Holistic Psychotherapy with C Covella
I am a person-centred therapist, which put simply means that my goal in our work together is to listen to and understand your experience, without getting in the way with my own opinions. In my experience, this can help you value and trust your sense of things, and be more connected to what you want, what you need, and how you want to move towards these. I also really hope to give you a space where you can feel safe and cared about while you express and explore yourself, however that shows up.
I’m not here to give advice or try to guess, based on my own feelings, what is right for you. My expertise lies in getting as good a view as possible of what life looks like for you, without added filters to it, so that your voice can become stronger and clearer both internally and externally. I also aim to help you to understand your experience by giving you context around why you might be having a certain reaction, if this is relevant and you find it helpful. This is not to point to what your brain or body are doing wrong – it’s to embrace what is happening and work with it with compassion and understanding. The positive effects of this are different for everyone – increased self-esteem, coexisting better with a disability or situation, more fulfilling relationships, coming to terms with traumatic events, or letting go of protections you no longer need. It can also be a tough process to go through, and there are no expectations from me about what we talk about or what changes might come.
I am open to working with any person or problem – no matter what you bring I will always be focusing on you as an individual. I do, though, have specific experience both personally and professionally with topics around disability and neurodivergence; gender and sexuality; ‘alternative’ relationships; and domestic violence or relational trauma. I am also well-practiced at working alongside spiritual or religious beliefs of all kinds. Feel free to ask me more about my experience with any of these topics.
I am also a disability advocate, and I recognise that no amount of talking therapy, no matter how good, is going to make up for not getting things like benefits, support, or adjustments when you need them. I believe everyone’s needs fall somewhere in the middle-ground between building up your internal resources and setting up external, practical help. Depending on how much help you need with accessing these supports, I can offer you some advocacy help myself alongside our therapy work, or support you to look for the help you need with it. I have years of experience supporting people to navigate disability benefit claims, and will happily support someone through this either as an addition to therapy or just as a one-off service on its own.
I offer remote sessions over Zoom, WhatsApp (call or video), and over the phone. I can also offer in-person sessions in my home in Woodhouse in Leeds, and am open to exploring having sessions outside on Woodhouse Ridge if/when this feels appropriate.
About me
My name is Cecilia (or just ‘C’) and my pronouns are They/He. I am a qualified psychotherapist and independent advocate working online and in Leeds, West Yorkshire. I’m AuDHD, queer, and transmac/non-binary, and my experiences of unmasking and finding my own self, community, and joy make up a huge part of how and why I support others. I am also white, middle class, and physically non-disabled, so I work to make sure I do my best to make up for the power and bias I bring into the room because of these privileges.
I feel strongly about how mental health support is offered to the people who most need it – which is usually badly. Unfortunately, psychology and psychotherapy have a long history of being built by and for people who have ‘conventional’ needs and backgrounds. People who fall outside of this mould often find that mental health professionals do not understand or value their differences. Too many people are treated like they’re not working hard enough or doing the wrong thing when, actually, they’re doing a really good job or just don’t want what most people do. These days, I mostly find myself working with people who haven’t matched well with conventional or mainstream services because of practical or emotional needs.
I have been practicing counselling and psychotherapy since 2016. I’ve worked in private, charity, and NHS settings. I have particular experience around complex trauma, chronic illness, disability, and experiences of oppression. I am constantly learning and unlearning in areas relevant to my work, with particular focus on the mind-body connection and social/reparative justice.
Alongside my training and work in psychotherapy, I also have over a decade of experience with support roles in education, social care, advocacy, mental health, and community support. I have dedicated myself to understanding and meeting people’s individual needs, and this strongly drives my intention to help you value and reconnect to your own.