About me
Welcome to my counselling page, where you will find information on what I can offer you to help work through your personal and relationship challenges. My name is Maria Huant and I offer counselling to couples and individuals seeking to understand the source of their difficulties using psychodynamic, systemic and person-centred approaches at my locations in Bank and Loughton or via videocall.
As an integrative psychotherapist I am experienced in helping couples and individuals to resolve conflict, overcome trauma, explore relationship and personal goals and become their best selves, tailoring interventions to your individual needs. My approach is psychodynamic, but includes elements of CBT, systemic and family counselling. I am experienced in working with neurodivergence and strengths-based approaches that prioritise individual resilience.
I have trained with Relate UK to help couples overcome infidelity, improve communication and understand unhelpful dynamics created over time. Through my work with Sands UK and TAMBA BSG, have helped couples work through the various stages of child bereavement and have seen families coping with parenting challenges arising from neurodivergence, SEN needs and and historical family trauma. Working within NHS frontline teams I have supported people in crisis and, through my work for NHS England, managed the funding for Children and Young People's professional teams along with innovative Learning Disability and Autism training to ensure professionals have the correct skills to support any neurodivergent individuals. My experience and qualifications mean I can refer externally to statutory or private services for any necessary interventions.
Listening to clients' needs in a safe and non-judgemental space, I can help people find a way forward that deepens their understanding of themselves and honours who they want to be.
If you would like to find out more about how I can help you, please call or email and we will set up a free 15-20 minute telephone consultation to discuss what you would like to get out of counselling; if you are happy to continue we will set up a face-to-face session and will arrange to meet weekly or fortnightly for as long as you feel you need support. My fees are £120 per session for couples and £100 for individuals. I run an ethical practice and will work on a sliding scale of fees based on individual circumstances. I am a registered member of BACP and follow their Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.
Training, qualifications & experience
As an anthropology PhD I have a lifelong interest in human behaviour. My training in counselling within NHS Mental Health settings and Relate UK has equipped me with practical and theoretical tools to enable you to explore the difficulties in your personal life and relationships to promote empathy, find balance and restore mutual trust.
As part of my work with couples in conflict, I am trained in family therapy and can work with young people coming to terms with the impact of relationship difficulties. I am experienced in working with clients with severe and enduring mental health issues and autistic spectrum disorders. My extensive work with Sands UK and other child loss charities means I can also help couples through the devastating loss of a much-loved baby or child, helping you understand your different grief journeys whether your loss is recent or happened long ago.
Qualifications:
PhD Anthropology, University of London
PG Dip in Mental Health Practice, University of Middlesex
PG Dip in Relationship Counselling, Relate Institute
Counselling skills with young people, Relate and Child Centre for Mental Health
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.
Areas of counselling I deal with
Other areas of counselling I deal with
Baby and child loss, termination of pregnancy, infertility.
Therapies offered
Fees
£120.00 per session
Additional information
Couples: £120 per session
Individuals: £100 per session
When I work
Weekdays and Saturday mornings
Further information
Appointments are available on weekdays
I offer counselling in English and Spanish
