Ms Elena Miari

I am an experienced Psychotherapist and Counsellor, working full time in private practice. I qualified in 2008  and over the years I have worked with various charities in the area of Children's Rights and as a Psychotherapist. I work with  teenagers and adults, offering long term and short term therapy interventions. My specialisms are  in ADHD, narcissistic abuse, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, relationship problems and life transitions. 

If you're interested in learning more about my approach please feel free to reach out, and we can arrange an informal conversation.

About

While my approach is primarily Existential and Humanistic, it is informed by other therapeutic approaches such as Gestalt, Person Centred and Psychoanalysis.  

 The starting point of Existential Psychotherapy is your experience; this means that I focus on your unique experience of yourself and the world, and your meaning-making processes. We all have a natural inclination to find connections and make sense of life, but sometimes, in our attempts, we may tie things together that aren't truly linked. I like to call these connections 'obstructive meanings' or 'knots.' In our sessions, we'll work together to spot these knots, deconstruct them, and create healthier connections. The goal of therapy is to craft a narrative that resonates with you. As your therapist, I will actively participate in our sessions, helping you explore different perspectives of your life story.

Existential analysis is concerned with how we choose to approach life's challenges, dilemmas, and experiences, guiding us to recognise and transform any obstructive patterns in our lives. It's core objective is to elevate our awareness, enabling us to make informed decisions that lead to living an authentic life.

Existential psychotherapy is a relational approach, examining in detail our relationship patterns with ourselves (our bodies and lived experiences), others, and the world around us. Rather than viewing individuals in isolation, I see them within the rich context of the world they inhabit. This holistic perspective proves especially powerful in navigating relationship challenges, steering away from treating individuals as an isolated entity that needs to be fixed. I find this approach particularly effective when addressing issues related to Narcissistic Abuse and ADHD.

When suitable I incorporate bodywork to facilitate trauma healing. Furthermore, I use inner child work to help clients become aware of their internal dialogues, understand the way that they relate with themselves and foster healthier self relationships.

Often  our internal dialogues are contaminated by negative self talk. The objective of therapy would be to shed light in these internal dialogues, understand where they come from and how they came to be incorporated on our sense of self, and slowly start building a new, more self aware, inner voice.

I have a keen interest in working with clients with ADHD, and my approach isn't just about going through diagnostic criteria. Instead, I aim to help you understand your unique experience and how it shapes your life story. Given the wide spectrum of ADHD and its varied impact on individuals, I help clients understand their own experience and embodiment of ADHD symptoms, as well as the impact of growing up with (often undiagnosed) ADHD. Together, we will explore personalised strategies to address ADHD symptoms in a way that fits your unique experience.

 I have extensive experience of supporting individuals dealing with eating disorders, particularly anorexia and binge eating. My approach treats disordered eating as a symptom of emotional difficulties rather than as their root cause.  We will start by addressing the underlying difficulties that led to the eating disorder. Once we have a good grasp of this we will then start working towards addressing the symptom of disordered eating.

Working existentially with eating disorders means that I will focus on your unique experience with food and try to understand what functions this has had in your life. That means taking into account any cultural, familial and personal meanings around food and unravel their layers. Often the eating disorder feels like something that is happening to us, an external force that leaves us completely disempowered. By gaining insights into its functions and origins, we can reclaim ownership and empower ourselves to reshape our relationship with food.

While Existential therapy has a philosophical foundation, it's not just about abstract ideas—it's practical and applicable to real-life situations. In essence, the Existential approach is a journey of self-exploration, embracing different ways of being, and integrating practical, real-world strategies into your therapeutic experience, all done with compassion and understanding.