emilia yau

How I Work with Clients Before starting my counselling and psychotherapy practice, I worked as a corporate lawyer for almost a decade in international law firms and financial institutions in London and abroad. I can relate to lawyers and corporate business professionals, having personally experienced the culture for myself. I empathise and relate to corporate environments' unique stresses and demands. My counselling and psychotherapy is open and empathic, a confidential space that is private and peaceful and where you can feel supported. You'll gain a new perspective on what's going on in your life and feel more able to understand yourself better, and start to make different choices that can benefit your life. You won’t have to face issues alone. My style of counselling and psychotherapy is psychodynamic: our sessions may involve exploring past history and patterns of relating that are unconscious. Our childhood experiences affect our current experiences and expectations of relationships and situations in ways we are unaware of. My Therapeutic Styles I work Psychodynamically which means understanding the relationship between how the unconscious internal mind affects the external world. I apply Attachment Theory to help you understand how relationship bonds formed with early caregivers affect present relationships. I am informed in Polyvagal Theory which emphasises how the autonomic nervous system - especially the vagus nerve – regulates our health and behaviour. I use Jungian Psychology in ways such as exploring the shadow side of individuals, feminine and masculine aspects of personality where there is imbalance, phantasies and dreams. What is Psychodynamic Therapy? Psychodynamic therapy focuses on the psychological roots of distress and our earlier attachments and relationships. The importance of these experiences is critical in developing who you become. Did you feel the world around you was secure, attuned and responsive to your needs? What did you learn about what it took to meet your needs and for you to feel heard and seen? Psychodynamic therapy sessions involve a collaborative approach between us. The goal is to help you increase self-esteem, recognise your abilities, gain self-awareness, and communicate more effectively with your significant others. Your self-awareness is integral to discovering unconscious thought patterns and understanding how past experiences shaped them. Attachment theory Attachment theory focuses on relationships and bonds (particularly long-term) between people, including between a parent and child and between romantic partners. It is a psychological explanation for the emotional bonds and relationships between people. This Theory suggests that people are born with a need to forge bonds with caregivers as children. These early bonds may continue to influence attachments throughout life. Research indicates that insecure attachments early in life can affect behaviour in later childhood and throughout life. Polyvagal Theory This emphasises how the autonomic nervous system - especially the vagus nerve – regulates our health and behaviour. The Theory describes the physiological/psychological states that underlie our daily behaviour and challenges related to our wellness and mental health. By applying Polyvagal Theory to our personal lives, we can understand how safety, co-regulation, and connection are paramount to a healthy human experience. Polyvagal Theory shows us that when faced with threat or danger, we first turn to our social engagement system to re-establish safety (we turn to trusted others). If that does not bring us to safety or the danger is severe and immediate, we turn to our fight/flight response. If that does not secure us, our mind and body collapse and shut down. Jungian therapy This focuses more on the source of a problem than on its manifestations or symptoms. The shadow, an individual's repressed experiences and memories, in combination with the collective unconscious, or the inherent hidden beliefs that everyone in a given society at a given time has, resulting in an imbalance between conscious awareness and the unconscious mind that has a detrimental effect on one's emotional life. I use Jungian psychology in ways such as exploring the shadow side of individuals, and feminine and masculine aspects of personality where there may be imbalance, phantasies and dreams. CBT for Menopause Informed by The BMS Menopause is not just a physical experience. For many women it arrives as a quiet disruption to sleep, to mood, to the sense of knowing who they are and how to manage. Things that once felt effortless can suddenly feel effortful. It can be used alongside HRT or other treatments, as an alternative for women who cannot or prefer not to take it, including women who have experienced breast cancer for whom HRT may not be suitable. Working together, we take the time to understand your particular experience and find new ways forward.

I have extensive experience of working with clients in private practice both in London and Tunbridge Wells and online, before this I trained and worked in a therapeutic agency setting. I first began my career as a lawyer in the corporate sector internationally and in London. I recently trained with the BMS to offer support to women going through the perimenopause or menopause using CBT as an alternative or adjunct to HRT. I have worked with many types of ages and professions online within the UK as well as internationally, as well as in person in Tunbridge Wells and at London Bridge.

British Menopause Society Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Menopause Foundations Certificate Jungian Psychology The SAP Diploma Psychodynamic Counselling The Counselling Centre Diploma Legal Practice LLB (Hons) British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy Accredited Member MBACP (Accred) 380211 Member Law Society of Scotland