Counselling in Lymington
A safe space to explore, understand and reconnect with yourself
My name is Maria. I’m a CPCAB-qualified counsellor and couples counsellor and a registered member of the BACP.
Starting counselling can feel like a big step. You may be feeling overwhelmed, stuck or uncertain, struggling with something that has happened recently, or carrying difficulties that have been with you for years. You may simply feel that something needs to change, without being entirely sure what.
Counselling offers you time and space to slow down, make sense of what you’re experiencing and explore things at your own pace.
It isn’t about being told what to do or being given quick answers. I work alongside you, listening without judgement and helping you develop a deeper understanding of yourself, your relationships and the patterns that may be affecting your wellbeing.
Whether you’re experiencing anxiety, low mood, grief, trauma, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem or a major life change, you don’t have to work it all out alone.
Couples Counselling
Relationships can become caught in familiar patterns of communication, conflict and disconnection. Sometimes, despite caring deeply about one another, it can feel difficult to understand each other or find a way forward.
Couples counselling provides a supportive space for both partners to feel heard, understand what is happening within the relationship and explore healthier ways of communicating and connecting.
The aim isn’t to take sides. It’s to help you understand the patterns between you and consider what may need to change for your relationship to feel more connected and secure.
Experience grounded in compassion
Alongside my private practice, I have experience working with young people in schools and colleges, as well as working as a trauma-informed therapist with YouTrust, supporting survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse.
These experiences have strengthened my belief that effective therapy begins with feeling heard, respected and accepted.
My approach is integrative, which means I draw on different therapeutic approaches depending on your individual needs. This may include Person-Centred Therapy, CBT, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis and ACT, alongside somatic approaches.
I also recognise the connection between our thoughts, emotions and bodies. Where appropriate, we may explore breathwork and gentle body-based approaches to help you become more aware of how your experiences may be affecting you physically as well as emotionally.
I won’t try to fit you into a particular model of therapy. Instead, we can work together to find an approach that feels appropriate for you.
Your wellbeing. Your pace. Your journey.
You don’t have to have everything figured out
You may be carrying something that has happened recently. Or perhaps you’ve been managing something for a long time.
Sometimes it’s a relationship. Sometimes it’s grief, anxiety or low self-worth. Sometimes there isn’t one obvious reason — you simply know that you don’t feel like yourself.
Whatever brings you here, counselling can provide a space to step away from the noise, reconnect with yourself and begin to make sense of what you’re experiencing.
I offer support with:
Anxiety & emotional wellbeing
Understanding difficult thoughts, feelings and patterns, and finding more helpful ways of responding to them.
Trauma & difficult experiences
Trauma-informed support for experiences including sexual violence, rape and domestic abuse.
Grief & loss
A compassionate space to process loss and make sense of the emotions that can accompany it.
Relationships & couples
Exploring communication, conflict, connection and the difficulties that can arise within relationships.
Confidence & self-esteem
Understanding the experiences and beliefs that may influence how you see yourself and your sense of worth.
Life transitions
Support through uncertainty, change, stress and periods when life no longer feels quite as it did before.
How We Work Together
Everyone’s experience is different, so there is no set way that counselling has to look.
Our sessions will be guided by what feels important to you. We may explore past experiences, current challenges, emotions, relationships, patterns of behaviour and the ways you have learned to cope.
Over time, developing a deeper understanding of yourself can help you recognise your strengths, build greater self-awareness and resilience, and begin to make changes that feel meaningful to you.
I believe the therapeutic relationship is central to this process. Feeling listened to, respected and accepted can create the space you need to explore difficult experiences honestly and at your own pace.
My role isn’t to judge you or tell you how you should live your life. It’s to listen, ask thoughtful questions, offer a different perspective where helpful, and support you as you work towards a greater sense of understanding and choice.
What Happens in Sessions?
Sessions provide dedicated time for you to focus on yourself and what you need.
Some people arrive with a clear idea of what they would like to work on. Others simply know that they’re struggling and need somewhere to begin.
There is no expectation that you need to have the right words or know exactly what you want from counselling.
Together, we can explore what is happening for you and gradually identify what may be helpful. Depending on what you need, therapy may support you in developing healthier ways of coping, improving relationships, processing difficult experiences or reconnecting with parts of yourself that may have been lost or overlooked.
The pace is yours.
Confidentiality & Trust
Counselling takes place within a confidential and professional environment where you can feel able to speak openly.
I follow the ethical guidelines of the BACP and maintain appropriate professional boundaries to support your wellbeing, privacy and safety.
As with all counselling, there are some limits to confidentiality, particularly where there are serious concerns about risk of harm. If this situation arose, I would approach it sensitively and discuss it with you wherever possible.
How Long Does Counselling Take?
There is no fixed length of time that counselling should take.
Some people find that a shorter period of counselling gives them the support and understanding they need. Others choose longer-term therapy to explore deeper or ongoing difficulties.
The length and frequency of sessions can be discussed together and reviewed as we go. The important thing is that the work continues to feel useful and appropriate for you.
Taking the First Step
Choosing to begin counselling can feel daunting, particularly if you’ve never experienced therapy before.
You don’t need to know exactly what you need help with, and you don’t need to have everything figured out before you get in touch.
A first conversation gives us an opportunity to talk about what has brought you to counselling, what you hope to gain from therapy and whether you feel I might be the right person to support you.
If you’re ready to explore things differently, I would be happy to hear from you.
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