Isabella Whitaker
Integrative psychotherapistAbout Me
Hello, I'm Isabella, an integrative therapist offering online therapy to any area in the UK, and face to face therapy in Central and South West London. Seeking help can feel scary and daunting so I commend you on making it this far. In therapy, I will hold a supportive space for you to explore your pain, feel heard and seen, and find a way to start living again. My practice is based on the philosophy that every person has the capacity to grow and to find meaning in life no matter what they are facing or have been through.
Do you find yourself feeling low, lethargic, or unenthusiastic about your life and future? Maybe you’re repeating stuck patterns of behaviour or finding yourself easily overwhelmed. The first step towards change is choosing to do something differently. Perhaps seeking therapy is your first step. Facing your pain can be scary, but it’s not something you have to do alone.
Living unconsciously from a place of trauma means you are constantly repeating old patterns and having the same painful experiences. Therapy can help you break out of old patterns and live a more authentic life.
My Practice
I specialise in working with anxiety, trauma, depression, difficulty in relationships, low self-esteem, and sex and intimacy issues. I aim to create a warm and nurturing space in which you can explore your more painful feelings and develop a greater sense of self-understanding and self-acceptance.
As a relational therapist, I will use our therapeutic relationship to reflect on how we are relating to one another in the moment. This helps us to understand your patterns of relating to others. Therapy will help you develop new ways of relating to others that are more in line with your authentic self. Setting you free from harmful patterns that you find yourself stuck in.
Working with Trauma
My approach to working with trauma is based on modern scientific understanding of the relationship between trauma and the body. By incorporating the body in therapy, we are able to understand how your emotional pain manifests physically. The physical symptoms of trauma can be debilitating and bringing awareness to these feelings can make them feel less scary. My primary motivation is to keep you feeling safe at all times.
Another part of recovering from trauma is to find meaning in what can feel like a meaningless situation. This will involve some exploration around how to live meaningfully despite what you have been through. Trauma can destroy one’s sense of self and meaning in life, and cause feelings of isolation, loneliness, and despair. We will explore how the trauma has affected and continues to affect you. We will also search for a way for you to live meaningfully and with purpose.
Mindfulness and Breath in Therapy
As a trained Yoga, Breathwork, and Meditation teacher, I have an in depth understanding of the body and how it can be influenced by mindfulness and breath. As humans we live through our bodies, not as a separate entity to them. Disruptions in well-being can occur when the body and mind are not working together as one. By directly manipulating the nervous system through mindfulness and breath, we can bring ourselves back into a state of harmony, free from overwhelm. Calming breathing techniques are particularly useful for anxiety and an energising breath is useful for stuckness and depression. These techniques are an optional part of the therapy. The choice is yours.
Are you ready to start fully living? Reach out to me today via email. It would be my privilege to go on your therapeutic journey with you.
Locations
Issues often worked with
Therapy offered
Client groups
Fees
£65 for online therapy
£80 for in person therapy
I have a few concession slots available to those on low incomes. The fee is agreed between us.
Training and qualifications
Level 4 Certificate in Psychotherapy & Counselling
Level 7 Post-graduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Couselling
BSc in Psychology with Clinical Approaches
RYS 200hrs Yoga, Breathwork, and Meditation Teacher