Even if you start therapy to help you out of a dark or difficult time, it is a great gift that you give to yourself. We learn a great deal about ourselves, about others and ultimately about living life with more ease and enjoyment. We will sit together and get curious about what you learnt growing up and in your life to date that created you today: your world-view, your assumptions and even your body's responses to the situations you face. We'll learn about how you manage your world in ways that *work* for you, as well as where these ways of relating are causing pain or limiting you. We will find your best ways to unblock and release those old responses. The goal is to find new ways of seeing and being that help you to be more at-ease and authentically yourself and in relation to friends, family, work and other important people and situations. I believe every one of us has a soul-nature and way of being that works well for us and it's our job to work with that.
I work with an integrative palette of approaches and tools, and share them with you in our conversations. A good deal of our work will involve working with how the thoughts and emotions land in our physical selves and our nervous systems.
Client Focus
Session Format: Individual sessions.
Age Specialty: Adult
Demographic Expertise: Asian, Black / African American, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Hispanic / Latino, Jewish, LGBTQ+, Men, Persons with Disabilities, Women clients.
Languages: English, conversational Spanish.
Treatment Approach
- Existential/Humanistic
- Feminist
- Gestalt
- Integrative
- Person-Centered
- Somatic
- Transpersonal
Approach Description: I work integratively: this means that I have been trained to work in different ways, finding the way that works best for you. Our body our mind work together- this is core to what I believe and how I work. This means I work 'somatically' though also with psychodynamic, humanistic, creative and transpersonal approaches (if those terms are helpful to you). I am not a therapist who sits mute, but reflects, asks questions and where helpful we use tools and frameworks that can move us along in the therapy. I don't believe in holding out on you if there is a resource or perspective that can help. By the same token, I do understand the value of listening, being patient and allowing the work to unfold. Our long-held patterns have taken years to form, and while we may see change quickly, patience and compassion allow us to work all the angles to dislodge the particularly tough patterns.
Education & Credentials
Lisa Sanfilippo MA, MSc, UKCP, MBACP
- Female
- Practicing Since 2012
Education: MA, Transpersonal Psychotherapy (Thesis: intersections between yoga and psychotherapy), 2019, Univ. Northampton/CCPE
Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy, CCPE, 2017
UKCP Registration, BACP
MSc Social Policy & Planning, London School of Economics, 2003
BSc Sociology, Brown University, USA 1997
Finances
Fees
- Average Session Fee £125
- Affordable sliding scale therapy: apply if you may be eligible.
- For a limited number of clients I am able to offer a sliding scale of £100/ 105/ 115 concession rates. This depends upon circumstances as well as availability, and if you are willing and able to be flexible with time, location/ Zoom concessions.
- Accepts Insurance
- I am registered with AXA and WPF and may accept other insurances. Please enquire about this. You will often need to pay and submit for reimbursement from your insurer.
Lisa Sanfilippo Practice Details
Therapy Sessions
- Available In-Person in London, England W1G and London, England
- Available Online for residents of United Kingdom
- Online Therapy Details: Zoom
We'll meet in person at one of my three central London locations or online.
If you're curious you can also have a look at articles I've written and interviews, particularly focussed on sleep, an area of special expertise- I have published two books on the topic.
I also specialise in helping you to identify and communicate your needs. We'll look at how we negotiate in relationships with family, with friends and at work.
Our work together will integrate an understanding of how our nervous system responses can result in PTSD (trauma), anxiety, depression and other ways of feeling stuck. My second Master's degree focussed on the intersections of yoga and psychotherapy. I have both practiced and taught yoga for more than two decades. My continuing professional development has been in working with trauma and understanding the body-mind-emotions through Polyvagal Theory, trained by Deb Dana, whose work I recommend checking out. I have also studied with Abi Blakeslee the topic of implicit memory (how the body remembers).
I’ve arrived here after a career in social justice, education, social policy (in which I have an MSc from the London School of Economics) and sociology (BSc from Brown University).
If you think we might be a good fit, please do get in touch for a free 15-20 minute meeting.
We'll forge new ways to meet life's challenges and move towards feeling more fulfilment and enjoyment in life.
*Please get in touch for a free Zoom-based or telephone conversation if you think therapy with me might be a good match for you.*