Maria Romero
Every professional displayed on Counselling Directory has been independently verified by our team to ensure they have suitable credentials to practise.
This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I am an experienced accredited Counsellor, Psychotherapist and Clinical Supervisor working in English and Spanish. As well as having a private practice, I have been working with individuals and couples for the last 20 years, in different settings (NHS, University and voluntary sector).
I feel very passionate about the work I do. My aim is to offer people enough support to explore the difficulties they are experiencing in their lives, and make changes in order to live in a more fulfilling and satisfying way.
About Counselling and Therapy
Therapy gives the opportunity to talk and explore what you are struggling within a safe, supportive and confidential way, which can be extremely helpful in itself and often marks the beginning of a process of discovery and change.
Some of the difficulties that clients often bring to me are to do with life changes (birth, death, moving jobs, moving countries or cultures, redundancy), ongoing physical and mental health issues, current or past relationships difficulties.
Talking to a professional can be the first step in identifying ways forward, and the therapy can then be a place to make and consolidate the changes. People often report feeling very empowered and better about themselves and what’s going on after the initial stage of therapy.
Because Counselling and Therapy can sometimes be a scary or daunting process to go into, I offer people the possibility of a 15-20 minutes telephone consultation free of charge, where we can discuss your reasons for wanting to do some Therapy, and you can ask me any questions about my experience as a professional and how I work.
If after our initial conversation, we both feel we want to proceed, we can then arrange a face to face meeting, which lasts 50 minutes. Sometimes it may need to be necessary to have an initial paid session for us to get a better sense of each other, and see if I am the best person to help you.
I feel that with my training and experience in different settings, I am able to provide a service that it is very much tailored to the needs of the person I am with. Sometimes people do come for a short piece of work, like 6-12 weeks, and focus on a specific problem or difficulty. Other times, people engage in an open ended therapy where a much more general and deep exploration of the difficulties experienced by the person takes place.
Training, qualifications & experience
- BA (Hons) Psychology Degree. A 5-year course with a speciality in Clinical Psychology. Valencia (Spain)
- Diploma and MSc in Gestalt Psychotherapy, validated by Middlesex University and The Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Institute.
- Diploma in Clinical Supervision. Gestalt Centre. London
- Certificate in Couple Therapy. Relational Change. London
- Trained in Emotional Focused Couples Therapy. London
I have continued attending training courses and other self-reflective activities as part of my ongoing professional development including Addictions, Eating Disorders, Trauma, working with children, etc.
In my work as a Counsellor for an NHS Trust, I saw women and couples dealing with issues around pregnancy difficulties including IVF treatment, problems during pregnancy and/or at birth. I also saw women dealing with the effects of undergoing difficult gynaecological procedures, and also being diagnosed as HIV+.
For more than 10 years, a part of my work was in Higher Education supporting people (students and staff members) who are experiencing difficulties because of their lack of confidence, low self-esteem, stress, anxiety and panic attacks, relationship difficulties, etc.
I have always been interested in working with people from different cultures. A third of my work currently is with Spanish speaking individuals and couples. Some of the issues they bring are to do with having left their own country and experiencing difficulties with the transition and living abroad, identity, communication and relationship difficulties.
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.
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.
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.
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
Photos & videos
Fees
£75.00 - £105.00
Concessions offered for
Health Insurance/EAP
Additional information
£75-£85 per session for individual therapy
£105 per session for couples therapy
£75-£80 per session for supervision
Some concessions available for students and people on low income
When I work
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morning | |||||||
| Afternoon | |||||||
| Evening | |||||||
| Night |
Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays face to face appts
Further information
I work in English and Spanish, and I am able to offer both Counselling/Psychotherapy and Supervision.
