A path to
self-discovery

Counselling is a process of profound exploration of our internal world, with the help and support of a qualified therapist.

The benefits of counselling

Clients often tell me they gain new perspectives on their lives, feel understood and validated, and find relief in not being alone with complex emotions. My calm and supportive presence, combined with my cultural background, allows for a straightforward and insightful approach.

Maybe you're feeling stuck and know something needs to change. You might question your identity or long for better self trust and relationships.

This is where I can help.

  • Every path is unique. Therapy thrives on the relationship between therapist and client. My goal is to build a genuine, empathetic, and transparent connection with you, creating a safe space for exploration.

    Talking therapy can address past trauma, heal your inner child, improve relationships, and manage anxiety. Whether you seek a brief intervention or a deeper exploration, counselling can help you navigate your thoughts and feelings.

  • The first step towards personal growth is recognising areas for change. I'll guide you in this process, gently challenging limiting beliefs to uncover your values, feelings, and thoughts. Therapy is a safe space to explore your pain, and I'll be there for you every step of the way.

    My approach incorporates somatic techniques, inviting you to connect with your body's awareness during sessions. This multi-faceted exploration can lead to lasting positive change, often through seemingly small shifts.

    Therapy requires vulnerability, a shedding of protective armour. While vulnerability may seem like weakness, it actually unlocks a wider range of emotions and experiences. Together, we can build a genuine connection that opens the door to lasting transformation.

Areas of counselling

I am an experienced professional and work with many different issues.
Click on the following to read more about:

Low self esteem | Boarding school therapy

Relationship & couple work | Cross cultural transition & identity counselling

Low self esteem

Low self esteem is at the base of many mental health issues.

Our relationships and experiences of the early years shape how we interpret and automatically respond to the world.

There are factors that will have contributed to your low self-esteem:

  • Your position in the family: first, middle, last child, blended family.

  • Other relatives: influence of siblings. 

  • What sort of school you went to: were you sent away at an early age? Were you bullied? Or maybe you just could not fit in?

  • Your social class: Did you feel you had to hide were you came from?

  • Your gender: do you think you had to adapt of societal expectations?

Whichever part of society you were born in, whichever country you come from or whichever ethnic or sexual minority you align yourself with, you might have encountered experiences that made you feel you didn’t belong. 

    • Do you find difficult to decide or to communicate clearly what you want?

    • Are you afraid of taking risks? 

    • Do you need constant validation from others? 

    • Do you find difficult to receive compliments or criticism?

    • Are you struggling in relationships?

    • Would you like to feel calmer and in control of yourself?

  • Many people experience negative self talk, compare themselves to others, and crave external validation. Therapy can provide a safe space to be seen, heard, and validated without judgment.

  • Let's work together. I can support you on your journey towards healing and growth.

Boarding school therapy

Even socially privileged education can leave lasting impacts.

The unique challenges faced by ex-boarders can shape their adult personalities and relationship dynamics. Psychotherapist Joy Schaverien coined the term "boarding school syndrome" to describe this set of learned behaviours and emotional struggles stemming from an institutional upbringing.

These effects can influence not only the ex-boarder, but also their partners, children, and families.

Boarding school can leave a child confused, lost or feeling abandoned. These feelings can be carried on in adulthood. One of the ways that children learn to survive in boarding school is by suppressing their feelings from others and themselves. Some ex boarders describe themselves as having a fragmented personality. 

    • Over-scheduling

    • Shutting down emotionally

    • Mistrusting others deeply

    • Struggling intimately in relationships

    • Feeling like an imposter

    • Being highly independent and competent yet struggling to ask for help?

  • I have completed specialised training with Nick Duffel and continue to learn from him.

    By integrating trauma informed and attachment theory into my practice, I can facilitate you to make changes in your life.

    • Trust others more and create more balanced relationships

    • Process the negative memories of your days at school 

    • Shed the coping mechanisms that you no longer need

    • Overcome the fear of rejection and abandonment 

    • Feel less angry, guilty, ashamed 

Relationship & couple work

Are you feeling isolated, rejected, inadequate, and unseen?

We are social creatures, and struggling in relationships can leave you feeling unhappy and lonely. Sometimes it can be difficult to imagine that things will get better.

    • Do you find it hard to trust after a betrayal? 

    • Are constant arguments or a lack of communication draining your relationships?

    • Do you feel like you run parallel lives under the same roof?

    • Are you struggling with intimacy?

    • Do you feel unheard, unseen and misunderstood?

  • Build healthier communication and create the loving relationship you have always wanted.

    Trying to repair these connections on your own can be overwhelming. Let's work together to build healthier communication and create stronger bonds.

  • Therapy provides a non judgemental space where you can explore your relationship dynamics. You will both get fresh perspective and new ways of being with one another. It can help rediscovering individual identities within the relationship. I can work with individuals and couples.

Cross cultural transition & identity counselling

Do you struggle to feel at home, even in your own house or community?

Maybe you feel like you don't belong, and no matter where you look you don’t identify with a group.

    • Have you moved from another country and you feel like you can’t grasp the unwritten rule of the culture you are in?

    • Perhaps you are trying to figure out who you are, feeling different from those around you.

    • Are you married to someone from a different culture and experience misunderstanding?

  • Counselling can help navigate these confusing transitions. It offers support, guidance, and strategies for dealing with the challenges of living in a new cultural context. It can also help you explore your cultural identity and how it shapes your experiences.

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.”

- Carl Roger

Ways to work with me

In-person

Meet me for sessions in a beautiful and comfortable room in the heart of York.

Online

Online counselling is as effective as face to face sessions but it is a personal preference.

Walk and talk

If traditional talking therapy is challenging for you, why not consider walk and talk therapy in York.

“The difference between fitting in and belonging is that by fitting in, by its very definition, is to parcel off our wholeness in exchange for acceptance"

- Toko-Pa Turner

FAQs

  • Counselling is a form of talking therapy that allows clients to be listened to in a safe and confidential environment.

    It is a creative collaboration between two people. The fact that your therapist is unconnected to your every day life means that you are free to talk about yourself without the fear of being judged.

    As an integrative therapist I will use different approaches and techniques to help you understand your thoughts, feelings and behaviours.

    Counselling is a journey and it usually involves regular sessions. I will review our work together after 7 sessions and check how you are finding the process and see if you are getting what you want.

    People usually access counselling when they want to change something in their lives, so having a clear idea of what you would like to work on could help the process.

    There doesn’t need to be something wrong with you to get therapy, we can all benefit from understanding ourselves.

    Therapy can help express feelings in a healthy way, build better relationships, give you tools to make better decisions and boost your self-esteem.

  • Yes, counselling can help you work through your feelings, fears, thoughts as sometimes they can be too big to deal with alone.

  • Each session last 50 minutes. Counselling is usually a weekly session to explore your issues, but we will agree how often we have our sessions together, and how many appointments you have will depend on your individual circumstances.

  • The information shared during the session with a client are kept private and not disclosed to anyone without the client’s consent.

  • Counselling is a relationship between two people.

    It takes time to find the right therapist. So, if after a few sessions you don’t think we are a good fit, it is ok to find another one. It is important that you feel comfortable working with me, so it may take a few sessions to understand if I am the right therapist for you.

  • I am an integrative therapist, which means that I integrate different approaches in my work. Since I have gained my post graduate Diploma in Counselling and Psychoterapy , I have made my ongoing professional development into a passion and trained in several modalities, including Transactional analysis, Attachment theory, developmental trauma. Also I have further training in coaching and couple work.

  • Please fill in the form in the Contact page and I will aim to reply within 48 hours. Alternatively you can send me an email at info@zairaguerra.com

Ready to take the first step?

If you're ready to invest in a better relationship with yourself and others, I'd love to hear from you. Schedule a free 20 minute Zoom consultation by contacting me via the get in touch form.