About Me
About Me
Natasha Harris
Bsc, PGDip, MBACP (Accred)
I’ve always thought it’s pretty hard finding the right therapist. You need someone who delivers effective sessions, in a way that works for you and they need to be the right fit personally. With that in mind, I thought it might be helpful to get a little bit more information on who I am and my background.
Firstly, I have been with my partner for over twenty years and together, we have three children.
Secondly, you could say that I’ve been involved in the world of mental health all my life. My father was a Consultant Psychiatrist who, when I was young, worked from home. This meant that our sitting room was also the waiting room. As a result, I would hang out with his patients whilst they waited for their appointment, drawing pictures and watching cartoons with them. As time went on, I would be the one to welcome them into our house, offer them tea and have a chat until it was time for their session.
I think it’s fair to say this wasn’t necessarily common practice in the world of Psychiatry. But it has meant that going to talk to a professional about issues you might be facing has always seemed normal to me.
My mother had breast cancer when I was 7, survived, and since then, over the past 40 years or so, has become an integral part of the helpline at Breast Cancer Now. So I’ve also been accustomed to talking about sensitive subjects such as illnesses and death from a young age.
Whether you’re interested in personal sessions, couples counselling or having a more work-based focus, I have both personal and professional experience on which to draw.
Training and Qualifications
After obtaining my degree in Politics at The University of Bristol, I worked in Central London in ‘people-focused’ and communication roles for over 12 years, managing and mentoring individuals at some of London’s leading agencies and brands. To build on these skills, I also trained as a Psychotherapist and Counsellor which has allowed me to develop increasingly practical and effective sessions for those dealing with both personal and professional issues. I have undertaken additional training with The Samaritans, SANE and Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre (OCTC) and have been lucky enough to take part in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) training with the internationally renowned Christine Padesky, author of Mind Over Mood. Importantly, I have continued to attend, and take part in, Continued Professional Development (CPD) sessions at The Tavistock and Portman and several more approved by The British Psychological Society.
My long-standing experience of both the corporate and counselling world enables me to help people navigate challenging periods in life in a warm and supportive environment, whilst balancing the pressures of a career.
Additional experience
As well as running my own psychotherapy practise, I’ve worked at a specialist Bereavement Centre in East London and have acted as a volunteer psychotherapist at Therapy4Healing. This social enterprise offers 1-2-1 psychotherapy to individuals on low incomes in East London
I also run coaching sessions for people at their place of work. These sessions give my clients some space each week to work through challenging situations and ensure that they’re mentally resilient enough to deal with whatever comes their way.
Code of Ethics
I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy and adhere to their Code of Ethics.