Aishwarya Kulkarni
(she/her)
Integrative Psychotherapist & Couples Therapist
Verified by It's Complicated
Available for new clients
I offer a calm, supportive space for individuals and couples to explore emotions, patterns, and connection — using Person-Centered and Psychodynamic approaches to gently deepen self-understanding and healing.
I specialize in:
At a glance
Last active
Note from AishwaryaAvailable Mon–Fri for individual, couple, or family therapy. Welcoming 18+ clients from diverse backgrounds. Pop a message if interested!
Usually responds within 12 hours
About me
Hi, I’m Aishwarya — a psychotherapist certified in the UK, with roots in Mumbai and a deep belief in the power of honest, human connection.
I’ll admit: writing about myself like this feels a little strange. I’d much rather meet you in conversation, where pauses, eye contact, and silences can do their quiet work. But I also know how important it is to get a sense of who you’re choosing to share your inner world with. Therapy is intimate work. It’s brave work. And it helps to know that the person sitting across from you is human too.
So, here’s some of my story.
I grew up in Mumbai — a city that pulses with life and noise and movement. I was the quiet one. The kid who listened more than she spoke. I often felt things deeply but wasn’t always sure how or where to place those feelings. I was drawn to slower conversations, meaningful questions, and the hidden layers under people’s words. At the time, I didn’t know that this was the beginning of what would become my life’s work.
My academic path began with a Master’s in Applied Psychology in India. But it was my second Master’s — in Counselling — that changed me the most. I moved to the UK in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to complete that training. It was a leap into uncertainty — new systems, new culture, total isolation, and a sea of questions. It challenged every part of me: emotionally, relationally, even physically. And yet, it also cracked me open in ways I hadn't expected. That season reshaped not only how I saw myself, but how I show up as a therapist.
In that in-between space — neither fully settled nor entirely lost — I learned how to build community from scratch, how to ask for help, and how to sit with discomfort without needing to fix it right away. I began to understand what it means to feel like a stranger in a new land, even to oneself. I also learned that survival isn’t the end goal. Living fully — with presence, clarity, and connection — is.
That experience now lives in the room with me. Many of my clients are navigating cross-cultural shifts, identity confusion, belonging wounds, or transitions that don’t come with tidy instructions. I don’t offer quick answers. But I do know how to sit with those questions, and how to help you listen to the parts of yourself that may not have had much of a voice before.
Professionally, my work draws from Person-Centered and Psychodynamic approaches. That means I meet you where you are — with respect, curiosity, and warmth — and we explore not just your present experience, but how past relationships and beliefs might still be shaping your emotional world. I also integrate tools from Emotion-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Systems Theory, and Transactional Analysis — especially in my work with couples, or when working with family dynamics and roles that feel hard to shake.
But beyond any method or theory, I believe the most powerful part of therapy is the relationship itself — one built on safety, honesty, and genuine care. I aim to create a space where you don’t have to perform or get it all “right.” Where your contradictions are welcome. Where you can bring your anger, your numbness, your joy, your confusion, and your grief — and trust that none of it is too much.
I also want to be transparent: I’ve been in therapy myself for several years. It’s one of the most transformative and grounding relationships in my life. It has helped me meet my own blind spots, soften toward the parts of me I used to avoid, and move through both personal and professional challenges with more integrity. That ongoing work continues to shape me — and it’s one reason I deeply respect the courage it takes to show up, week after week, to your own process.
Outside of the therapy room, I recharge through painting — mostly pastels and acrylics — and through dancing Kathak, a classical Indian dance form that brings together rhythm, expression, and storytelling. These creative practices help me stay grounded, embodied, and connected to a different kind of language — one that doesn’t rely on words but still tells the truth.
As a therapist, I don’t promise certainty. But I do offer steadiness. I will meet you with curiosity, honesty, and care — and walk alongside you as you begin (or continue) the work of untangling, remembering, healing, and reconnecting with yourself.
If something in this story resonates with yours — even just a little — I’d be honored to work with you.
I’ll admit: writing about myself like this feels a little strange. I’d much rather meet you in conversation, where pauses, eye contact, and silences can do their quiet work. But I also know how important it is to get a sense of who you’re choosing to share your inner world with. Therapy is intimate work. It’s brave work. And it helps to know that the person sitting across from you is human too.
So, here’s some of my story.
I grew up in Mumbai — a city that pulses with life and noise and movement. I was the quiet one. The kid who listened more than she spoke. I often felt things deeply but wasn’t always sure how or where to place those feelings. I was drawn to slower conversations, meaningful questions, and the hidden layers under people’s words. At the time, I didn’t know that this was the beginning of what would become my life’s work.
My academic path began with a Master’s in Applied Psychology in India. But it was my second Master’s — in Counselling — that changed me the most. I moved to the UK in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to complete that training. It was a leap into uncertainty — new systems, new culture, total isolation, and a sea of questions. It challenged every part of me: emotionally, relationally, even physically. And yet, it also cracked me open in ways I hadn't expected. That season reshaped not only how I saw myself, but how I show up as a therapist.
In that in-between space — neither fully settled nor entirely lost — I learned how to build community from scratch, how to ask for help, and how to sit with discomfort without needing to fix it right away. I began to understand what it means to feel like a stranger in a new land, even to oneself. I also learned that survival isn’t the end goal. Living fully — with presence, clarity, and connection — is.
That experience now lives in the room with me. Many of my clients are navigating cross-cultural shifts, identity confusion, belonging wounds, or transitions that don’t come with tidy instructions. I don’t offer quick answers. But I do know how to sit with those questions, and how to help you listen to the parts of yourself that may not have had much of a voice before.
Professionally, my work draws from Person-Centered and Psychodynamic approaches. That means I meet you where you are — with respect, curiosity, and warmth — and we explore not just your present experience, but how past relationships and beliefs might still be shaping your emotional world. I also integrate tools from Emotion-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Systems Theory, and Transactional Analysis — especially in my work with couples, or when working with family dynamics and roles that feel hard to shake.
But beyond any method or theory, I believe the most powerful part of therapy is the relationship itself — one built on safety, honesty, and genuine care. I aim to create a space where you don’t have to perform or get it all “right.” Where your contradictions are welcome. Where you can bring your anger, your numbness, your joy, your confusion, and your grief — and trust that none of it is too much.
I also want to be transparent: I’ve been in therapy myself for several years. It’s one of the most transformative and grounding relationships in my life. It has helped me meet my own blind spots, soften toward the parts of me I used to avoid, and move through both personal and professional challenges with more integrity. That ongoing work continues to shape me — and it’s one reason I deeply respect the courage it takes to show up, week after week, to your own process.
Outside of the therapy room, I recharge through painting — mostly pastels and acrylics — and through dancing Kathak, a classical Indian dance form that brings together rhythm, expression, and storytelling. These creative practices help me stay grounded, embodied, and connected to a different kind of language — one that doesn’t rely on words but still tells the truth.
As a therapist, I don’t promise certainty. But I do offer steadiness. I will meet you with curiosity, honesty, and care — and walk alongside you as you begin (or continue) the work of untangling, remembering, healing, and reconnecting with yourself.
If something in this story resonates with yours — even just a little — I’d be honored to work with you.
I speak:
EnglishHindiMarathi
Location:
London, United Kingdom
Approach
Treatment Approaches
Integrative therapy Recommended for those who prefer a flexible approach that combines different therapies to meet their unique needs.
Systemic ApproachRecommended for those who want to look at how different systems—like family, work, or society—affect their behavior and relationships.
Transactional analysisRecommended for those who want to understand and improve their interactions with others by exploring the roles they take on in relationships.
There’s no single formula for good therapy — and no fixed way I approach every client. Because you are not a diagnosis. You’re a person, with stories, relationships, memories, beliefs, longings, habits, and hurts that have brought you here.
What I can offer is this: a space that is warm, honest, and steady. A space where you don’t need to perform or be “on.” A space where your feelings — even the confusing, contradictory, or uncomfortable ones — have room to breathe.
I work from a Person-Centered foundation, which means I begin with you — your pace, your readiness, your way of showing up. I believe that when people are met with real empathy and respect, they naturally begin to move toward growth and healing. I also draw from Psychodynamic therapy, which helps us explore how your present experience may be shaped by past relationships, attachment patterns, and internalized roles that no longer serve you — or perhaps never did.
Depending on what’s unfolding in our work, I also bring in Emotion-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Systems Theory, and Transactional Analysis. These approaches help us make sense of your emotional responses, the stories you’ve carried (and maybe outgrown), and the unconscious dynamics that show up in relationships — including the one with yourself.
In my work with individuals, people often come to me feeling overwhelmed, numb, emotionally distant from themselves, or just unable to make sense of what’s going on internally. Sometimes there’s a clear life event — a loss, a change, a breakup, a transition. Other times it’s more of a quiet ache: Why do I always feel like this? Why do I keep ending up here?
We can start wherever you are. You don’t need polished language or a clear goal. Therapy is a place where you can slow down, hear yourself more clearly, and begin to relate to your emotions, thoughts, and patterns with less fear and more curiosity. We’ll look at what has shaped you — not to stay stuck in the past, but to better understand your present and move forward with more freedom and self-trust.
In my work with couples, the starting point is often a loop — a repeated dynamic that feels frustrating, familiar, and hard to break. Maybe you’re stuck in cycles of conflict. Maybe the emotional closeness has faded. Maybe cultural differences, family roles, or unspoken expectations are creating a quiet distance between you. Or maybe you just don’t feel understood anymore.
My role is to help each partner feel heard — not only by me, but by each other. I help couples slow down reactive patterns, surface the emotions underneath the blame or shutdown, and begin to understand what each person is really longing for. That doesn’t always mean “fixing” the relationship. Sometimes it’s about growing inside it. Sometimes it’s about learning how to let go with more compassion and clarity. Either way, we work together to make sense of what’s unfolding between you — and what your relationship is asking for now.
My approach with both individuals and couples is deeply relational. I’m not a blank slate. I’m present in the work — warm, real, sometimes gently challenging, and always holding your dignity at the center. I believe therapy should feel safe but also meaningful. That means I’ll follow your lead, but I won’t leave you floating. We’ll explore what’s difficult, but we’ll also notice what’s strong, beautiful, and resilient in you.
I’ve worked with people navigating cross-cultural identity, migration, grief, shame, family estrangement, anxiety, burnout, relational trauma, sexuality, and self-worth — but I don’t see clients as categories. I see people. I know the courage it takes to ask for support — especially when you’re used to managing things on your own, or when emotional expression hasn’t always felt safe.
And I also know therapy isn’t a one-way street. I’ve been in it too — for years. As a therapist and as a person. And it continues to teach me that healing doesn’t come from fixing everything, but from learning how to be with yourself in a new way. With more presence. More honesty. More kindness.
So whether you arrive with a clear story or a quiet, nagging feeling… whether you’re navigating a crisis or just sensing that something needs to shift… you’re welcome in this space. We’ll go at your pace. We’ll honor your story. And we’ll stay curious — together.
What I can offer is this: a space that is warm, honest, and steady. A space where you don’t need to perform or be “on.” A space where your feelings — even the confusing, contradictory, or uncomfortable ones — have room to breathe.
I work from a Person-Centered foundation, which means I begin with you — your pace, your readiness, your way of showing up. I believe that when people are met with real empathy and respect, they naturally begin to move toward growth and healing. I also draw from Psychodynamic therapy, which helps us explore how your present experience may be shaped by past relationships, attachment patterns, and internalized roles that no longer serve you — or perhaps never did.
Depending on what’s unfolding in our work, I also bring in Emotion-Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Systems Theory, and Transactional Analysis. These approaches help us make sense of your emotional responses, the stories you’ve carried (and maybe outgrown), and the unconscious dynamics that show up in relationships — including the one with yourself.
In my work with individuals, people often come to me feeling overwhelmed, numb, emotionally distant from themselves, or just unable to make sense of what’s going on internally. Sometimes there’s a clear life event — a loss, a change, a breakup, a transition. Other times it’s more of a quiet ache: Why do I always feel like this? Why do I keep ending up here?
We can start wherever you are. You don’t need polished language or a clear goal. Therapy is a place where you can slow down, hear yourself more clearly, and begin to relate to your emotions, thoughts, and patterns with less fear and more curiosity. We’ll look at what has shaped you — not to stay stuck in the past, but to better understand your present and move forward with more freedom and self-trust.
In my work with couples, the starting point is often a loop — a repeated dynamic that feels frustrating, familiar, and hard to break. Maybe you’re stuck in cycles of conflict. Maybe the emotional closeness has faded. Maybe cultural differences, family roles, or unspoken expectations are creating a quiet distance between you. Or maybe you just don’t feel understood anymore.
My role is to help each partner feel heard — not only by me, but by each other. I help couples slow down reactive patterns, surface the emotions underneath the blame or shutdown, and begin to understand what each person is really longing for. That doesn’t always mean “fixing” the relationship. Sometimes it’s about growing inside it. Sometimes it’s about learning how to let go with more compassion and clarity. Either way, we work together to make sense of what’s unfolding between you — and what your relationship is asking for now.
My approach with both individuals and couples is deeply relational. I’m not a blank slate. I’m present in the work — warm, real, sometimes gently challenging, and always holding your dignity at the center. I believe therapy should feel safe but also meaningful. That means I’ll follow your lead, but I won’t leave you floating. We’ll explore what’s difficult, but we’ll also notice what’s strong, beautiful, and resilient in you.
I’ve worked with people navigating cross-cultural identity, migration, grief, shame, family estrangement, anxiety, burnout, relational trauma, sexuality, and self-worth — but I don’t see clients as categories. I see people. I know the courage it takes to ask for support — especially when you’re used to managing things on your own, or when emotional expression hasn’t always felt safe.
And I also know therapy isn’t a one-way street. I’ve been in it too — for years. As a therapist and as a person. And it continues to teach me that healing doesn’t come from fixing everything, but from learning how to be with yourself in a new way. With more presence. More honesty. More kindness.
So whether you arrive with a clear story or a quiet, nagging feeling… whether you’re navigating a crisis or just sensing that something needs to shift… you’re welcome in this space. We’ll go at your pace. We’ll honor your story. And we’ll stay curious — together.
Experience
4 years in practice
- 2024- Present- Private Practice
2023-2024- CAMFA Therapist for Adults and Young people with Adferiad Recovery, North Wales, UK (14 to 25 years)
-2021-2023- Parabl Talking therapy Counsellor and Assessor, with Adferiad Recovery, North Wales, UK (18 years and above).
-2021-2023Therapist Counsellor- North Wales Women’s Centre, North Wales, UK (18 years and above female population).
-2021-2023- Student Counsellor- The Mix, UK (18-25 years).
2019-2020- Assistant Professor- Sheth NKTT College of Commerce and Arts, Thane, India.
2016-2017-Volunteer Befriender, Samaritans Mumbai, India.
2023-2024- CAMFA Therapist for Adults and Young people with Adferiad Recovery, North Wales, UK (14 to 25 years)
-2021-2023- Parabl Talking therapy Counsellor and Assessor, with Adferiad Recovery, North Wales, UK (18 years and above).
-2021-2023Therapist Counsellor- North Wales Women’s Centre, North Wales, UK (18 years and above female population).
-2021-2023- Student Counsellor- The Mix, UK (18-25 years).
2019-2020- Assistant Professor- Sheth NKTT College of Commerce and Arts, Thane, India.
2016-2017-Volunteer Befriender, Samaritans Mumbai, India.
Education
2022- Passed Certificate of Proficiency Test (CoP) by British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
2022- M.Sc. in Counselling- Bangor University, North Wales, United Kingdom.
2017- M.A. in Applied Psychology (Industrial and Organizational), University of Mumbai, India.
2015- B.A. in Psychology, Ramnarain Ruia College of Arts and Science, India.
2022- M.Sc. in Counselling- Bangor University, North Wales, United Kingdom.
2017- M.A. in Applied Psychology (Industrial and Organizational), University of Mumbai, India.
2015- B.A. in Psychology, Ramnarain Ruia College of Arts and Science, India.
Services
Individual Session
£30 • 50 min • Online
Insurances
Reimbursement
At a glance
Last active
Note from AishwaryaAvailable Mon–Fri for individual, couple, or family therapy. Welcoming 18+ clients from diverse backgrounds. Pop a message if interested!
Usually responds within 12 hours
Next available: Mar 16