Azbel Szczepaniak

Monday: 12-5pm. 

Hey I am Azbel (they/them), I am a BACP registered integrative counsellor. I work with tenderness and curiosity around subjects of gender and sexuality, life transitions and change, emotional dysregulation and burnout.

If you feel lost in all that the world expects of you, who you are, what you need and what is meaningful to you, I am here to offer you the space to rest, reflect and find the way forward.

Perhaps you reflect on your life and you don’t know how you got here. You feel like you fell into a life that was decided for you, one that you felt obliged to follow. Your day to day is dictated by ‘shoulds’ and ‘musts’ with little to no autonomy or time for yourself. And you feel exhausted.

Perhaps you are exploring your gender identity and sexuality (maybe not for the first time) and struggling to find what these mean to you.

On top of your own struggles you feel like you are constantly dealing with how people react to you, in their eyes, falling short of being gay/bi/trans/queer ‘enough’. Or you feel unprepared and stressed about sex because no one took the time to talk about this with you.

Perhaps you feel disconnected from your body. You get surprised by sudden emotional breakdowns that seemingly come from nowhere. Or you feel numb and distant, unable to let the emotions out. You are stuck in the state of alertness, not knowing how to soothe your racing mind, overwhelmed emotions and overstimulated body.

As an integrative counsellor, I base my work on the Person Centred approach, CBT and Existentialism.

During our sessions I put emphasis on creating a safe space and fostering a genuine relationship. I believe in providing a confidential, non-judgmental, sex-positive atmosphere. These conditions give you an opportunity to express your emotions openly and talk about difficult topics that have been weighing you down. I look at you and your problems with compassion and curiosity. I see you as a person, one that is struggling but also as someone who is resilient, with a fascinating story and so much potential for growth.

Counselling is a unique journey and therefore will differ for each client, however, there are some aspects that you can expect. Initially you will be encouraged to describe your difficulties and what you hope to gain from counselling. A big part of our work will be expanding your awareness of your body, emotions, thoughts and behaviours. This awareness will make it clear what is keeping you stuck and holding you back. With this new understanding you will intentionally decide what is valuable to you and what would you like to change. Then we will find creative ways to shift your beliefs, solve problems, fulfil your needs and help you move in a direction that is meaningful to you. Lastly when you feel like you are ready to end our sessions we will focus on what you've gained from counselling and how to maintain these changes.

I offer a free 20 minute call where you briefly tell me your name, why you reached out and on what time and day can you attend the sessions. It is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you might have.

First 3 Sessions

I ask all clients to commit to the first 3 sessions. These initial sessions are an opportunity for both of us to find out a little bit about each other and see if I am the right therapist for you. It is an opportunity for both of us the get a deep understanding of your issues and your goals. 

Following these sessions you can decide if you would like to continue working together. Equally if I think that a different therapist would be more suitable I will advise you on this.