
Mrs Bolanle Shonubi
Psychotherapist
I worked with Bola for a number of years and can honestly say it transformed my life.
A regular part of our sessions was that I'd say thank you, and Bola would say, "no need to thank me. You're doing the work", but up until the time I started seeing Bola I had no idea where to begin. I wanted things to change and improve but I didn't know how. I had never had a therapy session before and the idea of starting was daunting. From the first session where Bola told me she thought she could help me, to a very tearful goodbye (from my side) years later, our sessions became a key part of my week.
Bola supported and guided me in making small incremental changes in the way I approached relationships, family and myself, until I felt huge shifts. I opened doors I didn't know I was afraid to open and found peace with things that had played on my mind and on my feelings for years. At some points this involved asking myself painful questions or confronting the answers I already had but didn't want to accept. I left some sessions crying, some laughing, some pensive and some angry. Not because of Bola but because she was slowly teaching me to identify my emotions and go through them, not around them. I truly felt supported every step of the way.
Bola created the one space in my life at the time where I felt I could be truly honest without fear of judgement. It was an environment that felt like a small 50 minute cut away each week where I could really let my guard down. I learned to set better boundaries with myself and others, and to identify how I was truly feeling and work through it. I learned what I truly wanted for myself separately from what I thought I should want. My interactions with myself and others slowly changed and I feel more at peace with who I am than I ever have before. The ability to be honest with myself and others that I learned through sessions with Bola moved far beyond our 50 minute sessions and became something I can engage with at any time - even if it's sometimes a painful or a slow process.
Sending an email to Bola to ask about that first session was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I'm still using with the learnings from our work together. I'm now navigating the path to try and achieve an aspiration that I've held since I was young and a huge part of taking this step was the work I did with Bola.
I can whole-heartedly recommend Bola to anyone who is thinking of starting therapy, or even returning to it. Bola's patience, kindness, insight, honesty and expertise changed my life. Therapy isn't an easy path but taking the time to do the work, and having Bola to guide me, made it one that I could navigate.
I cannot thank Bola enough.