Laura Shtaingos

I currently have space for new clients in Sevenoaks (school hours and school term time).

Hello! I'm an experienced and BACP Accredited counsellor offering sessions in Sevenoaks and passionate about working with parents. If you're looking for a non-judgemental space to explore your experience of parenthood, you're in the right place. 

Becoming a mother or a father is a time of huge transition and often our whole lives and identity can change overnight when a baby arrives. Many parents find themselves questioning who they really are now and experiencing gender roles in a new way.

Parents I work with are often feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of parenthood. Some are feeling very anxious about decisions, or about their baby's health. Others are struggling to get through the day, feeling a sense of numbness or depression, or grieving what they have lost while at the same time marvelling at their beautiful children.

Some parents come to me with specific issues, perhaps pregnancy loss, a long history of IVF treatments, or a difficult birth which they can't seem to put behind them. Sometimes struggles with feeding or sleep are proving traumatic too. Some wonder if what they are feeling could be postnatal depression or postnatal anxiety.

Whatever you come with to therapy, you will find a safe place here where you can sift through your story so far and start to understand the emotions this is bringing up. I am a compassionate listener and I will gently encourage you to find your own self-compassion as we talk together.

Many people find this process of sharing their story without judgement transformative. I greatly enjoy seeing those I work with find their own unique path and start to feel better. Get in touch, and let’s begin.

My practice is based in a beautiful and peaceful therapy room in Sevenoaks. 

I work in an integrative way, drawing from different psychological theories to find a unique way of working with each client. I look at what is bothering my client right now, often the 'reason' they have come to therapy, and I'm also curious about what experiences my clients have had in the past which might inform the present. 

I use mindfulness, drawing my clients' attention towards the ways they are thinking, and working in the present moment with emotions that come up. I also use various techniques to build my clients' self-compassion which is proven to help people cope with adversity. 

I am always interested in my clients' experience of therapy and aim to work together with my clients to discover what each person needs to feel better.

During our first session I will ask you to start by describing what brings you to therapy. You don't need to plan or overthink this and it's normal to feel anxious about beginning therapy. I will do everything I can to help you feel comfortable and safe. Usually these nerves settle very quickly and we can begin to talk about what you'd like to work on together. 

Many of my clients find this first session can be a huge relief, just to tell their story. At the end of the session we will talk about how you'd like to continue, whether with weekly therapy, a block of 6 or 8 sessions, or to go away and think about things.