Michele Kirschstein

Availability

Tuesday afternoons and evenings (earliest slot is 1pm, latest slot is 5:30pm)

Wednesday and Thursday mornings and afternoons (earliest slot is 10am, latest slot is 3:30pm)

Location

My practice is in North London (N19), close to Archway and Upper Holloway stations. It is also easily accessible from Crouch End, Highgate, Tufnell Park and Holloway.

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Address: Studio 4B, Archway Studios , Bickerton House, 25-27 Bickerton Road, London, N19 5JT

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Getting here

Nearest tube: Archway Station (Northern Line)

Overground: Upper Holloway

Buses: 4, C11, 134, 390, 17, 43, 263, W5, 41

Parking: There is metered parking on Bickerton Road until 6:30pm and free parking in nearby streets (Chester Road, Bramshill Gardens) before 10am and after 12pm.

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There are bike racks outside the building.

Hello, I’m Michele (she/they). I’m an Integrative therapist providing time-limited and open-ended counselling to individuals (18+) online and in-person in North London.

People come to therapy for a range of reasons. You might be struggling in your relationship(s). Perhaps you're feeling ready to process a trauma. You might be finding a life transition difficult to cope with. Maybe you want to get to know yourself better. You may want to understand the why of how you act or feel, or it might not feel that important or deep for you and you want to focus more on acceptance or letting go.

Using an affirming, intersectional, collaborative and non-judgemental approach, I will support you to explore and make sense of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, and their impact. I will help you figure out how to move forward in a way that feels right for you, and leave you with the confidence and ability to make use of inner resources and external tools when therapy ends.I am queer-friendly and affirming of non-binary, trans and GNC folks. I work from an anti-oppressive position and my practice is always consent-led, non-pathologising and trauma informed.

Experience & qualifications

I work with people on a variety of issues and welcome enquiries from everyone.

Some of the areas I have a particular interest in include: 

*relationships (monogamous and non-monogamous; friends, family, partners and colleagues); 

*identity exploration (gender, sexuality, culture, heritage, neurodivergence, sense of self); 

*adult and childhood trauma (emotional neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, gaslighting); 

*life transitions (loss, parenthood, career change, health diagnoses).

I also have experience working with anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, grief, family dynamics, coping with stress and self-acceptance.

I am an Accredited Member of the BACP and hold a Postgraduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychotherapy from the University of East London.

Type of counselling

I believe that no one therapeutic approach can address all client issues and that different tools, interventions and ways of working will work for different clients at different times, including during the course of therapy. As an integrative therapist, I draw from a variety of theories and practical techniques depending on what resonates with you. Some of the ideas and approaches that influence my practice include person-centred therapy, attachment theory, relational therapy, gestalt, emotion-focussed therapy, narrative therapy, and creative and experiential techniques. I will always check in with you before trying a certain technique / approach, afterwards to reflect on how it was for you, and regularly over the course of therapy.

Cost

An initial session will be £50 for 35-40 minutes.

Ongoing sessions last 50 minutes and are priced on a self-selecting sliding scale, from £65 - £75, with a some lower cost spots, subject to availability. You can read more about my rates and where you would fall on the sliding scale here: https://www.michelektherapy.com/rates-faq.

In our first session we'll talk about what brings you to therapy and explore your hopes and expectations. It will be a chance for you to get a sense of how I work and whether you feel comfortable talking to me, as well as for me to see whether I feel I’ll be able to support you or if a different counsellor might be better-placed to work with you. (See the FAQ section of my website for why I might decide not to work with you.)

It will be a shorter session than usual (35-40 minutes instead of 50) and cost £50.

Coaching for therapists setting up private practice

Setting up private practice can feel incredibly overwhelming. There are so many things to think about and decide and it can be difficult to know where to start. You might have a clear idea of what you want your private practice to look like or you might have no idea at all. Or perhaps, you have too many ideas and want help distilling them. I support therapists through this process.

I offer an encouraging, supportive and collaborative space to help you set up and develop a private practice that aligns with your values. I'll help you create tangible steps to successfully and efficiently reach your goals and make your ideas come alive.

I know what needs to be done, how to do it and what questions to ask to ensure you’re setting things up from the start to avoid more work in the future.

All coaching sessions are online.

Whether you need help with the details or the big picture of starting private practice, the sessions are tailored to what you want to focus on. This can be a wider conversation to help you think about what you want your practice to look like or a specific aspect of setting up private practice that you're feeling stuck with. It can also be a general discussion of the different things you'll need to do and consider to get up and running.

Some of the things we can talk through include

• Vision – What does my practice look like in terms of scheduling, number and type of clients?
• Promoting myself – How and where should I advertise myself to get the clients I want?
• Administrative – How should I keep track of client information and finances?
• Operational – What are the practicalities of my practice, like fees and cancellation?

You can book one, three or six sessions. Booking one or more coaching sessions will give you access to necessary paperwork and templates either to buy or included in the cost, depending how many sessions you book. This includes a checklist for starting private practice (which has links and costs e.g. for directories, insurance, websites, etc. as well as directory discount codes); therapy contract template; data privacy policy (GDPR); income & expenditure spreadsheet that clearly shows monthly income and outgoings; and email templates (e.g. responding to initial enquiries; following up on missed sessions and payments; and more!)

I offer a free 15 minute video call to ask questions about what my coaching and see if it aligns with what you're looking for before booking in any sessions. After this, you have the option to book one, three or six sessions on a sliding scale.

My website has more information about my rates and what's included.

www.michelektherapy.com/coaching