Sara Koster-Marcon

Having worked as a Couple and Family Psychotherapist for 15 years,  ​​I feel very grateful every day for being part of people's stories and sharing a celebration of the positive changes clients I have the honour to meet with, achieve together therapeutically.

I have had the pleasure of working across different areas of London in children and adult NHS services, supporting the recovery of individuals and families affected by severe mental health difficulties and collaborating with schools, local authorities and health care agencies in delivering mental health training to colleagues and teachers.

​​In my work with individuals and couples, we explore and identify unhelpful patterns of relating and coping and together find the resources within the individual/s and the relationships' space to achieve satisfying and fulfilling ways of being and relating. 

Life events such as betrayals, moving home and location, a new job, a birth, a loss, a break-up, difficulties in communication, feeling anxious, low, isolated, overwhelmed by family difficulties, are amongst some of the common themes and events for which clients seek clarity and support. 

The work is focused on the emotional and relational meaning of the difficulties clients experience, with the aim to reach a view of self and self-in-relationships that is fulfilling and connected. 

The way clients start to experience positive change vary depending on what they have experienced in their life. I guide clients to develop mind and body consciousness, understand their automatic thoughts and nervous system responses, become confident in meeting their needs from an internal healthy emotional regulation model, and co-regulating safely and effectively with the world around them. 

By exploring and gaining awareness of beliefs and narratives clients hold about past events, of themselves and others, we uncover how their own emotions and behaviours have been influenced by these and how thanks to this awareness individuals and couples will regain a secure and confident sense of agency in how to live their life with authenticity. How to find the right fit in their expression and commitment to self and to those close to them and their needs. How they can remain present in their intimate and wider relationships for more connecting and satisfying encounters.

In my work with families with young children and adolescents, I initially offer parents consultations. Parents with children that experience emotional and/or behavioural difficulties, anxiety and depression, or children that don’t feel comfortable attending sessions, can benefit from a space to explore freely their feelings and worries to better understand their children’s needs. 

The sessions  are informed by the Systemic and Attachment models and are aimed at creating a space for parents to explore the nature and context of difficulties they face, identify helpful and constraining dynamics to mobilise preferred ways of working together as a team through attuning to their children’s emotions and needs, within the family dynamics and the wider context. 

During the first consultation a general assessment of the child’s developmental history and current strengths and needs of the child and the family are completed, to guide the best plan of support. 

As part of the initial sessions, we co-create a map with parents on how to attune to their children’s emotions through secure emotional regulation strategies in the communication and expression of needs that fit to each unique family composition, amongst every day challenges, medical needs, painful events such as losses and illnesses, past and current generational family patterns that may not fit with current beliefs and cultural contexts of how to fulfil these roles.

This approach includes enhancing resilience and self-esteem in children while they explore and better understand their needs; grow confident in communicating their emotions and practice problem-solving skills in the challenges they face. 

An important process of making sense of difficult behaviours and emotions, is understanding the impact of the meaning the child and adults around him/her attributes to those behaviours and emotions, and how it affects the child’s idea of self. The way children are attended to and the responses they receive about their behaviours, build on the internal models of what they believe about themselves and others, how to read others behaviours and how to make sense of the world. 

Parents are offered a space to explore their own ways of attuning with their children's emotions towards feeling equipped to guide their children confidently and warmly in everyday activities and challenging times so that children feel safe and loved while experiencing difficult emotions and behaviours and can increasingly feel more in charge and confident in knowing what they need and how to communicate it. 

If helpful to meet as a family, I offer home visits, so that children are able to engage in the sessions from the comfort of their safe environment. 

At times a more specialised assessment is recommended, such as a sensory and/or neurodevelopmental assessment, and school and GP consultations are valued components of the process when relevant. 

I provide support to clients affected by:

• Relationship & couple difficulties
• Adult child and parents difficulties 
• Family difficulties 
• Parenting difficulties with young children
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Stress and worry

I offer sessions in English and Italian.

I offer online sessions on Zoom, face to face sessions in nature ( Brockenhurst, New Forest and by the sea, Milford on Sea) and home visits for families with children.

Individuals, couples and families are welcomed in a safe and warm space where they feel held in their struggles and supported with clarity in building inner resilience and lasting strategies to continue to navigate independently the journey of life. Do get in touch for a free brief call and see if this feels like the right space for you too.

• Parenting difficulties

Clients’ feedback:

“Sara has helped me find my authentic self. She guided me session by session with clear goals about what I wanted to get out of our meetings. She is very warm and made me feel comfortable when talking about difficult stuff. I now feel more confident and see life from a happier place.” EM

“After our sessions I thought everyone should have family therapy! Our son started to have behavioural difficulties at school. We couldn’t see a way out. She helped us see the problem from a wider perspective and not make him the problem. We can now all see what we do to contribute to that. We found better ways of communicating our emotions and be there for one another. Sara also helped us set up meetings with the school to make sure we are all on the same page in supporting him.” AW

“My wife and I were struggling in our marriage for a long time. The sessions with Sara helped us finding solutions to our issues. We now feel equipped to talk to each other and enjoy our marriage again. I was initially reluctant. Her transparency and patience helped me see the benefits of therapy.” DM