Dr. Valentina Mantica - CPsychol - HCPC Registered

About me

My philosophy

I am a Chartered Counselling Psychologist who truly believes that everybody is capable of making meaningful changes to their lives when they experience emotional difficulties, relationship problems, they are stuck or not happy with the way the live their life. The key to making changes is the motivation to explore and challenge oneself. People are the expert of their own experiences and I can be part of their journey leading to self-discovery and change.

I always strive to provide a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental environment to enable people to feel comfortable enough to share their difficulties with me and to work together to explore these in depth and find a way forward in order to overcome difficulties.

How therapy can help

I believe in the power of the therapeutic relationship and how this can in itself enable people to make changes or function as a base upon which various therapeutic tools can be learnt. I see therapy as a special human encounter where many dynamics that people experience in the outside world are similarly re-created. Therefore therapy gives people the chance to explore these dynamics in a way that is safe and they can then utilise their understanding, new learning and insight outside within their day to day relationships.

My approach

I am particularly interested in how people’s early and general life experiences affect their current relationships, feelings, thoughts, behaviours and current experiences. My approach can be defined as Integrative and Relational. This means that whilst using the therapeutic relationship as a base, I draw upon various evidence-based therapeutic approaches including  Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Psychodynamic and Person-Centred Therapy. These approaches are commonly accepted and scientifically proven in our field. My therapeutic style is creative and always adapted to people’s needs. However sometimes working within one of these approaches over others will be more beneficial to some people. Everybody is different and my style will try to capture this.

What to expect in your first session

It is important that we both feel that we can work together, and therefore our first meeting can be our chance to explore this. It is fundamental that you work with someone who is right for you and you feel comfortable with. For this reason you do not need to commit to ongoing therapy when you make your first contact with me. The first session is an assessment, I will be asking you some general questions in order to begin to get an understanding of your problems and also of you as a person, and it is also your chance to get to experience how I work and ask me any questions. If we come to the agreement that we can go ahead with ongoing therapy we can then discuss a therapeutic contract.

Not sure about wanting to book a first session?

If you are searching for the right therapist and are unsure about whether to book a first session, I can offer you a first telephone appointment for 50 minutes free of charge. This can give you the chance to hopefully decide whether you want to book a first appointment with me with no commitment. You do not have to go through the first telephone appointment if you wish to book a first face-to-face session directly.

Services Provided

• I practice in the Shoreditch area within walking distance from Liverpool Street Station and Shoreditch High Street Station

• I offer short and long term face-to face therapy

• I provide therapy in both English and Italian languages

• I also provide supervision - I completed the full Supervisor Training delivered by the British Psychological Society (BPS).

• I can provide telephone and Skype therapy upon request.