Find your therapist

Hi there and thanks for looking at my info page.

I have over twenty years experience in successfully supporting people to reach their full potential across a wide range of differing needs and issues.

I specialise in anxiety related issues, including fears, phobias, panic attacks, general anxiety along with relationship, employment or personal issues – I work with you to overcome anything that stops you being who you want to be!

The success of my approach is that its  ‘Fast and Solution Focused’.  What this means is, whilst acknowledging and validating your experience or issues, our focus is on finding a fast, effective and lasting solution that sets you free from what holds you back.

Having personally experienced anxiety related conditions in my younger life, and from many years working with clients who had a range of health and anxiety related conditions, I  understand how you feel and look forwards to working with you to overcome issues that hold you back from being who you want to be.

I am trained in a variety of different talking therapies including Hypnotherapy, Cognitive approaches, NLP, One to One WSN Counselling & Mindfulness; these approaches enable me to offer a unique approach that is tailor made specifically for you, and not a one size fits all… its as unique as you are!

All appointments are totally confidential, and I abide by a strict code of ethics in our practice. NCP– CHNC Code of Conduct

I am fully accredited and registered with a range of professional organisation’s for your assurance, these include the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council and the National Society of Psychotherapists (UK)

Being heard, understood, believed in and supported. We all need this kind of support at some point in our lives. This is my offer to you.

I stand for a confidential, ethical and professional therapeutic experience with you at the centre. I would hope our session might feel warm, compassionate, non-judgemental with an empathetic relationship being felt between us. I believe that if we can achieve this in our sessions then you will have everything you need to live effectively with what you bring.

I practise in person at the following locations (subject to pandemic restrictions and client risk assessment):

Cheltenham:  GL50 3QH – See above
Gloucester: Suite 16, Westgate House, Gloucester GL1 2RU

I can sign in British Sign Language to a very basic level (Level 1 or below) in the hope that it might increase accessibility to clients who are hearing impaired.

Hi, I’m a Psychotherapist with a degree in psychology for over 10 years, with a postgraduate degree in Career  Counselling and Gestalt Therapy.

I am currently studying for a doctorate in Psychotherapy and Counseling in London, England, where I live.

As a psychotherapist, I’ve been building my career helping people to explore and gain clarity about various aspects of their lives, to solve their problems, and find new ways to live and improve their lives.

I am Brazilian and I speak Portuguese and English.

I am a UKCP-registered integrative existential psychotherapist with extensive experience in delivering long and short term psychotherapy to individuals and couples. I have 14 years’ experience of working therapeutically in higher education, the NHS and in private practice.

As an integrative existential psychotherapist, I am particularly interested in how we make meaning of the world and of our lives, and how this affects our day to day functioning. Experiencing a crisis of meaning can be a major source of stress and anxiety. If your life starts to feel meaningless, you may end up in a hopeless and depressed state. The therapist’s role is to support you to navigate the difficult feelings that can arise in the process and help you find renewed purpose in your life.

I combine elements from different schools in my approach to psychotherapy, including psychodynamic, humanistic, existential, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness. I have worked with clients experiencing many different issues, including (but not limited to) anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addictions, relationship issues and religious and spiritual matters. I am experienced in supporting team members and managers with work-based conflicts. Additionally, I have considerable experience in supporting clients with diagnosed mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, personality disorders and clinical depression.

Qualifications:

Professional Doctorate in Psychotherapy (2012)

Masters Degree in Psychotherapy (2008)

Post-Graduate Diploma in Clinical Supervision (2008)

Post-Graduate Diploma in Integrative Counselling, (2004)

Research and Publications:

Conference Presentations:

Cassar, S. (2015). Existential spirituality: navigating the maze of spiritual thinking within existential psychotherapy. World Conference for Existential Therapy. London

Cassar, S. (2011). The Impact of Psychotherapists’ Spiritual Practice, Beliefs and Values on their Clinical Work: preliminary findings. Theology and Therapy 2011 Day Conference. Edinburgh University.

Publications:

Aceijas, C., Waldhäusl, S., Lambert, N., Cassar, S., Bello Corassa, R., (2016) Determinants of health-related lifestyles among university students. Perspectives in Public Health

Vahrmeyer, M and Cassar, S (2017) The paradox of finitude in the context of infinitude: Is death denial an essential aspect of being in the world? Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis. 28.1: 151-165

Cooper, M., Wild, C., van Rijn, B., Ward, T., McLeod, J., Cassar, S., Antoniou, P., Michael, C., Michalitis, M., Sreenath, S. (2015) Pluralistic Therapy for Depression: Acceptability, outcomes and helpful aspects in a multisite study. Counselling Psychology Review. 30(1): 6-20

Cassar, S. and P. Shinebourne (2012). “What does Spirituality Mean to You?: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experience of Spirituality. Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis. 23(1): 133-148.

We are living in challenging times where fear, uncertainty and confusion are commonplace.

Many people I consult with are worried about not fitting in rather than what makes them unique and special. As well as what unites and connects them to others.

It’s easy to become used to over-relying on what others want from us, whilst losing sight of who we really are.

We’ve not been encouraged in many of our communities and establishments to practice self-inquiry and reflection. This is not good for personal autonomy or building courage or confidence to be ourselves.

It’s easy for us to lose touch with how we feel, and be vulnerable to manipulation by others. Perhaps because we are afraid of what others might think of us if we dare to express our differences.

Thankfully coming to counselling and coaching can be a way of learning to manage and cope with uncertainty and the fear of rejection. Helping us to get back in touch with what is important to us, and reconnect with our true feelings and senses.

From here we can grow both mentally and physically stronger and more confident of who we are, and what is right for us and our loved ones.

I always want my work to be first and foremost about being of service to others.

I’ve had an awareness for many years that much of the suffering and terrible things that happen in the world are fundamentally unnecessary and wrong. And that collectively we can help each other to grow stronger and more resourceful individuals and communities.

Self-development is not only an investment in ourselves, but it’s also an investment in society. In that, we are saying we are committed to becoming a better version of ourselves each day for the benefit of our community.

Maybe now is the perfect time to invest in yourself? More and more people are seeking to become more self-actualizing and to reach their true potential.

What would you like to understand better, react differently to, grow stronger in, or be more accepting of?

One of the ways we can do this is by, when possible, making use of the challenges and adversity we face in seeing them as opportunities to grow rather than negativity. Of course, this is not always easy, and we may need help along the way.

I have found through activities like ‘Wim Hof method’ cold therapy training, that doesn’t kill us can most definitely can make us stronger.

If we take sensible strategic risks and practice relaxing into our fight-flight responses, we can develop the resilience we need through gentle repetitive exposure to what we find challenging. This can help us to re-write our responses.

As well as reducing the need to over-rely on medication to function, which also risks putting harmful toxins into our bodies as well as having potentially negative side effects including addiction.

It’s far better to get back in touch with our true nature the way many of our ancestors were.

Hello there dear reader, my name is Hal, short for Haldun Hüseyin Musazlioglu (just call me Hal, everyone does).

When people ask me how I got into psychotherapy, I usually say it got to me first:
I was 12 years old when I first had to see a therapist. People near me (ironically not my parents) noted already back then my permanent gloomy and melancholic outlook on life – even this in Germany where I was born, by all means not a country known for its ‘cheerio!’ attitude. Years later, I was diagnosed with dysthymic depression and finally had to be put on anti-depressants aged 30 after a preceding psychotic episode (my way of a mid-life crisis: not blowing a lot of money, but instead losing gradually touch with reality). It was also around this time when my aunt in Turkey shared that the entire matrilineal side of our family had prolonged battles with depression. Thanks, mum.

On top of this, our Muslim upbringing didn’t aid much to my family’s mental health. It also doesn’t do much for you if you realise you’re gay, and you eventually need to come out. As I had to. And did. My mum cried for three months, realised eventually her son will never be the imagined prim solicitor/doctor with wife and kids, so reverted instead to hate my tattoos.

By age 19, I had properly felt sick and tired of that kind of constrained upbringing, also of the Germans, so moved to London (though frankly, now I feel like that with the English, but this is for a different forum…)

After several more years bumbling through various underpaid customer service jobs,  I studied Art & Design/more or less useful degrees (Furniture Design. Yes, seriously.) and tried myself out among other things as a film extra and a Stand-up comedian (memorably, I died in a North-London pub in front of an audience that consisted of my ex-boyfriend and Russell Brand), I looked finally into how I could use my own experiences with depression, inter-cultural clashes, emerging kink-sexualities, an HIV+ status and a fanatical liking for Heavy Metal, so I eventually studied counselling.

By 2012 I started my counselling studies and after around 5 years, including one failed year of CBT (blowing finally a lot of money after all), I decided to stick with the humanistic school of therapy of Person-Centred counselling, developed by Carl Rogers. From the 1940ies on, already being a bit of a hippie and believing that everyone is innately ‘good’, he decided to emphasise the non-hierarchical alliance between client and therapist, while maintaining an “unconditional positive regard”.

And I soon found it worked for me – and for my other job, which is in mental health rehabilitation.

Then in August 2019, I also started my MSc degree in Psychology with Arden University. My plan after I finish in around three years’ time, is to fall into a very relaxing coma.

Until then, I genuinely find a lot of fulfilment through my work, so please don’t hesitate to ask me questions about whatever life has thrown at you.

Das alles übrigens gerne auch auf deutsch!  ; )

I am a fully qualified counsellor and a member of The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy(BACP). I am insured, registered with the ICO and GDPR compliant ensuring your data is protected. I have years of experience working with children, young people, and adults.

I love being invited to share one’s journey, it is an honour, to participate and provide a space that allows the client to explore and feel safe, it makes me happy and I enjoy seeing the client walk out feeling free and ready to enjoy life. I offer a genuine, warm, and confidential space, in which I allow the client to lead, and my essence in the session offers a relationship that is open to exploring.

We live in a challenging world. There are times in our lives when we must endure pain, stress and loss whilst holding our business and personal lives together. Some people choose to work through their issues alone, perhaps considering reaching for help is as a sign of weakness. Talking with someone who has no relationship to your daily life, willing to listen and understand your concerns can help.

I understand the pressures of difficult emotions and circumstances. I’m here to help you to address your challenges by encouraging you to clarify the issues, explore options, develop strategies and increase self-awareness.

I place importance on providing warmth and empathic attunement in a safe and confidential environment, which allow us to reach the heart of the issue sensitively and effectively.

I’m a Humanistic therapist which means that I integrated Person Centred, Gestalt Therapy and Transactional Analysis. I refrain from offering interpretations about my client’s behaviour. Instead, I choose to help you explore and become aware of unhelpful patterns, beliefs and behaviours whilst assisting you in gaining an awareness of your resilience, inner-resources and strengths. As part of my integrative diploma training, I have also synthesised the psychodynamic approach and CBT into my practice in order to provide tailor-made treatment for each client.

In my practice, I facilitate positive changes for my clients by encouraging them to get in touch with their own psychological strengths and to overcome those difficulties thus finding meaning.

From my earlier background in film and media I have imported an ability for creative thinking within the professional, ethical bounds of counselling. This is particularly productive for young individuals who may find comfort and ease in expressing themselves pictorially as opposed to articulating their life challenges.

Counselling has the potential to positively change your life. Finding the right counsellor is most important. Making the first step can be difficult. I offer 15 minutes consultation free of charge to help you with your search to find the right professional.

I have 15 years of experience working with; anxiety, depression, stress, relationship difficulties, trauma, eating disorders, and addiction. I provide a safe space where you can explore your difficulties, identify obstacles, find tools, and resources to move forward and live a more satisfying life.

With support, you will not only get through difficult times successfully but use them as a stepping stone to advance in your journey of personal growth 

I provide online sessions for quite some time, my clients say it works just as well ‘you forget there is a camera between us’

I am a fully qualified and experienced Counsellor and Psychotherapist and a registered member of the British Association of Counselling & Psychotherapy (MBACP) who works in accordance with the BACP’s Ethical framework.

I began my academic training in the field of Psychology at London Guildhall University and after extensive research on Community Mental Health Care I progressed onto a 3yr BACP accredited Postgraduate Advanced Diploma in Humanistic Integrative Counselling. I qualified in 2008 and set up in private practice.

I have worked extensively with the following:

Children & Adolescents
Childhood Trauma
Depression & Anxiety
Relationship struggles
Family Difficulties
Loss & Bereavement
Anger & aggression
Survivors of Abuse
Sexuality & sexual differences
Attachment Disorder

Cultural Identity
Suicidal Thoughts
Cultural Identity
Meaninglessness & futility of life
Work/life balance
Job loss
Illness
Dependency
Self Esteem

In 2013, I undertook a Diploma in Counselling Children & Adolescents Using The Arts which allowed to me to then go on and set up and run a Counselling Service at Lea Valley Primary School and The Complete Works Alternative Provision, working with vulnerable children and adolescents.

Therefore, in addition to my private practice I have also worked as a psychotherapist in community counselling agencies such as MIND, Barnet Community Counselling and Counselling Initiatives in Islington as well as with young people at Hornsey YMCA and Whitefields Secondary School. Hence, this has therefore provided me with experience in working with children and young people of all ages.

In addition to one to one counselling I can also offer bespoke well-being and pastoral programmes which can be developed for a variety of settings from primary and secondary schools to pupil referral units.

Using some of the key elements of counselling, I am able to work with individuals, groups and whole settings whereby I seek to develop working programmes that look at areas such as conflict resolution, working with others, listening and self esteem as well as addressing specific issues identified as being significant to that particular setting.
This may include areas such as friendship, eating disorders, bullying, collaboration, peer and family pressure, puberty and addiction.

I understand my work as a counsellor to be about providing you with a non-judgemental, safe, relational space, where my role is to facilitate you in addressing past experiences and how they impact on the present, the person you are today and support you in developing a deeper awareness of how you experience yourself privately, in relationships, in the world and in the present moment in the counselling relationship.

The counselling process can enable the possibility for exploring choices and change and can also lead to greater self-understanding, heightened self-acceptance, improved relationships with others and greater control over your life.

Please note that  all of my sessions are currently delivered by telephone or Skype.
I firmly believe that it’s never too late to learn how to be happier in your personal life and relationships, or enjoy success and fulfillment in your career.
I wasn’t born a Psychologist/Counsellor and I know what it means to live and work in the real world: I am a creative therapist with a background in Law & Finance and a professional experience gained both in the public and private sectors, at different hierarchical levels, working with people from all walks of life.
I have trained with Albert Ellis, the creator of Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) and one of the most eminent psychologists of all times; with Deanne Jade, one of the UK’s leading experts in eating disorders; and with Prof. Stephen Palmer, the father of coaching in the UK.
Since the summer of 1991, I am a man with a mission: to help people lead healthier and happier lives.

I can help you if you are experiencing any of the following: Stress, Eating Disorders, Obsessions, OCD, Phobias, Self-harm, Abuse, Anxiety, Bereavement, Depression, Loss, Post-traumatic stress, Trauma, Health related issues, Cultural issues, Identity issues, Men’s issues, Self esteem, Sexuality, Spirituality, Relationships, Anger management, Redundancy, Work related issues. I also provide Career coaching, Life coaching and Development coaching.

I believe people seek therapy because they want to make a change in their lives. This can be scary, but having felt overwhelmed and anxious at times myself, I hope to be able to offer a supportive, calm, safe environment for you to explore your issues and work towards the best solution for you.

I’m a BACP registered counsellor with a Diploma in Integrative Counselling as well as a Diploma in Online counselling

I work with you in an Integrative way, which means I pull together different approaches which I feel you will respond well to, rather than sticking rigidly to one model. This way we can work together in the way that best suits you.

As well as running my private practice, I currently work at The Terrence Higgins Trust with people living with HIV, and prior to that I worked on their Youth Counselling Project delivering counselling to young adults, with the Central School of Speech and Drama, and a Jewish counselling service for adults. I’ve sat with many different people with individual stories, whether it be bereavement, life limiting illness, relationship difficulties or coming to terms with their sexuality. You can rest assured I will be there for you and will do my best to help you to see things more clearly and to help you to work out how to live a better more fulfilled life.

In addition, my previous work in television production equips me well to support people in the creative industries, and I understand at first hand the challenges of high pressure, high profile work and home life.

I adhere to the BACP Ethical Framework and work within their guidelines to keep you safe and well supported.

I am a fully qualified counsellor, accredited members of both the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapists (BACP) and College of Sexual & Relationship Therapists (COSRT).  I am passionate about what I do and repeatedly hear the benefits of my work from client feedback.
I have a wealth of experience working with individual adults and young people and I also work with couples.  I regularly see clients with issues such as depression, anxiety, self esteem, relationship issues including sexual difficulties, domestic abuse, pain, trauma, stress, bereavement and loss and other issues which could be causing a significant detrimental impact.
​I personally as well as professionally have discovered the benefits of counselling; talking to someone who is independent has helped me to understand myself better and has enabled me to find solutions and to move forward.
I am fully insured, DBS checked and follow data protection policy and guidelines. .

I am passionate in taking the stigma and taboo away from mental health and therapy.  I strive to make therapy as accessible as possible and to ensure that my clients can get the support they need.  I acknowledge that many clients come to therapy when they are worried, stressed, overwhelmed and some times frightened.  I work to improve mental well being and resilience and to work with clients to support them to feel that they can cope with issues and concerns and can work towards their goals at their own personal pace.

I work well with clients who find it difficult to talk about how they feel, or ask for what they need.  I help clients to build self esteem, be more self compassionate and build the tools they need to maintain mental wellness and resilience.

Hi, my name is Ann Marie, and In these unprecedented times, I understan how very difficult it has been in so many different ways for people, and I’m here to help you work through anything that’s putting a barrier in your way from living your best life.

I am Accreditated by the BACP and have many years of experience working with people, in several different settings, for example, GPs, social care, schools, colleges, TV, and Private Practice.

I am qualified to deliver various modalities of therapy including, Psychotherapy, Counselling, CBT, EMDR, DBT, Couple and Relationship Counselling and Mediation, Clinical Hypnotherapy, NLP, EFT, and other helpful Theraplay Skills, and Creative Therapies with Children.

I work in Private Practice at Archways Private Medical Practice, In Romiley, Stockport, SK6 4JB, and I also offer Online Video Calls/Telephone, therapy for both Psychological and Hypnotherapy.

I believe that we are all different and therefore, I like to tailor my work to meet the needs of my clients, using differing approaches. I have worked this way very successfully and much of my work comes to me by recommendations.

I’ve been counselling since 1989, and since then have been inspired by the resilience, bravery and sensitivity of the many adults, young people, families and couples I have worked with. I have extensive experience of working with sexual abuse and trauma, parenting and attachment difficulties, identity and relationship issues, depression and anxiety, bereavement and loss. I am committed to collaborating with you to find the resilient, hopeful part of yourself that becomes expert in managing your challenges and is motivated by the smallest signs of progress towards your preferred future.
I originally qualified as a Person-Centred counsellor, and have completed additional training in Transactional Analysis, Systemic Family Therapy, Attachment Based Therapy and Online Counselling. In 2007 I qualified as a Solution Focused Practitioner and this is how I prefer to work now. I have found the Solution Focused approach to be extremely effective in my personal life as well as in my work with clients.

I am a fully qualified Integrative therapist with over 20yrs experience of a variety of client issues. I believe that ‘no problem is insurmountable’, there is always a way forwards. All of us need help at one time or another, allow me to help you to help yourself. Get in touch today.

I have experience of a wide variety of client issues. Addiction, Body Dysmorphia, Family Issues, Adolescents. Couples counselling.

The therapeutic relationship is paramount to life transition, this is why a ‘good fit’ with your therapist is essential. Please feel free to call prior to booking for a confidential discussion to see if you would like my assistance in moving forwards.

No Problem is Insurmountable.

Hi and thank you for visiting my page.

I know from personal experience that counselling can be quite daunting especially if it’s your first time. If you are reading this then then I am glad you have got this far 🙂

In order to work as safely as possible during the current COVID-19 outbreak, I am available for sessions using online video calling, telephone and instant messaging services. This will allow me to be more flexible in booking sessions to support your needs in this uncertain time and also means that I can offer counselling sessions if you are based anywhere in the UK. I have limited evening and daytime sessions available please get in touch for more information.

There can be a lot of uncertainty going on for us in life as it is, but due to all the other events going around us at the moment this can be increased making it harder to cope with big and small things.

I love being able to support other people! We all struggle with things, we all face difficulties and challenges and no matter how big or small counselling can be a safe space to talk more about anything that is troubling you.

Please reach out if any one of the below statements reasonates for you:

you struggle with not feeling good enough
you compare yourself to other people, could be on social media or people you know and it leaves you feeling unhappy or less than
you doubt yourself a lot
you are constantly overthinking situations or things you said
you find it difficult to say to others
you feel like you don’t really know who you are

Even if the above statements don’t relate to how you feel that’s okay please feel free to contact me and we can talk a bit further about how I can support you.

I am a qualified integrative counsellor this means that I use a range of varying therapeutic approaches and tools to support you and your needs. As well as my counselling training and experience I also draw on my own personal experiences and lessons that I’ve learnt along the way where relevant for you.

​​I will provide you with emotional support by offering you a warm, empathic, confidential and non-judgemental space. By offering you a different perspective it can allow you to see problems and issues in a way that you may not have noticed before. In this space you can start to gain awareness and acceptance from which healing and change can begin.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or would like to book a session.

Take care and all the best on your counselling journey 🙂

Digna

I am a BACP UK registered Counsellor with a wealth of experience in counselling, mental health & well-being, self development and spirituality. I am also a certified Level 5 Coach, a passionate restorative yoga teacher, author of ‘Self Love Shift’, and the creator of ‘Self Love Therapy’.
Being an Integrative counsellor means that I work holistically, in a way that suits your needs, focussing on the here and now, helping you to make sense of your past and individual experiences.
I work with both men and women and currently offer sessions via Zoom, Skype or on the telephone.