Who Am I?

Hi! My name is Maria Goga and I am a London based therapist. I have a background in the performing arts, having also trained as an actor. My creative pursuits enhance my practice, as from before becoming a counsellor, I learnt the importance of empathy through acting and being able to understand and give life to characters completely different from myself. I now use this experience in my therapeutic practice - I am very good at putting myself in someone else's shoes and I never judge someone else's experience - which I believe is the cornerstone of counselling.

Therapeutic Approach

I work in an integrative way with a focus on the therapeutic relationship, which I believe to be at the very core of therapy - without a strong relationship built on trust, efficient counselling can't happen. The main approaches I use are:

• The person centred-approach;

• Solution focused therapy;

• Cognitive behavioural therapy;

• Attachment theory;

• Compassion focused therapy;

• Transactional analysis;

• Psychodynamic theory.

I adapt my way of working based on each individual client's needs, personality, and what therapeutic approach they respond the best to. I also integrate psycho-education into my practice, which means I also talk to my clients about the various theories I apply in our work together and help them gain a better understanding of their inner psychological processes. I believe this empowers my clients by giving them more knowledge and a better understanding about what is happening in the therapeutic process. I create a warm, safe, nurturing environment by offering my clients the core conditions: empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard. Creating a safe therapeutic space enables clients to explore their emotions and experiences freely, without fear of judgement, which, in time, leads to positive personality change and growth.

What Issues Can I Help With?

I work with a variety of issues such as:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Bereavement

• Suicidal thoughts

• Bullying

• Discrimination

• Relationship issues

• Not having a sense of purpose

• Work issues

• Stress

• Low self-confidence

• Co-dependence

• Loneliness

• Anger management.