Filiz Benli

I am fully accredited by BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling and currently studying for a doctorate degree in Existential Psychotherapy at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling. Alongside with my academic studies, my interest in transpersonal theory drove me to practice meditation and yoga for many years and train in meditation, breathwork and mindfulness which also enriches my therapeutic work.

My previous experience includes working for charity organizations and in private practice allowed me to gain a great depth of experience covering a wide range of issues including: domestic violence, abuse, trauma, grief, loss of meaning, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, relationship issues, isolation, issues of being single parent, eating disorders.

My approach is Existential-Integrative. Depending on client`s need, I integrate it with Focusing (working with felt sense on embodied experiences), Gestalt therapy, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) skills, mindfulness, meditation, and awareness of relational dynamics. I work holistically, in the sense that I include body awareness, and how our thoughts/emotions influence our body and nervous system.

I offer sessions face to face, online or phone call which are dependent on your preference and comfortability. I offer therapy in English and Turkish and  work with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Life can be very challenging, and we may experience ourselves in a crisis from time to time. These experiences may overwhelm us and bring us pain and anxiety; however, therapy can be helpful at these times of crisis. People often come to therapy because they realize their earlier life experiences still have an impact on their current life. This can be through an early trauma, abuse, neglect, or even through transgenerational trauma. An individual may have found temporary solutions to cope with the situation and to distract themselves from the core problem, but this inevitably comes at a price. The result of an early unpleasant experience(s) might manifest itself as a feeling of low self-esteem, of feeling disconnected from life, a difficulty in forming good relationships, physical symptoms, eating disorders or addiction etc.

According to Existential psychotherapy, we cannot predict what life brings to us, nor run away from pain and anxiety; however we can choose how to respond to them, make meaning from them and find better ways to cope which will help us to live our life more fully. In relation to this approach, I am dedicated to exploring these issues in an open minded framework and from lived experience point rather than a dogmatic or pathological stand. 

As a psychotherapist, I offer a safe space to clients, where they can express and process their difficulties. My aim is to be a caring and supportive host, and to form an honest, empathic yet challenging and collaborative relationship with my clients that will allow us to pay attention and understand what their difficulties are revealing to them about their relationships with themselves, with others and with the world. Moreover, I encourage clients to stay with their bodily sensations and feelings, as my believe is these sensations are there to tell us something, so we can hear the messages.

Through therapy you can make sense of your own life, discover your sources and be more aware of choices within situations that also hold possibility for further growth.

A first step to empowering yourself would be to email me, to book an initial session to explore more of what brings you to therapy. This session would also give an opportunity to both of us to see how it would be like to work together. If we feel it is a good fit, then we can set up a therapeutic framework for further sessions.

I am fully accredited by BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling and currently studying for a doctorate degree in Existential Psychotherapy at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling. Alongside with my academic studies, my interest in transpersonal theory drove me to practice meditation and yoga for many years and train in meditation, breathwork and mindfulness which also enriches my therapeutic work.

My previous experience includes working for charity organizations and in private practice allowed me to gain a great depth of experience covering a wide range of issues including: domestic violence, abuse, trauma, grief, loss of meaning, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, relationship issues, isolation, issues of being single parent, eating disorders.

My approach is Existential-Integrative. Depending on client`s need, I integrate it with Focusing (working with felt sense on embodied experiences), Gestalt therapy, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) skills, mindfulness, meditation, and awareness of relational dynamics. I work holistically, in the sense that I include body awareness, and how our thoughts/emotions influence our body and nervous system.

I offer sessions face to face, online or phone call which are left to your preference and comfortability. I offer therapy in English and Turkish, work with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Life can be very challenging, and we may experience ourselves in a crisis from time to time. These experiences may overwhelm us and bring us pain and anxiety; however, therapy can be helpful at these times of crisis. People often come to therapy because they realize their earlier life experiences still have an impact on their current life. This can be through an early trauma, abuse, neglect, or even through transgenerational trauma. An individual may have found temporary solutions to cope with the situation and to distract themselves from the core problem, but this inevitably comes at a price. The result of an early unpleasant experience(s) might manifest itself as a feeling of low self-esteem, of feeling disconnected from life, a difficulty in forming good relationships, physical symptoms, eating disorders or addiction etc.

According to Existential psychotherapy, we cannot predict what life brings to us, nor run away from pain and anxiety; however we can choose how to respond to them, make meaning from them and find better ways to cope which will help us to live our life more fully. In relation to this approach,  I am dedicated to exploring these issues in an open minded framework and from lived experience point, rather than a dogmatic or pathological approach.

As a psychotherapist, I offer a safe space to clients, where they can express and process their difficulties. My aim is to be a caring and supportive host, and to form an honest, empathic yet challenging and collaborative relationship with my clients that will allow us to pay attention and understand what their difficulties are revealing to them about their relationships with themselves, with others and with the world. Moreover, I encourage clients to stay with their bodily sensations and feelings, as my believe is these sensations are there to tell us something, so we can hear the messages.

Through therapy you can make sense of your own life, discover your sources and be more aware of choices within situations that also hold possibility for further growth.

A first step to empowering yourself would be to contact myself and to book an initial session where we can explore more of what brings you to therapy. This session would also give an opportunity to both of us to see how it would be like to work together. If we feel it is a good fit, then we can set up a therapeutic framework for further sessions.

I am fully accredited by BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling and currently studying for a doctorate degree in Existential Psychotherapy at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling. Alongside with my academic studies, my interest in transpersonal theory drove me to practice meditation and yoga for many years and train in meditation, breathwork and mindfulness which also enriches my therapeutic work.

My previous experience includes working for charity organizations and in private practice allowed me to gain a great depth of experience covering a wide range of issues including: domestic violence, abuse, trauma, grief, loss of meaning, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, relationship issues, isolation, issues of being single parent, eating disorders.

My approach is Existential-Integrative. Depending on client`s need, I integrate it with Focusing (working with felt sense on embodied experiences), some skills from CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, meditation, and awareness of relational dynamics. I work holistically, in the sense that I include body awareness, and how our thoughts/emotions influence our body and nervous system.

I offer sessions face to face, online or phone call which are left to your preference and comfortability. I offer therapy in English and Turkish, work with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Life can be very challenging, and we may experience ourselves in a crisis from time to time. These experiences may overwhelm us and bring us pain and anxiety; however, therapy can be helpful at these times of crisis. People often come to therapy because they realize their earlier life experiences still have an impact on their current life. This can be through an early trauma, abuse, neglect, or even through transgenerational trauma. An individual may have found temporary solutions to cope with the situation and to distract themselves from the core problem, but this inevitably comes at a price. The result of an early unpleasant experience(s) might manifest itself as a feeling of low self-esteem, of feeling disconnected from life, a difficulty in forming good relationships, physical symptoms, eating disorders or addiction etc.

According to Existential psychotherapy, we cannot predict what life brings to us, nor run away from pain and anxiety; however we can choose how to respond to them, make meaning from them and find better ways to cope which will help us to live our life more fully. 

As a psychotherapist, I offer a safe space to clients, where they can open themselves to their difficulties and express them. My aim is to be a caring and supportive host, and to form an honest, empathic yet challenging and collaborative relationship with my clients that will allow us to pay attention and understand what these difficulties are revealing to them about their relationships with themselves, with others and with the world. Moreover, I encourage clients to stay with their bodily sensations and feelings, as my believe is these sensations are there to tell us something, so we can hear the messages. Rather than a dogmatic or pathological stance, I am interested in exploring issues in depth with an open mind framework and related to client`s current circumstances and personal contextual history.

Through therapy you can make sense of your own life, discover your sources and be more aware of choices within situations that also hold possibility for further growth.

A first step to empowering yourself would be to contact myself and to book an initial session where we can explore more of what brings you to therapy. This session would also give an opportunity to both of us to see how it would be like to work together. If we feel it is a good fit, then we can set up a therapeutic framework for further sessions.

I am fully accredited by BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychotherapy and Counselling and currently studying for a doctorate degree in Existential Psychotherapy at the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling. Alongside with my academic studies, my interest in transpersonal theory drove me to practice meditation and yoga for many years and train in meditation, breathwork and mindfulness which also enriches my therapeutic work.

My previous experience includes working for charity organizations and in private practice allowed me to gain a great depth of experience covering a wide range of issues including: domestic violence, abuse, trauma, grief, loss of meaning, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, stress, relationship issues, isolation, issues of being single parent, eating disorders.

My approach is Existential-Integrative. Depending on client`s need, I integrate it with Focusing (working with felt sense on embodied experiences), Gestalt therapy, CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) skills, meditation, and awareness of relational dynamics. I work holistically, in the sense that I include body awareness, and how our thoughts/emotions influence our body and nervous system.

I offer sessions face to face, online or phone call which are left to your preference and comfortability. I offer therapy in English and Turkish, work with clients from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Through therapy you can make sense of your own life, discover your sources and be more aware of choices within situations that also hold possibility for further growth.

A first step to empowering yourself would be to contact myself and to book an initial session where we can explore more of what brings you to therapy. This session would also give an opportunity to both of us to see how it would be like to work together. If we feel it is a good fit, then we can set up a therapeutic framework for further sessions.