Maria Laskou - Profile

Hello and welcome! I am Maria, an experienced and BACP Accredited Humanistic counsellor working with adult and young adult clients 18+ on an individual basis. My practice is based at the Eaves in central Farnham and online, and I offer both long-term and time-limited therapy depending on your individual needs.

Areas of interest and experience:

I have a special interest in working with neurodivergent individuals and in helping them lead a fulfilling life aligned to their unique needs. I am also very interested in working with people who struggle with low self-confidence/low self-esteem and in enabling them to develop a more positive view of themselves. Additionally, I have a keen interest in helping individuals who experience mental health difficulties and in supporting them to create a meaningful life despite their struggles.

I have extensive experience in working with clients who face a wide range of issues, such as: Neurodiversity (ASD, ADHD), anxiety, social anxiety, stress, panic attacks, depression, low-mood, attachment issues, identity issues, grief and loss, physical and emotional abuse/neglect, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, low self-confidence/self-esteem, shame, life transitions, Trauma, C-PTSD, lack of meaning and purpose, relationship issues, and loneliness. During my work, I have also successfully supported clients who face more severe mental health difficulties, such as: bipolar disorder and personality disorders.

How I work:

I am committed to offering a warm and confidential environment where you can feel safe to explore anything that is troubling you and causing you distress. I aim to offer a space without judgement where you can express all your thoughts and feelings and where you can explore your past and present experiences as well as the impact they may still be having on your life. I offer a space in which you can examine your patterns of thinking and behaviour, your current coping mechanisms, and the way you relate to yourself and to others, and I aim to support you in making the changes that you may want to make.

In our work together, I will not be telling you what to do and I will not be trying to “fix you”, but I will provide a therapeutic relationship in which you will feel truly listened to, respected and accepted, so that you can be facilitated in trusting yourself more and in finding the right answers for yourself. I aim to provide a safe space in which you can gradually heal and grow in your own unique way.

The first session:

I strongly believe that it is very important to feel comfortable with your counsellor, and for this reason I offer the initial 50-minute introductory session at the reduced fee of £40 as an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have and to get a sense of whether I am the right counsellor for you. In this initial session, I will ask you about your hopes and expectations of counselling, about previous counselling experience and whether it was helpful or not so helpful for you. I will also explain the way we could work together, with the hope that by the end of our initial meeting you will have a sense of whether working with me would be beneficial for you.

If you want to find more about me and my practice you can visit my website: www.mlcounselling.uk

I have a wide range of experience working with adult and young adult clients 18+, on a long-term, open-ended basis or for an agreed period of time depending on my clients’ needs and on the complexity of the issues they want to work on.

In addition to my private practice, I have had extensive experience working as a psychotherapeutic counsellor at a local charity which provides counselling and well-being support to people who experience a broad range of both common and more severe Mental Health difficulties.