Daniela D'Alessio

Hello and welcome to my profile. I am an experienced counsellor and psychotherapist practicing in the Stroud area, in Gloucestershire.

As registered member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy I am bound by their code of ethics. My practice draws on strengths from different schools of therapy, including humanistic, psychodynamic and transpersonal. I like to work holistically to integrate mind, body and soul.

I believe we are all complex and multi-faceted beings with different needs and concerns at different points in life's journey. My job is to listen deeply and create a safe environment in which you can be yourself, explore your feelings and thoughts, look at your life choices and start to make sense of things. I have a natural interest in people; my approach is warm and reflective and I believe in the power of relationship to heal.

In my practice I draw on years of mindfulness and meditation in helping to support clients therapeutically, to help gently regulate difficult feelings and build inner strength and resilience, which is especially important for clients suffering with depression and anxiety.

I have worked with clients in a number of areas, such as bereavement, depression, anxiety, trauma, relationship issues, loneliness, despair, cultural issues, stress-related illnesses, disability, spiritual crisis and existential issues such as loss of meaning and direction in life.

I also offer 'Walk and Talk' therapy in the local countryside, walking at a pace to suit you. If you prefer a more dynamic style of therapy, and enjoy feeling connected to nature's healing energy, this may be a good option for you.

My initial professional training was at WPF, where I obtained a Certificate in Counselling Skills and Pastoral Care in 2003. I then trained at ReVision, Centre for Integrative Psychosynthesis, from 2006-2009, obtaining a Diploma in Integrative Transpersonal Counselling in 2010. I completed ReVision's UKCP-accredited Psychotherapy training from 2010 to 2012. I obtained a Post-Graduate Certificate in Integrative Relational Supervision with Relational Change in 2020.

I am British/Italian and moved to the UK from Italy in 1989 to attend drama school and I pursued an acting career for ten years. I am passionate about healing and personal growth and the power of expression and ritual to help us heal. As a young woman, I experienced first-hand how enacting archetypal stories of struggle and transformation on the stage, I discovered a greater context in which to understand my own difficult feelings and to start making sense of things.

In my experience, therapy can bring us into more intimate contact with the painful stories we hold within us. These stories, which are often hidden even from ourselves, can have a huge impact on our wellbeing and creativity. Psychoanalyst Carl Jung said 'When a situation is not made conscious, it happens outside, as fate'. Working together, we can start to make sense of the challenges you have faced. Compassion for our own suffering is the ground which makes change possible, gradually unravelling the contracted knots within that stand in the way of living a fulfilled life right now. My job is to create a safe space in which this process can unfold naturally, and to stand with you throughout.

I offer 'Walk and Talk' therapy in the local countryside and woodlands, walking at a pace to suit you. If you prefer a more dynamic style of therapy, love the natural environment, and feel connected to nature's healing energy, this may be a good option for you. 

Please get in touch with me by phone or email if you have questions, and to set up a first session with me. Our first meeting will be a chance to review your needs and to talk about how we might work together. If you decide to continue we can set up a second session and arrange to meet weekly or fortnightly according to your needs. 

I hold a Post-Graduate Certificate in Integrative Relational Supervision. I trained with Relational Change, affiliated to the Gestalt Psychotherapy Training Institute.

My model of supervision is based on the centrality of ‘relatedness’, where the self of the client, therapist and the supervisor, the relationship between them, their specific contexts, and the wider field of engagement, are acknowledged as continuously influencing the supervisory process.

I enjoy working creatively with supervisees, using the imagination, feelings and somatic process to yield insights into the therapeutic work.