Counselling with Elina

Counselling with Elina

I see individuals and couples, at held in Haywards Heath.

I support people with a range of difficulties, including anxiety, low mood, loss, relationship difficulties, low self esteem, burnout and feeling stuck or overwhelmed. I also have particular experience working with grief and bereavement, perinatal mental health, perimenopause and menopause as well as couples and relationship difficulties.

Working with couples

When I work with couples, I'm interested in understanding what has brought you both here. That includes the issues on the surface but also your individual backgrounds, the patterns that have developed between you and the emotions underneath the conflict.

I'm drawn to something the couples therapist Esther Perel says: "Behind every criticism is an unmet emotional need." When things get heated between partners, I'm interested in what that need might be. So often, what looks like an argument about dishes, money or time is really about something deeper; the need to feel heard, valued or loved.

My aim is to help each of you listen to the other, not simply to respond or to win but to genuinely understand your partner's experience. That shift can change the way you relate to each other.

If you're not sure whether therapy is for you

You don't need to have everything figured out before you come to therapy. You might know exactly what you want to work on or you might simply know that something doesn't feel right and you'd like some help making sense of it.

If you're coming as a couple, both partners need to be willing to engage with the process. If one person isn't genuinely open to it, it's unlikely to go far. But if you're both here, even nervously or with reservations, that's enough to start.

I always begin with an introductory meeting; a chance to meet me, ask questions and get a feel for whether we could work together.