About me
You may be feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stuck, noticing that talking things through alone hasn't been enough, or that your body holds tension, pain, or fatigue that words don't quite reach. Perhaps you identify as neurodivergent, live with chronic pain, or feel things more intensely than the people around you. Or perhaps you're navigating what it means to belong, to more than one culture, one language, or one version of yourself.
None of this lives in isolation; the anxious mind, the tense body, the sense of not quite belonging are often woven together. My approach reflects that - working with you as a whole person rather than a list of separate issues to solve one by one.
I combine talking therapy with creative, somatic, and experiential techniques, so we're not just thinking about what's going on, but exploring how it lives in your body, your emotions, and your nervous system too. This isn't about "fixing" yourself, but about building awareness, self-compassion, and a genuine sense of choice.
I have a particular interest in working with:
- Anxiety, stress, and overwhelm
- Neurodivergence
- Chronic pain and long-term health conditions
- Adverse childhood experiences
- Multicultural identities and sense of belonging
- Different ways of experiencing thoughts, feelings, and embodiment
My journey
My journey as a therapist started a long time ago, on the other side of the room, as a client. After trying different forms of therapy, I landed on Gestalt because it offered me a new and unique way to relate to myself, to others, and to the world.
In a society that overvalues fast thinking, problem-solving, and instant gratification, Gestalt therapy has helped me slow things down, feel things through, and sit with the discomfort that life inevitably brings. Continuing to learn about myself and others, and training as a therapist, felt inevitable, not because I wanted to "help" others find the same path, but because I'm interested in the kind of relating that happens when we go beyond the social script. Therapy for me is a place of exploration - questioning how we've been taught to perform, and finding real contact instead.
Being Italian and living between cultures and languages has shaped my own sense of identity and belonging as much as my training has. It means I bring a lived, not just theoretical, understanding to questions of multicultural identity, and I hope that makes it easier to bring the parts of yourself that don't fit neatly into one culture, one language, or one expected way of being.
How we'd work together
Sessions are available in person in Brighton & Hove (including walking therapy), or online anywhere in the UK. I work in both English and Italian, and I welcome all other languages too in the work we do.
My practice is grounded in authenticity and inclusion. I work from an anti-racist, LGBTQ+-affirming, and disability-justice-informed perspective, something I hold as an ongoing learning process.
Next steps
If this resonates, I offer a free 20-minute consultation, a low-pressure way to ask questions and see if we're a good fit before committing to anything.
You can also learn more about my approach by following me on Instagram: @orianalauriatherapy
Training, qualifications & experience
- Registered member of the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- Diploma in Gestalt Counselling – The Gestalt Centre, London
- Certificate in Humanistic Counselling – The Gestalt Centre, London
- Counsellor at As You Are – a Southwick-based charity offering low-cost counselling and group work for adults across Sussex
- Counsellor with The Gestalt Centre Low-Cost Therapy Scheme
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.
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
Fees
£65.00 per session
Concessions offered for
Additional information
I have a limited number of reduced-fee sessions for those unemployed or in financial difficulty. Please get in touch to discuss.
When I work
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