Laleh Habib Therapy
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!
Hafiz
Welcome to your healing journey.
Congratulations for taking this step. While starting therapy can be daunting, I believe it is the most important journey one can take; asking for help in our difficult moments, seeking resources and support, challenging ourselves to grow and change, and finding and honouring our true self.
My goal is to walk alongside you in this path, to provide a safe, supportive, and non-judgemental space to explore your emotions and past experiences, uncover and overcome unhelpful patterns and self-limiting beliefs, and achieve personal growth as well as your unique goals for therapy.
My deepest personal experience confirms that each of us has the power to heal ourselves, if provided with the right environment and resources. I am committed to meeting you where you are in your path, acknowledging the events and conditioning that have shaped you, whilst also looking beyond the total of your experiences, to the deeper essence of who you really are.
About Me
I am Laleh, a qualified integrative transpersonal psychotherapist (UKCP and BACP accredited) based in London. I came to psychotherapy after a decade of working in the not-for-profit and international development sectors, and through my own journey, and yoga and reflective practices.
My training encompasses a variety of approaches and modalities, such as psychodynamic therapy, humanistic approaches, existential psychotherapy, and integrative transpersonal philosophy. Additionally, I have a background in yoga therapy, mindfulness, visualisations, and somatic enquiry. Throughout our journey together, I may draw upon various therapeutic techniques, depending on where you are in your journey, in service to your continued growth and healing.
Over the past 7+ years, I have worked with clients presenting with a range of conditions including, but not limited to, trauma and overwhelm, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, domestic abuse, and nervous system dysregulation. I also have experience working with elderly and marginalised populations, including individuals effected by homelessness, through my work at a crises centre, and at low-cost counselling services.
“What is the bravest thing you've ever said? asked the boy.
'Help,' said the horse.
'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse
How I work
“What happens when people open their hearts? They get better.”
Haruki Murakami
I believe that therapy is a shared journey, where you are the expert in your own experience, and only you can decide the best course of action for your life. My role is to provide a safe, non-judgemental space for you to explore your feelings and thoughts, to feel heard and seen, and to uncover who you truly are – and not just who you have had to be.
My core training is in Integrative Tanspersonal Psychotherapy, which draws upon the wisdom of many other psychotherapy traditions, including psychodynamic, humanistic and existential perspectives, whilst also looking beyond to the unique essence of each individual.
I believe in a holistic approach that includes explore all aspects of your life and experience, from your thinking patterns and life scripts, dreams and intuition, as well as the felt sense. In our sessions, we explore your past experiences, significant relationships, present challenges, and your goals. I work creatively and intuitively, and may offer dream analysis, breath work, somatic enquiry and creative imagination exercises. The content and structure of each session may look very different and are dependent on is most suitable and accessible in each moment, and what spontaneously and intuitively arises.
The therapeutic relationship
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!
Hafiz
Research reveals that it is the strength of the therapeutic alliance, rather than a particular technique or approach, that is the greatest indicator of success in therapy. I am committed to providing a supportive and safe environment for therapy and ask that you commit to the process as well. I use a holistic, integrative approach and endevour to meet each client wherever they are in their journey, honouring their life experiences, while also looking beyond, to who they truly are.
I provide a safe, confidential space for you to work through your life’s challenges, develop new, healthy resources and coping strategies, and develop an increased sense of self awareness. This can allow for something new to emerge, and for old, unhelpful patterns to be left behind.
Areas of focus
I work with individuals to help understand and resolve a wide range of emotional difficulties including, but not limited to, depression and anxiety; life crises and bereavement; relationship problems, trauma, attachment issues, and existential concerns. I use an integrative approach that incorporates a combination of therapeutic modalities in order to meet you wherever you are in your journey.
Exploring early childhood experiences and relationships
"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to know the place for the first time.”
T.S.Eliot
While we cannot change what has happened to us, we have the power to reshape our relationship to our past experiences, to no longer be in a place of reactivity, and to choose our responses in the present moment. In our sessions we may identify past patterning and life scripts and examine whether these beliefs and habits continue to serve and support us. The intention is that in so doing, we empower ourselves to move forward in ways that are authentic and can enable us to achieve our goals.
Life’s Transitions
“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
Victor Frankl
Life’s transitions and crises can challenge us, they may strip away our former identities and attachments, and leave us feeling ungrounded. I believe that every life crisis and transition presents as an opportunity and invitation about how to move forward in a way that is more aligned with who we are, and where we want to me. How do we move forward in a way that honours what we have experienced?
Trauma
“Trauma is not what happens to you. It’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.”
Gabor Mate
Difficult experiences in our lives can sometimes overwhelm our ability to cope, and can leave deep, long-lasting imprints on our minds, often residing silently within us as trauma. Whether stemming from childhood experiences, accidents, or attachment wounds, trauma can affect how we perceive and interact with the world.
I believe that we are not defined by what happens to us, and have agency in determining how we would like to move forward. My goal is to provide a trauma-informed, safe and empathetic space to help you navigate and heal from these experiences, to process emotions, discover and strengthen resources, build a sense of security and foster residence.