Elena’s approach and qualifications 

Elena's approach is primarily Existential and Humanistic. The starting point of Existential Psychotherapy is the client's lives experience; Elena focuses on the individual's unique experience of themselves and the world, alongside their meaning-making processes. We all have a natural inclination to find connections and make sense of life, but sometimes, in this process, connections are made between things that aren’t truly linked. These can become 'obstructive meanings' or internal 'knots.' In therapy, Elena works with clients to identify these knots, deconstruct them, and create healthier connections.

Elena's aim is to help clients craft a personal narrative that feels authentic and meaningful. She engages actively in the therapeutic process, offering perspectives that support new ways of seeing, relating, and being.

When appropriate she incorporates bodywork to facilitate trauma healing and utilises inner child work to help clients become aware of their internal dialogues, fostering healthier self-relationships.

Elena offers counselling and psychotherapy for individuals and couples online and from our Blackheath clinic, serving clients from Greenwich, Lewisham, and across South East and Central London.

Couples & Relationship Therapy:

Relationship therapy is for any important connection between two people, including couples, family members, friends, or colleagues. While relationships can bring closeness and fulfilment, they can also involve conflict, rupture, or misunderstanding.

Elena works actively with couples, structuring sessions so that both partners are able to speak and be heard. She intervenes in the moment to slow interactions, clarify what is being communicated, and help partners respond to each other more accurately rather than through defences or assumptions. Her role is not to take sides, but to make relational patterns visible and workable.

In her couples work, Elena specialises in working with neurodiverse couples, including where ADHD shapes communication, emotional regulation, and misunderstandings. She also works extensively with infidelity and breaches of trust, supporting couples in making sense of what has happened and deciding how to move forward. Elena is particularly interested in working with couples where differences in values, priorities, or life direction begin to affect day-to-day life, often becoming more pronounced during periods of transition, stress, or change.

Narcissistic Abuse:

Elena specialises in working with survivors of narcissistic abuse and coercive control.

She has been supporting survivors in understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of narcissistic relationships, processing the trauma, rebuilding their sense of reality and self, and moving toward empowerment.

Working with Elena means that you will work with someone who truly understands the difficult dilemmas, confusion, and challenges of making sense and/or leaving narcissistic dynamics. This therapeutic relationship aims to be a safe place where clients can experiment with new ways of being, voice their needs and wants, validate their feelings, and express their thoughts without fear of judgment or disapproval.

Elena believes that while relationships can traumatise us, they also have the power to heal us, with the therapeutic relationship being a key example.

Existential Themes

Elena has a particular interest in working with existential themes, including questions of meaning, choice, responsibility, freedom, and limitation. She supports clients in exploring how they make sense of their lives, relationships, and identities, particularly during periods of uncertainty, transition, or inner conflict.

This work often involves examining assumptions, values, and internal narratives, and creating space for clients to relate to themselves and their circumstances with greater honesty, flexibility, and agency.

ADHD:

Whether self-diagnosed, seeking guidance through the diagnostic process, or already diagnosed, Elena works with individuals with ADHD to help them understand their experiences of how ADHD shapes their lives. She explores the impact of growing up with (often undiagnosed) ADHD, and the ways it manifests in daily life. Alongside this exploratory work, Elena collaborates with clients to develop personalised strategies for managing symptoms, making sense of their experiences, and understanding the role ADHD has played in their life stories.

Betrayal Trauma:

Elena specialises in supporting individuals and couples impacted by betrayal trauma, including infidelity, secrecy, and breaches of trust. She helps clients navigate the intense emotional fallout of betrayal, shock, grief, anger, confusion, and the destabilisation of one’s sense of safety and reality.

Her work focuses on making sense of the traumatic impact of betrayal on both the individual and the relationship, while creating space for clients to explore their needs, boundaries, and choices going forward. The therapeutic space offers validation, clarity, and the possibility of restoring a sense of self, trust, and agency.

Elena understands that betrayal trauma can feel profoundly isolating, and she provides a safe, compassionate environment where clients can process their pain, rebuild stability, and begin to consider the future with greater strength and self-awareness.

Single Session Therapy

Single Session Therapy is designed for those who want focused support without committing to ongoing sessions. It can be helpful when facing a pressing concern, needing clarity about a decision, or wanting a safe space to reflect on a specific issue.

For individuals, it offers the chance to explore a challenge, gain perspective, and leave with greater insight and direction.

For couples, a longer two-hour session creates space to address relationship dynamics, communication struggles, or a particular dilemma. The aim is not to “solve everything” in one meeting but to provide meaningful progress, practical strategies, and a sense of next steps.