“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 connecting 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
i am not here to categorise or diagnose you. i am not here to fix or advise you. i am here to meet you in your struggle. i am here to learn about what happened to you, how you adapted, and how those adaptations made sense at the time. i value therapy as a collaborative process, a relationship where you feel heard, understood, and accepted, while also gently challenged to feel more alive, more connected, more yourself.
what we know from research is that how we relate to ourselves and others as adults, how we respond to difficulty, and what we believe about who we are is deeply rooted in our early experiences and the meanings we came to make of them. we didn’t choose those meanings, but we can, with time and the right conditions, begin to question whether they are still serving us. research also tells us that our capacity to change is not fixed. new experiences and new relationships, including the one we build together, can reshape the ways we feel, respond and understand ourselves.
i value curiosity over certainty, compassion over blame, and hope that slowly emerges through experience of trust, rather than being imposed. i believe that revisiting old narratives with care can open space for new possibilities, greater self-understanding, and a fuller sense of being alive and connected.
above all, i believe in our capacity for change, and in the courage it takes to begin.
i tailor my approach based on your individual needs. i am experienced working with adults and young adults, in agency and private setting, across a range of issues, some of which are: anxiety, depression, burnout, grief, relationship difficulties, low self-esteem, emotional regulation, body image, parenting and questions of meaning and belonging. if you are unsure whether what you are carrying is something i work with, the free consultation is a good place to find out.
