“we shall not cease from exploration
and the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
and know the place for the first time”
hello, i am kristina chapala barker - a psychotherapist, former corporate lawyer, parent and someone who continues to learn and unlearn what belonging means.
i work with people who are feeling lost, stuck or overwhelmed (in work, relationships, life changes, or quietly within) and don't know where to turn. i offer online and in person therapy sessions in central/south west london.
through my own experiences of not knowing, of losing, of starting again, i've come to know how frightening it is to sit on your own with what you’ve come to believe the struggle means about you. how frightening it is to lose yourself.
transformation often begins in that uncomfortable space, but it moves when there is someone in it with you. we are not meant to do it alone, no one is.
together, we can begin to get to know you. we can explore how your past experiences continue to shape the way you feel and respond now. we can question whether the stories you’ve come to believe about who you are are still serving you. we can make room for you to experience new and truer ways of being in relationship with yourself and with others.
if you would like to experience what it might be like for us to work together, i offer a free 30 minute online consultation. you can find out more about my experience + services here.
my approach
finding the right therapist can feel like an impossible task. i hope my page gives you a sense of who i am, how i work and whether we might work well together. according to research, good outcomes in therapy are less about the type of approach and more about the relationship between the therapist and client - the quality of trust, attunement, and fit. i am glad you are here.
i am not here to categorise or diagnose you. i am here to invite you into a collaborative and dynamic relationship grounded in safety, trust and hope. a relationship where you feel understood, accepted and challenged to evolve in new and meaningful ways.
research tells us that our brain and mind are uniquely wired and shaped by our early environment and relationships. how we as adults relate to ourselves and others, how we respond to stressors and adversity, and beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world are rooted in what happened to us and how we learnt to interpret those experiences.
research also tells us, our neural pathways can be rewired and reshaped by ongoing experiences and relationships in adulthood, including our relationship.
while i am trained in using a range of therapeutic approaches, i believe that no person is the same and i tailor my approach based on your individual needs. i work extensively with early development attachments, core self-beliefs, relational neuroscience, metaphors and visualising, embodied responses and psycho-education.
i am experienced working with adults and young adults, in agency and private setting, across a range of issues, some of which are: anxiety, stress, depression, self-esteem, relationship difficulties, low mood, body image, parenting, panic attacks, emotional regulation, grief and loss, managing change and life transitions, suicide and suicidal ideation, burnout, identity issues and existential meaning-making.
