COUNSELLING SERVICES
Life leaves marks,
Counselling is how you begin to understand them.
Sometimes those marks show up as anxiety, low self-esteem, difficult relationships or patterns that seem to repeat themselves. Sometimes they are harder to name, a feeling that something isn't quite right, that you're stuck, or that you're not fully present in your own life.
Counselling offers a safe and confidential space to slow down, make sense of what you're experiencing and understand what may be underneath it. Together, we can explore what has shaped you, how it affects you today, and what you might want to change.
WHO THIS IS FOR
You don't have to be in crisis to deserve support
Past trauma & childhood experiences
You may be carrying experiences from childhood that still affect how you see yourself, relate to others or experience the world today. This may include childhood sexual, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or experiences you've never felt able to fully talk about.
Relationship difficulties
You may find yourself repeating patterns in relationships, struggling to trust or connect with others, or finding it difficult to express what you need.
We can explore where these patterns come from and how you might begin to relate differently.
Anxiety, stress & burnout
When life feels overwhelming, it can be difficult to switch off, think clearly or feel like yourself. You may be experiencing anxiety, low mood, exhaustion or burnout, and struggling to understand why you feel this way.
Low self-esteem, shame & the inner critic
You may be constantly questioning yourself, comparing yourself with others or feeling that you're never quite good enough.
Counselling can help you understand where these feelings come from and develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with yourself.
Chinese professionals in the UK
Working hard, delivering results, and still feeling invisible or passed over. Navigating a workplace culture that doesn't always see you clearly, in ways that are hard to name but impossible to ignore.
Managing academic pressure, family expectations, and an identity pulled in two directions at once. Far from home, often struggling alone with no one nearby who truly understands what you're carrying.
Chinese students in the UK
HOW I WORK
A space to explore at your own pace
I offer an integrative approach to counselling, drawing on person-centred, psychodynamic and CBT-informed approaches, alongside trauma-aware practice.
This means I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. We start with where you are and explore what feels most important to you, at a pace that feels manageable.
Sometimes this means understanding experiences from the past. Sometimes it means making sense of what is happening in your life now. And sometimes it means finding practical ways to respond differently to thoughts, feelings or patterns that are no longer serving you.
My role is not to tell you what to do, but to listen carefully, ask thoughtful questions and help you develop a deeper understanding of yourself.
WHAT CHANGES
What becomes possible
What changes is different for everyone, but clients typically find that the patterns that were running their lives - the reactions, the avoidance, the ways of relating to people that were never quite working start to loosen. They begin to understand themselves in a way they didn't before. Relationships become less fraught. Decisions become clearer. And the past, while it doesn't disappear, stops being quite so present in every room.
“Yan is an excellent counsellor. Who genuinely cares she understands your challenges in life whilst maintaining her professionalism . I walk out of her sessions feeling heard and accepted for who I am . She makes me feel very comfortable and this has led me to open up with her .
COUNSELLING CLIENT
“Yan has been a guiding hand throughout my therapy. She has created a calm, reflective and empathetic space that has allowed me to move forward. I feel safe with her and trust that she listens whilst supporting me to go deeper. This is the first time in my adult life I have felt on the path to healing, and my work with Yan has been central to this.”
COUNSELLING CLIENT
"Yan's warmth and humanity provides a safe and accepting environment in which I feel able to open up and expose the maelstrom of emotions that I had buried and her rigorous analytical approach puts those feelings into context and perspective. At the heart of our relationship is an honesty that she enables. Our sessions always leave me feeling lighter"
COUNSELLING CLIENT
"I walk out of her sessions feeling heard and accepted for who I am. She has helped me come to a place of self-awareness, through her diligence, patience, and sensitivity."
COUNSELLING CLIENT