Victoria O'Callaghan

I offer a reflective space where you can become curious about what living well means for you. I work online and in-person, combining somatic and psychological approaches to better understand what might be preventing you from living fully. Therapy is a process of change and growth where those involved courageously navigate complex feelings of loss and longing for a different, uncertain future. My therapeutic practices involves being alongside my clients as they discover their capacity for creative living as they grapple with the complex task of being alive.  While there is no one-size fits all approach to feelings of stuckness or distress, more multidisciplinary research evidences how psychological problems can have roots in early experiences. We will likely spend time exploring these together, making links between past experiences and present challenges. We will not talk about the past all the time. Sessions might include moments of humour and laughter as we work together to identify what matters to them, developing their capacity to creatively face the challenges involved in living fully. I meet with clients either once or twice a week. I offer online and in-person appointments. My clinics are in Brighton, Hove and London. Sessions are 50 minutes long and take place at the same time each week. 

I am qualified as a psychodynamic psychotherapist. I trained at Birkbeck University on the MSc in Psychodynamic Counselling and Psychotherapy. I attended Goldsmiths University to complete my foundation training.  I am currently training in the Foundation in Group Analysis (group therapy) with the Institute of Group Analysis. I am also training in Mentalisation-Based Therapy (MBT) with the Anna Freud Centre in London.  I have an MA in History of Medicine from University College London in collaboration with the Wellcome Collection. I specialised in examining intersections between international healthcare policy and social activist responses to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the 1980s. I received my BA from Edinburgh University, studying History and specialising in gender, sexuality, and medieval women's healthcare practices. I currently am an Associate Therapist at the Albany Trust in London. I have also been a Bereavement Counsellor for Cruse Bereavement Care, where I worked via telephone with people experiencing grief related to bereavement and loss of all kinds.  In my previous career as I service designer I was the UK Health and Wellbeing Lead for a global design consultancy. I worked as part of a small team providing 1-to-1 support, listening services and small group workshops for individuals requiring mental health support for a variety of reasons. We also created training materials and interactive sessions on different aspects of mental health and wellbeing intended reduce stigma related to mental health issues in the workplace. This included establishing mental health ‘speakeasies’ where participants shared psychosocially-rooted experiences in a non-judgemental setting. I work with people from all walks of life who are experiencing different types of difficulty. working with questions around sexuality, shifting gender identities, chronic illness and feelings of confusion and loss that accompany transitional moments in our lives. I have experience working with the LGBTQ+ community, creative professionals and young adults navigating the challenges and opportunities for growth accompanying the complex task of growing up. I am also experienced in fertility-oriented health issues including infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, perimenopause and menopause, as well as supporting expectant and new parents as they adjust to being parents. Further qualifications include: Teaching qualification in pregnancy and post-natal yoga - Yoga Campus (2018) Teaching qualification in yoga for anxiety and depression - Yoga Campus (2018) Teaching qualification in mental health basics for yoga teachers - Yoga Campus (2018) 200-hour yoga teacher qualification to teach vinyasa yoga to adults - Yoga London (2015-2016)