healthier relationship with themselves and others.
Counselling can help you:
- gain insights into your current situation and expand your choices
- understand how your environment might be impacting your wellbeing in order to protect yourself
- better understand yourself, your needs, and aspirations
- improve your relationship with yourself and others
- learn emotional regulation and self-care
- increase your confidence and self-esteem and learn to uphold healthy boundaries
I have experience in working with migrants, people with mixed heritage, neurodivergent people and highly sensitive people, people belonging to marginalised communities or leading non-normative lives such as polyamorous or ethically non-monogamous lifestyles.
My path is non-traditional. I was raised in a multicultural environment and have lived, studied, and worked in four different countries. I will honour and respect your social and cultural perspective and value our differences and similarities.
I offer therapy in English, Spanish, and French.
Training, qualifications & experience
I hold an MSc in Humanistic Psychotherapy from the Metanoia Institute, one of the leading clinical and academic institutions for psychotherapy in the UK.
In addition, I have trained as a Sophrology and Relaxation Practitioner which gives me the knowledge and experience to work with the embodied experience to help regulate ourselves. Integrating thoughts, emotions and the body can facilitate wellbeing and healing.
I have also worked as a consultant and trainer with various organisations to offer training and workshops for fellow mental health practitioners and the wider public. I specialise in topics around social justice and mental health. Some of the topics I have covered in training include: Social Determinants of Mental Health, Self-care during the Pandemic, Intergenerational Trauma, etc.
I am committed to learning and professional development. In order to improve my skills and provide a better service, I engage with continuing professional development (CDP) on a regular basis.
Member organisations
Being registered/accredited with a professional body means an individual must have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by their member organisation.
The UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is a leading professional body for the education, training and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. Its register is accredited by the government's Professional Standards Authority.
As part of its commitment to protect the public, it works to improve access to psychotherapy, to support and disseminate research, to improve standards and to respond effectively to complaints against its members.
UKCP standards cover the range of different psychotherapies. Registration is obtained by training or accrediting with one of its member organisations, or by holding a European Certificate in Psychotherapy. Accredited by the Professional Standards Authority.
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
Cultural and Ethnic Identity
Mixed heritage
Identity Issues
Experiences of migration
High Sensitivity (HSP or HSPS)
Therapies offered
Fees
£60.00 - £70.00
Free initial online session
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
The cost for an initial session is £30 if in-person. Initial sessions online are free.
*Please note that there are no more concessions slots available at present*
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Further information
I am currently offering sessions in Oxford and online.
If you would like to arrange an initial session with me, please e-mail me.
We may use this first session to explore what has brought you to therapy and as an opportunity for you to decide if you feel comfortable working with me. There is no obligation to commit to ongoing therapy after the initial meeting.
