Devang Vaidya
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This professional is available for new clients.
This professional is available for new clients.
About me
Hello and welcome
I am an experienced and accredited counsellor and psychotherapist, and I work with individuals, couples, and families on an ongoing or a time-limited basis. My Islington-based practice (North London, N19), is convenient for people near Archway, Crouch End, Finsbury Park, and Highgate. It is located in a safe and easily accessible residential area, with a quiet, comfortable space for us to work through any issues you might be facing. I also offer a fully online service for people residing outside of London.
Why Therapy & Counselling
All of us, at some point in our lives, can find ourselves thrown into difficult situations which seem to have no end in sight. Be it at home, at work or in our social lives, we can go through a period of struggle that affects our moods and attitudes, self-confidence and self-esteem. At times like these, routine activities and social relations can feel disappointing or meaningless. Or we can feel that something is terribly wrong but we can’t put our finger on why life seems to be slipping us by. At such times, I think it is quite usual to feel anxious, depressed or stressed, and to want to seek help in moving through these difficulties.
Therapeutic counselling can help by providing a secure and trustworthy place where you can talk honestly about yourself without fear of judgement, freely express your feelings without holding back, and be deeply understood by someone who is mature, competent, experienced, genuine and impartial - someone who will not merely agree or disagree with you because of their own prejudices or vested interests. Quite often this is difficult to ask of, or even expect from, partners, family members and friends.
What is Therapy & Counselling
I regard counselling, or therapy, to be a gentle yet powerful process for people who want to move forward, grow, and become more able to meet the challenges and opportunities in life. Counselling primarily involves you talking and the counsellor listening. It is, however, an active dialogue in which both participate. During the counselling process, it is quite common to begin to see a new angle to an existing problem, to get in touch with an unexpected feeling, or to gain a new insight into an old situation. This might lead you to recognise links to the past or even the future, pointing you towards your next possible step in life. An open and non-judgemental exploration between us can lead to a deeper self-understanding which can increase your capacity to live life more fully by prompting your natural talents, vital strengths and inner resources to emerge, helping you to face life with meaning, purpose, energy, and courage. Deeper and lasting changes then become possible through discovering new, authentic, 'original', ways of being with one's self, in relationships, and in the world.
How I work
An open, attentive and accepting attitude underlines how I facilitate the process between us. It involves my listening deeply, having a genuinely respectful dialogue, with empathy, and without being judgemental. I see my work as building with you a deeper understanding of your situation, how you are affected by it, and how you might overcome the difficulties within it. This, for me, is a creative process, full of openness, patience, sensitivity, and concern. Whilst I think that a sense of urgency, clarity and focus are essential in this work, it is not closed off to other qualities such as curiosity, experimentation, playfulness, and humour. I believe it is critical that we work at a pace that you set, and that we work together every step of the way.
Although I am an experienced practitioner in this field, I do not regard myself as 'the expert' on my clients' problems. Instead, I have found that working together leads to a more useful way of understanding any situation, and this allows you to guide and set the direction for your process.
What you might expect from counselling
Positive outcomes I see people achieve by engaging in this work, include:
- overcoming the effects of depression, anxiety and stress
- re-building openness, trust, and respect in relationships
- making effective and responsible decisions
- taking practical steps for building genuine self-esteem
- gaining a sense of moving forward in life
- living authentically
- learning to generate new options in everyday situations
- healing painful experiences
- working through unresolved feelings of anger, grief, loss etc.
- growing a capacity to feel, think and act, rationally, creatively, and passionately
- acquiring a clearer sense of self with worth, purpose and vitality
- living with enjoyment and pleasure in daily life
What to do next
Having been in long-term counselling and psychotherapy myself, I understand how important it is to find a counsellor you can trust and feel safe enough to work with. Therefore, if you would like to find out more about me or my practice, you might want to take up my offer of a free 30-minute consultation, either on the phone or in person. Please ring (07889 768120) or email me to book an initial no-obligation appointment.
Training, qualifications & experience
I have trained extensively as a Counsellor and Psychotherapist, with a Person-Centred, Existential and a Body orientation. This includes:
- Four-year post-graduate study in Person-Centred Psychotherapy at Metanoia Institute in London.
- Four-year training in Reichian Body Psychotherapy (Diploma in Deep Bodywork & Postural Integration) at Entelia Institute and ICRI in London.
- One year training in Somatic Trauma therapy with Babette Rothschild.
- Practitioner-level training in various body-centred approaches.
In addition to private practice, I have worked within the NHS, community care, and settings tailored for people with mental health and learning difficulties.
- I teach and run clinical seminars on psychotherapy training programs.
- I supervise other practitioners.
- I am an accredited member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and a registered member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and work within their ethical framework.
- I am also a member of the World Association for the Person-Centred Approach (WAPCEPC), and the Society of Existential Analysis.
- My practice is supervised by qualified and experienced psychotherapists.
- I am continually involved in my own personal and professional development.
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
Other areas of counselling I deal with
- Absent fathers, mothers or siblings
- Separation from loved ones
- Painful childhood or school experiences
- Family crises/breakdown
- Organisational dynamics and work-related stress
- Relocation / 'Dislocation'
- Culture and ethnicity issues
Therapies offered
Fees
£90.00 per session
Free initial in-person, telephone or online session
Additional information
My standard fee per 50-minute session is £90 for individuals, and £135 per 75-minute session for couples. This is agreed during the initial consultation.
When I work
Please contact by email.
Further information
My North London counselling practice is in Islington (N19), less than 15 minutes walking distance from Archway, Highgate, and Crouch Hill stations. Several buses (4, 41, 43, 91, 263, 210, 271, C11, W5) come within walking distance. Frequent connections are available from Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park stations. These excellent public transport links as well as street parking facility makes my service conveniently reachable by people in Archway, Camden, City of London, Crouch End, East Finchley, Finsbury Park, Hampstead, Haringey, Highbury, Highgate, Islington, Muswell Hill, Stoke Newington. There are several friendly cafes as well as clean, safe public parks close by.
