Stephanie Gerra
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
I'm a highly experienced Psychotherapist, Counsellor and Supervisor who has been working with individuals and couples for over 20 years. I have very successful outcomes in treating both individuals and couples in crisis. Dealing with issues ranging from, anxiety, depression, relationship problems, work-related stress, bereavement, addiction, eating disorders, abuse but also with clients simply seeking personal growth and a new direction in life.
I also offer Walking Therapy in the squares of Bloomsbury and in Regents Park and offer regular individual and group supervision to counsellors and psychotherapists.
I offer individuals help with the following issues:
- Anxiety and depression
- Struggles/problems in relationships
- Crises of self-esteem, confidence and identity
- Emotional, psychological and sexual abuse
- Eating disorders
- Addictions
- Loss of meaning and direction in life and general self-development
- Existential dilemmas
- Bereavement and grief.
I offer couples counselling with issues such as:
- Breakdown in communication
- Separation or divorce
- Sexual issues
- Relationship breakdown
- Intimacy issues
- Working towards a good ending.
I know how difficult it is to take that first step to contact a therapist or counsellor or therapist. If you would like to explore the possibility of working with me, please call or email to arrange an initial assessment session.
We will then find a mutually convenient time to meet in person or online for a first appointment in which you will have plenty of time to let me know what is bringing you to therapy at this time. This initial session is a very useful opportunity for us both to get a feel of how we might work together.
Testimonials
“I arranged to see Stephanie because I was experiencing acute anxieties at business meetings out of proportion to the actual threats and issues around the table. As a 50 year old Chief Executive I had to address the de-stabilising impact this had on my effectiveness and well-being.
Working with Stephanie helped me expose the source of these anxieties in childhood and in particular the lasting impact of being sent away to boarding school at a very young age, suffering abuse and bullying and living with an ever-present fear of letting down my father because I was not fitting in at the school. With Stephanie’s help I was able to process these childhood experiences and manage episodes of anxiety triggered by them.
As a result I valued and still value Stephanie’s therapy very highly. She had a quick grasp of the situations I described and was very perceptive at the dynamics within me in our sessions; for example, she could tell if I was beginning to switch off as a means of evading an underlying issue I was on the brink of exploring with her. This made her challenging but also made the sessions worthwhile. She is extremely professional.
I was lucky to be introduced to Stephanie and am delighted to provide this testimonial as a result of what I have gained working with her.” - Mark (financial director)
“Having never had psychotherapy before, I found the whole experience difficult to start with but invaluable by the end. The therapy assisted me in dealing with my issues that I was so good at hiding. Through the assistance of therapy and Stephanie’s style, I managed to feel lighter, happier and make ground breaking revelations to help me continue valuable work even after my therapy concluded.
Stephanie’s style was comforting, genuine and gently probing in a way that facilitated my initial reluctance to delve into the deepest of issues. I would not hesitate in recommending Stephanie to anyone that needs help in dealing with the challenges that we face in life, no matter how big or small.” - CA, (Solicitor) London
For more testimonials please view my website.
Training, qualifications & experience
- UKCP registered (United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy)
- MBACP (Full Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy)
- BA Hons, Dip Couns, Dip Psych
- MA Psychotherapy
- Training in Supervision at the Society of Analytical Psychology, 2022 - 2023.
I qualified as a counsellor in Psychosynthesis (an integrative model of therapy) in 1999 and received my diploma and MA in psychotherapy practice in 2002. I was a trainer, group facilitator and supervisor at the Institute of Psychosynthesis for 4 years (2001 -2004), taught an introductory course to Psychosynthesis at Birkbeck College London University, for 3 years (2002, 2004, 2006) and ran a course on the Psychology of the Voice at the Central School of Speech and Drama in 2002. (From 2000 - 2020 I also had a second, successful career in the Media).
Since 1999 I have been running several central London practices where, as well as couple and one-to-one counselling and psychotherapy, I offer short taught courses and group and individual clinical supervision for qualified psychotherapists and students still in training.
Since 2020 and partly in response to the Pandemic, I began offering Walking Therapy sessions in the charming squares of Bloomsbury and in the very beautiful Regents Park. This way of having therapy removes the pressure of the direct gaze, as we walk alongside one another, includes movement which is known to aid the processing of difficult emotions and has the added benefit of reaping the many rewards offered by being close to nature.
From October 2022 I have been refreshing my Psychodynamic supervision skills with a deep immersion in Jungian theory at the Society of Analytical Psychologists (SAP).
I speak four languages: Italian, French, Spanish and English and while sessions are generally expected to be in English, I am happy to draw upon these other languages with anyone for whom English is not their first language.
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
Therapies offered
Fees
£75.00 - £120.00
Additional information
The fee payable for the first session (the assessment) is between £75 – 85 for individuals – dependent on referral source. The standard fee thereafter will be between £75 and £85 per session depending on the time of day for the regular appointment. Evenings (after 5pm), early mornings, (before 9am) and weekend appointments are more expensive than daytime ones. Couple counselling sessions are charged at a standard rate of £120.00 per appointment.
A discount may be available to psychotherapy students (who are generally charged between £65 and £75 per session).
I also always reserve a few spaces (usually these are during the day, not at peak times and at my Bloomsbury practice) for those on lower income with whom I am happy to negotiate an affordable rate.
Payment is generally, monthly in advance or on the day by bank transfer or cash. I do not accept credit or debit cards but am happy to provide a monthly invoice/receipt for your records.
Further information
Most of what we will do in our sessions is talking therapy but occasionally, if it feels right, I will encourage you to draw or free-write as a way of helping your process to flow. We will make use of guided visualisations occasionally too, and I am a great believer in creative-journal keeping as a way of enhancing the therapeutic process.
Keeping notes is a great way of telling your unconscious that you are taking it seriously! It is also a wonderful way of charting your growth and progress over time and for some clients it has even led to other forms of creative writing. When appropriate, I may on occasion invite you to engage in a little homework, to enhance your therapeutic journey.
